What's next, Paul?

My baby is on world stage

2011-05-31T23:14:00.005+08:00

I apologized for the long break. I have been having reverse culture shock even till now, coming close to five months.

Anyway, I received an email informing me of this good news. After five years of hard work, my research project is patented on world stage.

http://www.wipo.int/patentscope/search/en/WO2011046996

Need more songs like this

2011-02-11T23:33:00.002+08:00

Been listening to this song for its meaningful lyrics.

Fireworks by Katy Perry

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag,

drifting through the wind

wanting to start again?

Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin

like a house of cards,

one blow from caving in?

Do you ever feel already buried deep?

6 feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing

Do you know that there's still a chance for you

'Cause there's a spark in you

You just gotta ignite, the light, and let it shine

Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause baby you're a firework

Come on, show 'em what you're worth

Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"

As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework

Come on, let your colors burst

Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"

You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

You don't have to feel like a waste of space

You're original, cannot be replaced

If you only knew what the future holds

After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Maybe your reason why all the doors are closed

So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road

Like a lightning bolt, your heart will glow

And when it's time, you'll know

You just gotta ignite, the light, and let it shine

Just own the night like the 4th of July

'Cause baby you're a firework

Come on, show 'em what you're worth

Make 'em go "Oh, oh, oh"

As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework

Come on, let your colors burst

Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"

You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

Boom, boom, boom

Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

It's always been inside of you, you, you

And now it's time to let it through-ough-ough

'Cause baby you're a firework

Come on, show 'em what you're worth

Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"

As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby, you're a firework

Come on, let your colors burst

Make 'em go "Oh, Oh, Oh"

You're gonna leave 'em all in awe, awe, awe

Boom, boom, boom

Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

Boom, boom, boom

Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

An Apple convert

2011-01-24T11:55:00.007+08:00

Between the period of Dec 8 and Dec 27, I could only access internet intermittently at public library and on friends' laptops. I felt that I lived in the Dark Ages since I was used to checking my emails, reading news, and chatting with friends and family online daily. I was also waiting to see if SingTel would give good freebies for new subscription during the Christmas season.

Atlas, I could not stand the isolation and decided to buy an iPhone 4 as my third mobile phone in the course of my life. My first and second were Nokia 8250 and Nokia 6010, respectively, which lasted five years each. It was a huge upgrade and I am loving the iPhone 4 because of its many useful features. I had thought of buying a compact camera to carry around daily, instead of my heavy Nikon D70s, so that I can shoot life's special moments when they present themselves. With the built-in camera, I can shoot and share pictures instantly. I also bought a sports armband so that I can listen to music while working out at gym or running. The iPhone also serves as my navigational tool. While traveling, I read online news, check my emails on the go, or play games.

After buying the iPhone 4, I also bought a 21.5" iMac on the same day of Dec 27. I was inclined to buy a MacBook Pro for its portability and to process my travel pictures. However, after some brainwashing by Thaddeus, I decided to go for iMac since at the same price, the iMac had much higher specifications than a MacBook. The wireless keyboard and mouse are a plus feature for aesthetics and the fast start-up and shut down win hands down over Windows. Most importantly, Mac system has few malicious virus programs compared to Windows.

Reverse Culture Shock

2011-01-23T11:59:00.007+08:00

Currently, I feel like a foreigner in my homeland, Singapore, after being away for five years. The first thing I noticed was the humidity and heat when I emerged from Changi International Airport. Like a wet blanket, the humidity engulfed me, making me feel sticky and sweaty. Showering twice is a must since I smelled bad in this sweltering weather. My skin started to have boils and outbreak, not a pleasant sight and experience. In the dead heat of the day, I just felt my energy draining away from me like big cats at Savannah sleeping under shades in the afternoon to lower their body temperature. Also, within 47 days, I caught the flu bug twice. My immune system is definitely undergoing major stimulation from a new set of pathogens and allergens.

Majority of Singapore local food is oily and spicy but cheaper compared to US. Most Singaporeans eat out since food is cheap and they have no time to cook. My gastrointestinal tract could not take the oily and spicy food since I had been cooking my own food in the USA for five years, consisting of rice or noodle, meat (beef, pork, and chicken), lots of vegetables and fruits. Beef is hardly sold in local markets, or if sold, will be expensive. I laughed when someone visiting home from Baltimore mentioned that she had to order double portion of local food. Yes, US food portion is twice that of Singapore. I wonder if the smaller portion is causing my acid reflux as my stomach is producing the same volume of acid but digesting half the food portion. The acid reflux, which is causing me to have sore throat constantly, is especially bad when I lay supine at night. Nowadays, my sleeping position is raised to prevent the stomach acid from re-entering my esophagus.

The vast expanse of USA is starkly contrasted against the crowded and tight spaces in Singapore. I am still getting used to sharing a room. People are everywhere, especially during peak rush hours when the trains and buses were packed like sardines. Driving in Singapore is right-handed, opposite to driving in USA. As a precaution, I am looking both ways even on a one-way street as I am confuse with the traffic direction. Drivers tailgate a lot here, or turn suddenly into your lane; I will not be driving for a long time but will still convert my US driving license. I had booked for the Basic Theory Test on 3 Jan and the earliest test date was 24 Feb. Even the date format is different, US writes mm/dd/yy whereas Singapore writes dd/mm/yy.

Nowadays, English is often spoken at public places. Even cleaners and store vendors communicated with me in English as opposed to five years ago when dialects and Chinese were the norm.

The pace of life is very much faster here and people are dead tired when they reached home around 8pm. People also walked faster and seemed more impatient and rude. They are always hurrying to somewhere.

Only those who had stayed away from home could empathize with me on the culture shock that I am experiencing. Even my family don't understand but I hope to re-adjust back eventually.

A brand new year with brand new experiences

2011-01-11T15:10:00.003+08:00

After a long break from writing, I am starting to pen down my thoughts again on Day 11 of 2011. Wishing all a delayed well wishes!

I have a series of postings which I will write up in depth. The first post coming up is reverse culture shock.

Crazy last weeks

2010-11-25T02:39:00.003+08:00

After my return from a 18-day Latin America trip on Nov 14, time had been passing me by quickly.

I had to play catch up with work, meeting up with friends to bid farewell, and tying loose ends before returning home on Dec 6.

On top of that, my junior just arrived, so I drove him and my new housemate around to buy stuffs.

Finally on Nov 24, I had the chance to sit down at lab without going anywhere or doing anything! A good gift for myself.

Reflecting on my past 5-year professional experience

2010-10-20T23:23:00.005+08:00

In my five years at Johns Hopkins University, I had risen from a trainee, a post-doctoral fellow, an assistant lab-manager, and finally to a faculty position as a Research Associate with The Department of Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences.

However, before I switched to a wet-laboratory from a bioinformatics background, I had set my goal of publishing at least two first authors during my stint here.

Writing has been a difficult process for me. It takes a lot of mental discipline and emotional detachment to churn out a good article.

My first research paper took slightly more than a year to get it published. My second review paper had a shorter period of seven months, from mentally accepting the invitation to write for the journal to publishing it. I am happy on fulfilling my goal.

All said and done, I am grateful to my boss, Professor Thomas August for believing in my conviction and fellow colleagues in getting the papers published!

Highly conserved influenza A sequences as T cell epitopes-based vaccine targets to address the viral variability

Paul ThiamJoo Tan, Asif M. Khan and J. Thomas August

Volume 7, Issue 4
April 2011

Vaccines are the only proven effective method for prevention of human infectious diseases. Almost all traditional vaccines require activating immunological memory B cells to secrete neutralizing antibodies against invading pathogens. The complication with influenza viruses is the high viral mutation rate that results in immune escape through modification of the B cell epitopes. Studies of T cell immunity to influenza infection provide an alternative vaccine strategy based on highly conserved T cell epitopes. In this review, we discuss the importance of T cell-mediated immunity in influenza infection and the need for a targeted vaccine approach focused on highly conserved T cell epitopes to mitigate immune escape. We propose 15 highly conserved pan-influenza sequences as possible T cell epitopes-based vaccine targets for broad protection and lasting immunity against variant influenza strains.

Shooting at Johns Hopkins Hospital

2010-09-17T19:22:00.004+08:00

Yesterday, 16 Sep 2010, was a tense and sad day for us working at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Sometime after 11am, I received an email from Hopkins saying that someone had fired a shot inside the hospital building. Employees were advised to stay behind locked rooms.

From my laboratory, I could hear siren and saw a police helicopter hovering above the East Baltimore Campus.

Roads surrounding the hospital were closed. Vehicles used by SWAT teams, police and firefighters formed a blockage where the shooting happened. Media groups were swarming around the cordoned area.

The shooter, who became emotionally distraught after hearing his mother's condition, had shot the consulting physician. Eventually, he turned on his mother and himself. The wounded doctor survived.

Just a sad day!

Celebrating over 100,000 views

2010-08-12T20:44:00.004+08:00

Today, my Webshots photo website crossed 100,000 views with 2,321 downloads since I joined as a member on 21 March, 2006.

Thank you for your viewership and downloads. Looking back on my 73 albums, my photography skill has improved in these four years. Initially, I had joined to upload my pictures onto a server as a backup. Never had I imagined that any of my pictures would be featured as Picture Of The Day (POTD) since I was an amateur photographer nor a premium Webshots member.

I still prefer to take landscape or still pictures. My next venture will likely be night scene. Taking people is not my forte but no harm trying out.

You can enjoy my work at Littlesaul.

Reflection

2010-08-01T21:24:00.007+08:00

I had thought of closing my blog this year since I had been penning my thoughts for almost 5 years. But after reading my previous postings, they brought back good memories of the many adventures I had taken, places visited, and things accomplished and yet done.

Postings, henceforth, maybe few and far between, but will highlight crucial events.

After my last publication on influenza A, entitled "Conservation and Diversity of Influenza A H1N1 HLA-Restricted T Cell Epitope Candidates for Epitope-Based Vaccines", I was invited to write a peer review on T cell epitope-based vaccines which I believe is the next frontier in vaccine development.

I consulted with my boss, Prof. August and we agreed to go ahead. Reading through over 100 research articles was tough. I also under-estimated the huge amount of time needed to write.

The four-month period leading to submission in July was a trying period for me which explained the absence of postings. I felt liberated after my submission.

Today, a month later, I got the answer back from the reviewers. As usual, we had to revise or rebut the reviewers' comments. With something to work on, it will be easier than writing from scratch.

Sleepless poems

2010-04-20T00:57:00.002+08:00

Yawning, grouchy mood
Each night, my sleep is interrupted.

Yawning, concentration is affected.
Mistakes are committed.

Dozing, tired man
Catching up with sleep.

The Elusive Sleep
Each night, I prepared for our meeting
Body and dental hygiene a must,
A clean set of PJ, nothing fanciful.

Our meeting agreement involved lying still,
muscles relaxing and natural breathing.
A blank mind I tried to maintain.

Anxiety, anger, depression, worries, etc.
Negative feelings are not
Appreciated by my guest.

Atlas, I grew impatient.
For she had stood me up again.
I lie awake,
Thinking of The Elusive Sleep.

Bad sleeping posture = Bad neck ache

2010-03-25T20:29:00.010+08:00

One day I woke up with a sharp pain around my right scapular. At the end of the day, the pain had spread to my neck. Initially, I thought I had injured it through lifting weights at the gym. After resting for two months, the pain was still there and massaging with medicated oil did not help. Applying heat pad provided some relief but did not treat the cause. I was having backache too each morning.

I was worried that it could be more than a bad strain and visited my sports doctor. He diagnosed as a strain to my right trapezius muscle and advised me to go for physical therapy. Trapezius muscle is a huge muscle group, consisting of a broad, flat muscle on each side of the upper and back part of the neck, shoulders, and back. This muscle group is involve in raising, rotating, or drawing back the shoulders, and pulling the head backward or to one side.

Since I had never been to a physical therapy before, it would be interesting to determine how they would treat the pain. Prior to treatment, I need to fill up a survey to describe my pain level, types of pain (I did not know there were so many adjectives to describe pain, amazing) and usual health questions.

I was given an ultrasound and massage over the muscle. My therapist could feel the tightness of my muscle whereas I just felt pain. She also taught me to sleep correctly by adjusting the height of my pillows or rolling a towel to support my neck. The position to adopt is the natural curvature of the spine, not too high where you would be facing your toes nor too low, causing the neck to arch up. The shoulders should not be rested on the pillows. When I first came to USA, I had trouble adjusting to the soft pillows and the low height. So, I had five pillows to play with the height. She also printed out some neck exercises to stretch the muscles.

I just bought a contour memory foam pillow which has the neck support. The cover was soft and plush, really comfortable. If I maintain to sleep on my back, I am on the road to recovery.

Hot sauces

2010-03-10T19:59:00.007+08:00

I, a fan of spicy food, was drawn to try out the hottest things available. While watching a program on Travel Channel, I got to know of two hot sauces. One is 911 from Cluck-U Chicken which according to the sauce meter (left picture) is 151 degree. (FYI, 911 is an emergency number in USA, synonymous to 999 in Singapore.) Before customers could taste or buy the 911 sauce, they had to agree and consent to a waiver release. I bought a 5 oz bottle at $10.60. It was spicy but leave a bitter aftertaste like when I apply cayenne pepper powder to my food.

The second was Atomic Wing Sauce, sold by Quaker Stake & Lube. As the nearest store is 4 hour drive away, I had not tried this sauce. It is available online, selling at $5.99 for 2 fl. oz. The Scoville Heat Rating is 150000. A waiver release is also required.

The one I like so far is Hotter Hot Sauce by Texas Pete which is available in the local supermarket. It is spicier than the Original Hot Sauce which is mild to me. Further, there is no bitter aftertaste. Some people may find this preposterous. I would apply a few drips on each potato chip before eating the chip.

There is a shop in Delaware for fans of hot sauces. It carries a wide variety of sauces from all over the world. If I remembered correctly, it is owned by a brother and sister. I am trying to locate it. I saw it on Travel Channel. Anyone know this?

A new way of sauteing

2010-01-26T10:32:00.003+08:00

Recently, I discovered a less messy way of frying. Being brought up to use a wok for frying, stirring, etc. I was not aware of using a non-stick pot for the same cooking methods.

Nowadays, I add oil and saute onions with a lid covered to prevent oil splattering and frying odor from getting on my clothes in the closet. Plus, I could add broth to simmer meat. The less messy it is, the better for me. Yipee.

Another uniquely place

2010-01-18T22:52:00.005+08:00

While walking in Fells Point, I chanced upon this sign hanging off a lamp post. This cracked me up as I saw the slogan, 'Uniquely Baltimore' which reminded me of another, 'Uniquely Singapore.'

Separated about 9,600 mi or 15,500 km apart, it was surprising that the two cities chose similar slogan.

Update to my knowledge of exercising

2010-01-13T21:38:00.004+08:00

As the Arctic cold front surges, I stay more immobile on the couch and not going to gym. I have been feeling guilty for not exercising by using the excuse of temperatures below freezing.

A few weeks ago, I ordered a book called "The Men's Health Big Book of Exercises: Four Weeks to a Leaner, Stronger, More Muscular YOU!" I felt that my old routine of exercises was boring since it had not changed for 4 years and my muscle growth had plateaued. After reading Chapter 2 on FAQs on lifting, I realized my knowledge on sets and repetitions of workout was outdated. The 619 exercises, including warm-up exercises which I often neglect, will keep me occupied.

The weather forecast for the next 7 days should be above freezing, time to head out and burn calories.

New Mexico Dec 9-12

2010-01-08T20:28:00.009+08:00

My first impression of New Mexico was from watching Rachael Ray hosting Santa Fe's rich cultural food on Food Channel last year. The food looked spicy with various peppers added and the architecture of buildings in the background looked different. These set my heart to visit Santa Fe.

Fast forward to 9 Dec 2009, I booked a Delta flight to Albuquerque Airport from Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport as traveling over Christmas and New Year period cost more. On my first leg from BWI to Atlanta for my transit, I was upgraded to first class. This was the first time that I sat in this section. The perks of sitting in first class included checking in my winter coat and the flight attendant started to serve me drinks the moment I sat down. There was plenty of seat space for me to cross my legs if I wished. It was definitely a pampering experience. For my connecting flight to Albuquerque, I was back to economy class.

From the airplane, I could see desert blanketed with snow and snow-capped mountains. Upon entering Albuquerque Airport, the interior was decorated with native Indian arts and designs, a sight different from major US airports.

After picking up my rental car, I drove northeast towards Santa Fe which served as my base for visiting other vicinities. I was advised by the car rental staff to upgrade to a Toyota Camry from an economy car as New Mexico was hit by a snowstorm, resulting in icy roads and the highway speed limit was 75 mph. Usually it is 65 mph. An economy car would 'shake' and be hard to control at 75 mph. After upgrading and buying liability insurance and a full fuel tank, I had to pay $200+ on top of what I had paid for in my Travelocity package.

It took me about 1.5 hour to reach Santa Fe around 4pm. Sure enough, the road was icy and I did not regret spending the extra cash on safety. As I had not taken any meal since morning, I proceeded to Santa Fe Plaza where most restaurants were situated. My hotel, Sage Inn, provided free transport to the plaza where I headed to a Thai restaurant but it was closed. Then, I walked towards Burro Alley where I dined at Cafe Paris Restaurant and Bakery. Burro Alley used to be a nightlife district for the city and is named after the small donkeys which carried firewood to be sold here.

After fulfilling my hunger, I toured around the 400-year old Plaza, visiting St Francis Cathedral, Loretto Chapel and La Fonda Hotel. Most shops were closed around 5pm as this was off-peak season. The Loretto Chapel had an interesting history. The small Gothic Chapel was built in the 1870s without a staircase to the choir loft from the ground. Many builders were consulted to solve the predicament with the intention of building a staircase that would not take up too much space. Most suggested using a ladder or reconstructing the balcony. The Sisters of Loretto prayed a Novena to Saint Joseph and on the ninth day, a mysterious carpenter came forward and built a circular stairway to the loft. The stairway makes two 360-degree turns with no center nor side support and no nails. Just plain wooden pegs. Upon completing the stairway, the carpenter disappeared without asking payment for his work. This stairway has been attributed to Saint Joseph's work and is called the Miraculous Stairway.

The next day, I drove northeast to Taos where I visited Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark. This place has been continuously inhabited by the Native American Indians for over 1000 years. The buildings are made of adobe which is earth mixed with water and the walls are really thick, at least 10 inches wide. To see the interior, you can visit the shops located within the community where the walls are usually painted white. There is no modern amenity, specifically electricity and water, in this community. Thus, there is a fireplace inside for cooking and keeping warm. The river running through the village serves as their source of drinking water. They have a majestic view of Taos Mountain where the natives considered it sacred and performed religious ceremonies there.

For the truly environmentally friendly people, there is a community not far from Taos who live in structures made out of earth and recycled materials such as glass bottles, aluminum cans, and car tires. The Earthship Biotecture Headquarter Visitor Center is a self-sufficient housing using solar energy and integrated water system, including its own garden. Precipitation is collected where water is used 4 times before releasing back into the environment. Visit Earthship Biotecture for more information.

In between Taos and The Earthship Community is the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge across the Rio Grande Gorge. The gorge is a mini version of Grand Canyon but looks great too since I had to cross it. On my way back to Santa Fe, I stopped at a wholesale shop which sold every Southwestern thing one could think of. Imagine a wreath made from red chili peppers. I wanted to buy a table runner but decided against it as I thought about getting it in Latin America when I visit in early half of 2010.

On my third day, I drove to Bandelier National Monument, home to Ancestral Pueblo dwellings. Along the way, I was glad to explore White Rock because the scenery from the outlook was fantastic. There was a partially frozen waterfall and a gorge. Usually, being a planner, I would have drove on towards my target. But I learned my lesson when I went to Cape May, New Jersey. Then, I saw a country rodeo along the way and I thought it would be there on my way back. Well, the place was deserted on my return trip.

After getting back to my actual route, I drove for many miles alone with no car in sight on New Mexico Route 4. According to my GPS, I should have reached the park entrance. I pressed on and finally saw the entrance. A self-guided tour is available at the Main Loop Trail with many Ancestral Pueblo dwellings, carved out from cliff walls. One could climb up ladders to the cavates. At 5' 10", it was difficult for me to stay in the carved units.

Another attraction at Bandelier National Monument was The Alcove House, formerly called Ceremonial Cave, which is 140 feet up a cliff wall. Getting there involves climbing 4 steep wooden ladders and stone stairs. Due to the snowstorm, the Alcove House was closed for safety reasons.

However, having hiked for half an hour through deep snow, I refused to see the Alcove House at the foot of the cliff. The first ladder was icy and the stairs were covered with snow. My heart pounded hard. At the back of my mind, I was thinking that I was acting foolishly as help was unavailable if I were to fall since no one would venture here. My adventurous side won over and I reached the Alcove House safely. I imagined life back then, children playing, women cooking and men hunting. There was a kiva where you had to descend into for religious rituals. Going down the ladders was harder as I had to maneuver from my back facing the ladder to facing opposite to it at the top steps. Further, my bulky digital Nikon D70S hindered my movement. I put my climbing knowledge to use by always having three contact points while descending down the ladders.

Since it was still daylight, I visited Los Alamos, home to creation of the atomic bomb. There were restricted areas with fences as I drove by. Upon reaching Los Alamos, there was a security post. This was the first time for me to drive past a security post to a US town. I visited the Bradbury Science Museum which had exhibits on nuclear bomb and watched a film on the Manhattan Project. The big yellow metal 'bomb' was a replica of the Fat Man which detonated over Nagasaki, Japan. Even though I dislike physics, I enjoyed visiting the museum. It is scary to think about the destructive power of a nuclear bomb.

With night falling, I headed back to Santa Fe and toured along Guadalupe Street, taking pictures of murals, and going into art galleries to escape from the cold. That night, I was fortunate to witness a local event where there was a procession starting from St Francis Cathedral to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. I joined in the procession while photographing the entire event. There were devotees singing hymns, carrying the statue and picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and musicians playing instruments.

On my last day, I woke up early so that I had time to visit Petroglyph National Monument and old Albuquerque before my flight.

The Petroglyph National Monument encompasses extinct volcanoes where ancient drawings of the Native Americans were carved on black rocks. One had to be sharp and often had to climb up the rocky slopes of the canyon to spot images of animals, stick figures and symbols. One could only guess its meaning or significance. As I was on a tight schedule, I did not walked the entire Rinconada Canyon trial and it would be impossible to find every carving on the rocks. Vandalism had been reported where inconsiderate people had added their touches to the images or deface them. Urgh!

On my way to Old Albuquerque, I saw the exit sign for hot air balloon rides and decided to detour. I was in the nick of time to catch the balloons rising. The colorful balloons put a smile on my face as they floated into the sky. Their shapes reminded me of Vietnamese lanterns. One even had two ear-like protrusions at the top of the balloon and a painted winking cat face.

For my last stop, I had about 2 hours to tour Old Albuquerque. It seemed that all the towns in New Mexico had a centralized place called the plaza where people meet. The impression I got after visiting Santa Fe, Taos, and Old Albuquerque was that there were a lot of Native American artwork selling similar things and lots of art galleries. My whole being was saturated with arts every time I visited the plaza. I managed to take a brisk walk around the sculpture garden of the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History.

Life in the desert is tough. Soil conditions are not conducive for major agriculture. What I do observe is the numerous casinos dotting the highways. In fact, there is a rock outcrop which looked like a single hump camel and there is a casino nearby. It was called the Camel Rock Casino.

After returning the car, my itinerary was to fly to Salt Lake City and then to Baltimore. For the second leg, I was once again upgraded to first class and had a relaxing time. Dinner was chicken Parmesan, salad, and pumpkin pie. De-li-cious!

New Mexico photo album

2010

2010-01-01T14:03:00.002+08:00

My first posting of this new decade! Wow, amazing. Wishing all a peaceful, joyous and healthy year ahead.

Keeping up with traditions, my new year resolutions are:

Go on a marvelous, scary and fulfilling journey: Self-discovery.
Find a job.
Watch less tv.

Three things are easy to accomplish or is it?

Travel Channel showcasing Singapore

2009-12-29T20:12:00.004+08:00

While watching the Travel Channel, there was an advertisement on the host, Samantha Brown visiting Singapore. There is a sweep where one lucky winner can win a trip for two to my home country, Singapore.

The sweep started on November 1, 2009 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time ("ET") and ends on December 31, 2009 at 11:59 p.m. ET. I have not been entering for the sweep daily. Just a few more days and I hope that I am a lucky fellow.

It would be fun for the winner to experience Singapore, with its diverse culture, food, cleanliness, and low crimes.

The snow blizzard on Dec 19, 2009

2009-12-25T19:54:00.001+08:00

Every local network's weather center forecasted a major snowstorm on Dec 19. It started snowing lightly in the early morning of Saturday when most of us were asleep.

By morning, the scenery was transformed overnight into a wintry snowscape, though officially, the Winter Solstice began on Dec 21 at 12.47 pm EST.

Initially, it felt kind of romantic with pretty snowflakes falling as I looked out from my warm apartment. However, as it continued to snow without abate and gusty wind picking up, it became scary. Cars were sliding on roads and pedestrians had to walk in knee-deep snow. This was the longest snow storm I had experience since I was here.

By Sunday Dec 20, the blizzard had stopped and everything was covered in snow. My balcony had snow dunes where it was 9 inches at the highest dune.

A cool idea struck me and I began building my first snowman, Feisty with the snow on the balcony. The snow was very dry, not conducive for make a snowball, let alone, a snowman. To overcome this, I sprayed water on the snow as I built. Ideally, you would need to form a snowball initially and then roll the ball around in sticky/wet snow. Imagine animation of cartoon characters rolling down a slope and forming a large snowball.

In this case, I made two snowballs, one for the body and the other for the head. I sat the body on a chair and added snow to it, layer by layer after spraying with water to cement the dry snow. After building the body to a sizable scale, I flatten the top of the body to place the second snowball and started working on the head. Since I had no carrot for its nose, I compressed some snow into a rod and stuck it in. The mouth was a red chilli, eyes were star aniseed, and buttons were dried flower pods from a potpourri. Instead of bundling it up with my cashmere scarfs, as pointed out by Charlene, I used two rags. To complete the look, Feisty, as I called it, was decorated with various hats (see Snow Blizzard album).

Then, I went outside, armed with a measuring tape to measure snow accumulation of the storm. The deepest was at 26 inches. There was this car, completely covered in snow but had a clearing on its driver's side, carved out by wind.

As the snow was deep, I could not resist making snow angels. The last time I made a snow angel, my jeans got dirty because the snow was not deep enough. Not this time, it was 13 inches deep.

I proceeded towards Sherwood Garden to take wintry pictures. Along the way, I saw private house owners busy shoveling their walkways or digging cars out. There were children sledding down a slope.

Houses covered in snow with Christmas decorations make great Holiday pictures. I walked around to capture the scenery but I did not last long as my feet were freezing after getting snow into my boots.

Five days later after the storm, Feisty was fighting to stay frozen. It needed some nose job and half its head was deformed. Things were falling apart. Well, as the saying goes, when a door closes, another opens. A row of icicles were hanging from the roof which looked fantastic. Let's see how long Feisty is going to last.

Blessed Christmas to you and wishing you joy, health and peace in 2010.

Snow Blizzard album

My best Christmas 2009 gift

2009-12-24T12:01:00.004+08:00

Today, I received an email informing me that my manuscript entitled,"Conservation and Diversity of Influenza A H1N1 HLA-restricted T Cell Epitope Candidates for Epitope-based Vaccines" had been accepted in Plos One Journal.

Getting this 'baby' out was a fruit of setbacks, labor and toil. Now, I can enjoy the fruit and look ahead. It is the best Christmas gift to myself.

Blessed Christmas and may his birth reminds us of God's love for us.

Shopping spree

2009-12-07T10:06:00.006+08:00

As I write this post with my laptop on my laps, I do not have to feel the heat from my laptop anymore. The heat was uncomfortable and for men, it is unhealthy for the scrotum.

Well, I just got this Logitech Notebook Cooling Pad
from Amazon. The fan works well, keeping the laptop cool and it is quiet. I bought it because 91 customers gave a 5-star review of this product.

Oh, by the way, maybe it is the spending season, I had ordered more stuffs (e.g. Kirkland Extra Strength Glucosamine HCl and Chondroitin Sulfate Tablets, Bower step down adapter, books, patches, calendar) from Amazon. Since running the Baltimore Marathon in Oct, my left knee has not been feeling right. It is not swollen, i.e. not inflame. However, I feel a cooling sensation even though I did not apply or take any medication. Glucosamine and Chondroitin are building blocks which help to maintain healthy joints. I have to see if these tablets help after three months.

For the step down adapter, prior to buying Nikon D70S, I bought a Nikon F55 which fits a 58mm lens. Among the 58mm lens I invested were a fish-eye lens and a macro lens. I am waiting to get the adapter so that I could try out wide-angle shots and really close up shots.

Argh, I need to rein in my spending spree as I had spent $250 on this Black Friday. I was tempted to rent a car and drive 1.5 hrs to Hagerstown, MD for the midnight sales. I wanted to experience the madness of Americans lining up in front of stores to get the deals. However, that night was raining and foggy plus I was tired. In the end, I slept through the night and drove to there in the morning. In all my shopping trips at Hagerstown Prime Outlet, I had never seen so much crowd before. Lines were long at the cash registers. Luckily for me, the few things that I bought were at shops which were not that packed. I was holding myself back from shopping too much.

First snow

2009-12-05T23:14:00.005+08:00

White, big flakes falling from the sky,
Disappearing on the ground.

Temperature falling fast with strong wind,
I huddled in bed underneath a quilt.

With the ugly weather outside,
Outdoor plans were canceled.

Armed with a good book and a hot cup of tea,
my adventure began as I turned the pages.

A Day on Earth

2009-12-03T02:52:00.003+08:00

Twenty four hours in a day,
One-third of it spent sleeping; Eight hours passed quickly.
Another one-third employed in working; Another eight hours elapsed erratically.
The last one-third engaged in living life, what do you want to make out of it?

Put on comment moderation

2009-12-03T02:46:00.002+08:00

Recently, a group of Japanese had left their comments on one of my postings. Never mind that their comments were irrelevant to the postings, but when you click on their links, it led you to some Japanese porn site. After some Japanese-to-English translation, they were discussing about fantasies too!

This is my last straw. Please respect my blog, you know who you are.

Jury duty

2009-11-29T22:14:00.008+08:00

My introduction to US justice system was through The Law and Order as well as Law and Order: Special Victim Unit TV series. The shows will have scenes shot in a justice court, with prosecutor and defendant lawyers presenting arguments to a group of lay people called the jury. All defendants have the right to a trial by jury which goes back to June 15, 1213. Then, King John of England granted part of the civil liberties designed to prevent too much power being in the hands of the king. The jury is ideally fair and impartial to determine the facts of the evidence in the case.

Well, I was summoned by the Circuit Court for Baltimore City to serve as a juror on Jan 5, 2010. Failure to comply with the summon may result in 60 days imprisonment, $1,000 fine or both after a hearing. This was my second summoning. However, with the current summon, there was not an option for me to check the box, stating that I am a non-US citizen. Other criteria to serve as a juror include residing in Baltimore City, persons who are under 70 years, and did not commit a felony.

Hopefully the Jury Commissioner's Office can strike me off their list after I fax to them my documents.

Inspiration from a song

2009-11-24T07:18:00.006+08:00

This period has been a time of reflection as I come to closing my life chapter and looking forward to opening another. There are lots of factors to consider and no textbook for reference.

This song caught my attention when I was listening to the radio. As I grow older, I tend not to be as excited over things and taking certain things for granted. Living, as the lyrics goes, means taking chances, for that is how human grows.

I hope to dance too!

I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
You get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small
When you stand beside the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)

(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

A comfortable one-bedroom hotel suite while attending a course

2009-11-11T06:30:00.006+08:00

From Nov 9 - 13, I attended a 4.5-day course on flow cytometry offered by BD and paid by my boss. My lodging was at Hawthorn Suite, North Chelmsford, MA.

I was impressed by the layout of the small suite. There was an open kitchen which was well-equipped, looking out into the living area. Two wooden doors at an angle led to the bedroom, with a big vanity area, opposite to a good-sized closet. The restroom had a bathtub. For one person, it was very comfortable and cozy.

Service was excellent too. The staff was helpful and courteous. It is hard to find good service here. The hotel even organized a shopping trip to Nashua Mall, NH on Tuesday evening. A light meal was offered complimentary to hotel guest on Wednesday.
Breakfast menu was different everyday, a refreshing and delectable change for my appetite.

I would not mind designing my own place after this hotel room. Every space was maximized and had a function. I took these photographs for design references in the hope of getting my own place in the near future.

Found it at last

2009-11-03T02:27:00.002+08:00

I had been looking for my first generation iPod nano for the past two weeks. It was a farewell gift from my fellow graduate friends before I came to USA for my post-doctoral position.

I used it only when I work out at the gym and ever since I broke the ring of my armband while rowing, I have been putting it in my pocket.

After gym, I usually would place it near the kitchen counter for my next trip. When I realized that I was missing the iPod, I looked high and low for it at two possible places, my cluttered desk in my room and the equally crowded computer desk in the living room. It was strange that I still had my earphones.

I suspected that it had dropped out of my pocket when I was pulling out my keys. Nothing was turned in after my inquiries at my building concierge and gym.

Yesterday, I went to The Apple Store at Towson Town Center, intending to get a 5th generation iPod 16GB nano which cost USD$189.74. The new features that I like included a FM radio, video camera and its huge size versus my 1GB antique.

Not wanting to be in a hurry to get one, I left empty handed. For dinner, I just wanted to eat instant noodle and when I reached for it, lo and behold, I found the missing iPod. I wondered why I had left it there. Just a very strange place for me to put it.

As for the 5th generation iPod, it can wait now since I am contemplating on getting a iPhone which has all the features I wanted plus a telephone. Also, ordered an armband so that it would be easier to locate and would not obstruct my movement at the gym.

Courage to face adversities

2009-10-27T04:20:00.009+08:00

Yesterday, the priest's sermon on Mark's Gospel touched me. The reading was about a blind man who begged Jesus to give him sight (see below).

He preached about courage in the midst of disappointments and hardships in life. I noticed that as I aged, I tend to be cynical and realistic about life.

Having been rewarded with good grades for working hard as a student, I used the same strategy in my life. However, Life in most cases does not always go my way. I ended up frustrated and disappointed.

As I reflected, ordinary people whom we called heroes have no super power. They accomplished extraordinary acts through sheer courage and determination such as climb Mt Everest without oxygen, sail alone around the world in X days etc.

Life goes on regardless of my disappointments. So, I choose to be courageous and smile at what Life throws at me.

Mk 10:46-52
As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd,
Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus,
sat by the roadside begging.
On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth,
he began to cry out and say,
"Jesus, son of David, have pity on me."
And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent.
But he kept calling out all the more,
"Son of David, have pity on me."
Jesus stopped and said, "Call him."
So they called the blind man, saying to him,
"Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."
He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.
Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?"
The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see."
Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you."
Immediately he received his sight
and followed him on the way.

Going after the elusive peak autumn foliage in Vermont and New Hampshire, Oct 13-15

2009-10-21T05:22:00.033+08:00

Three days after the Baltimore marathon, I flew to Manchester, New Hampshire, wanting to see the famous autumn foliage in New England. My flight from Baltimore-Washington International Airport was at 8am. I booked a shared Supershuttle which picked me up at 4.50am instead of the stipulated time of 5 to 5.15am. I reached the airport at 5.20am and had plenty of time to eat breakfast. Passing through security was a breeze as there was no line at such an ungodly hour.

I caught up with my sleep on the plane and reached Manchester around 10 am on a raining day. After getting my rental car, I started to plan on my route as this was a last minute trip. I had not booked any lodging since I did not want to be tied down at one place nor know where I would be.

From Manchester Airport, I drove West towards Brattleboro, Vermont, hoping that I could get a map of Vermont. Along the way, I stopped numerous times to take pictures of the colorful leaves despite of the rain. After some time, I found that the scenery looked similar.

At Brattleboro, I managed to get an official road map of Vermont at the visitor center. After a quick driving around, I headed to Wilmington which was a small town at the intersection of scenic Rt 100. I had lunch at a diner where only cash was accepted. It was inconvenient not to used credit card.

Next, I traveled North along Rt 100, passing by vast farms and closed ski resorts. I drove till dusk which fell a little after 6pm to arrive at the town of Rutland.

After checking into an inn, I was glad that I had brought my laptop along since my cell provider, T-mobile had no reception in Vermont. I could call using Skype and surf on the internet. For dinner, I asked the receptionist to recommend a place to eat and I decided to try Seward Family Restaurant. I ordered stirred fried chicken with rice, chocolate milk shake and a pumpkin pie. The pie was delicious, not too sweet and I could taste a tinge of cinnamon.

The next day, weather was still not looking good. I wanted to tour Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Factory in Waterbury and I realized that I was missing out on the famous covered bridges which were off the main route.

From the map, I could see two bridges along the way, near to Proctor. Road signs in Vermont were not well marked. At Proctor, I asked a group of workers for directions and they joked about the road signs when I mentioned them.

Luckily, a guy was headed in that direction and offered to lead me there. Without his help, I would never have found them. They were secluded.

Driving along, I kept looking at prices of gas at various places. Gas stations in the middle of nowhere tend to have higher prices than more congregated places. This made economical sense since it took more effort to serve remote regions than buildup towns.

I reached the factory just in time for the 12.30pm tour. In the 30-min tour, we saw the history of how the founders, Ben and Jerry, came together and started their company to become a worldwide ice cream phenomenon, the actual ice cream production and of course, free ice cream tasting. I was tempted to buy some udder-shaped bowls for serving ice cream or soup.

Lunch that day was a blueberry pancake and a raspberry pancake, drenched in the famous maple syrup as well as bacon. Having only three days to visit two states, I gave up on Burlington in the east and drove west back into New Hampshire at Wells River.

I wanted to drive along the scenic Kancamagus Highway when it was still daylight. The highway cuts across The White Mountain National Forest and has many outlooks for photo taking. It was amazing to see snow covered mountain tops against the autumn foliage. At some point, it was even snowing. There was a warning sign that there was no gas station for 32 miles upon embarking on the highway.

Since I did not bring my CD, country music was the main genre as I tuned across the radio frequency.

With darkness falling, I drove slower with a car tailgating me. Suddenly, a deer jumped in front of my car. I was sandwiched between knocking down a deer and having my rear rammed. Luckily, no animal or human was hurt.

The town of Meredith, situated around the lake region of New Hampshire, looked stunning at night as I drove pass it. Because I was tired from driving around eight hours, I did not stopped and headed towards Laconia where I checked into an inn. My seventh-floor room overlooked a lake.

On my last day, I went on Mt Washington scenic cruise at Lake Winnipesaukee, the third largest lake in New England, covering 44,586 acres. It has 365 islands, of which 274 are inhabitable (see a house built on a tiny island). The rain finally let up but temperature was very cold after factoring in wind chill as I stood on the deck taking pictures. The scenery was picturesque with mountains as backdrop and beautiful houses along the shoreline. It took about 1 hour 10 minutes to reach Wolfeboro before it headed back to Weirs Beach.

For my last scenic drive of New Hampshire, I took Rt 11-S along Lake Winnipesaukee and headed to Manchester Airport. When I returned the rental car, I was surprised to see on my receipt that I had driven only 1 mile instead of about 500 miles for my 3-day trip.

Vermont pictures.

New Hampshire pictures.

Longwood Gardens.

Euphoric high on endorphin after completing my first marathon

2009-10-11T20:27:00.044+08:00

Pre-marathon
I was anxious for the last seven days before Oct 10, 2009 partly because I wondered if my body could run 26 miles/ 42 km as I had sustained injuries from training. Basically, my left side was in pain which were interconnected. My left knee started aching first, followed by my lower back and eventually my left sole hurt. Because of the pain, I could not keep to my training schedule and had to improvise by cycling on a stationary bicycle or swimming.

Feeling desperate, I visited a sports injury clinic, called the Arnold Palmer SportsHealth Center at Union Memorial Hospital on Sep 22. I was diagnosed with over-pronation and was prescribed some pain killer and advised to get a Spenco RX full arch support insole.

The next day, I cycled from my apartment to Falls Road Running Store, about 4.4 miles, along some treacherous narrow road heavy with traffic. I purposely took the afternoon off so that I would not be caught in the evening rush hour and "commit suicide." I ran with the insole the next day and it helped to relieve the pain. The investment was worth it.

Besides my injuries, the farthest distance I ran was only 15 miles. It was a mental hurdle to complete another 11 miles. Further, I was trying to stave off coming down with a sore throat by sucking lots of lozenges on Wednesday.

For the last week, I ate more carbohydrate and avoided spicy food. I was also glad that I just had to run 4 miles daily.
On the night before (Oct 9), I laid awake around 10 pm as I was excited and nervous. I tossed and turned till about 12 am and did not have a deep restful sleep.

Marathon
I woke up at 6 am to have breakfast and to stretch. TiahLing and Wenmin offered to send ShuZhen and I to the starting line at the intersection of Russell and Camden Streets. Another two supporters, KianMeng and SauLing met us at the starting line itself since they were living nearby. The starting line was divided into sections according to the speed one could complete a marathon. We headed to the section marked 10min/mile as we were targeting to complete in 5 hours.

It was hard to stretch without bumping into somebody since the place was crowded with runners. According to the organizer, about 22,000 signed up for the various events (marathon, half-marathon, 5k, and team-relay etc), including participants from 44 countries. Also, there were some runners wearing interesting outfits e.g. a tuxedo suit, a beer can costume, a denim bib with straw hat, and even Spiderman ran instead of climb.

At 8am, the horn blew and confetti was blasted into the air. It took me about 4 minutes to pass the electronic timer. Roars and claps resonated from supporters lining on both sides of the street. My pace was slow since I had to jostle with others. ShuZhen and I decided to split up as we ran at different pace.

The temperature was surprisingly pleasant and not humid. The forecast for the morning was passing showers. Some runners had jackets on which I decided against as I would be warmed up in about 15 minutes. Wenmin said that there were garbage bags and even branded sweaters, littering the beginning route at last year’s marathon in New Jersey.

The initial 6 miles toward Druid Hill Park was elevated, rising 350 ft above sea level. At the park, I saw some runners heading to some bushes. Initially, I thought that they were taking a short cut but realized they were relieving themselves as there was no Porta-Johns around. I had heard of runners peeing while running. Talked about dedication!

The route brought me to streets that I had not visited before and would not have gone in the first place. Supporters cheered and official photographers snapped pictures along the 26-mile route with police officers mending traffic. No doubt, some drivers were caught unaware of the race and were stuck in traffic.

Along the way, I saw various groups of runners clustered together, keeping close to their pacers. For me, I just wanted to complete my first marathon under 5 hours. I kept reminding myself that I needed to pace; I was not competing in a 100-meter sprint.

Maintaining 12 miles for 2 hours were easy. After that, it was a constant struggle to maintain my speed and pain started to build up in my legs. To prevent chaffing, I wore a pair of shorts with inner running thighs and a tight fitting shirt. However, I forgot to cut my toe nails and my left second toe started to ache.

Cheering from friends really helped as I ran faster after seeing my supporters. A boy shouted my bib number to encourage me. “You really feed off from the positive energy of the supporters,” said Jamie, my friend who participated before. In addition, fast music also helped as I ran according to the beat of Beyonce’s Single Lady as I passed by Under Armor Headquarter where there was music blasting away.

I kept hydrating myself with the official drink, Gatorade and water. Somewhere along, I started to pour water on myself to cool my core temperature. Bananas, oranges, gummy bear sweets, potato chips, and PowerGel were some of the food given out. I thought that banana was inappropriate as I had to avoid stepping on banana skins to avoid slipping. I lost count in the number of PowerGel I consumed since I finished four of my own, and took several along the route.

The weather turned out perfect for running as there was a slight drizzle and remained overcast throughout the marathon. I was praying that the sun did not come out to evaporate the precipitate and increase humidity. With the road slightly slippery, I slide along instead of lifting my tired and sore legs, thus using other muscle groups.

The run between Mile 16 and 23 was elevated again and both my soles hurt now. There were cardboard advertisement on feet therapy along the way. What a great reminder! I found that the difficult part in completing a marathon was not lack of stamina but in overcoming the pain. Running after stopping was excruciating, so I tried not to stop.

At 22-mile marker, it was my "longest" last 4 mile. My left knee hurt badly now and I put my weight more on my right footing. Crowds thronged on both sides near the finishing line. I sprinted after running through the Camden Yards, thinking the finishing line was near. However, I slowed down as I could not last the distance. Emotionally, I was high and I held back tears of joy.

Finishing at 4 hours 46 minutes, I completed my first marathon. I had stepped up a notch higher for my mental endurance.

Post-marathon
After meeting up with our supporters, we had lunch at a Vietnamese Restaurant at Inner Harbor and I slept for two hours before going for a Thai dinner at Federal Hill.

Ten days after marathon, I still walk with a limp but am recovering. People asked if I would run for another marathon, I replied that I shall see after the pain has subsided.

My marathon statistics

ChipTime	ClockTime	Overall	SexPl	DivPl	AgeGrade
4:46:40	4:49:37	2108	1447	241	43.60%

Statistics of marathon 2009 (2014 M / 1104 F)

Finishers	Min. Time	Avg. Time	Max. Time
3118	02:14:04	04:30:26	07:10:32

Statistics of Males between 30 and 34

Finishers	Min. Time	Avg. Time	Max. Time
322	02:17:12	04:22:57	06:49:48

My last white water kayaking trip, maybe for life

2009-10-04T00:45:00.000+08:00

As Hopkins campus bustled with life at the start of fall semester, so did the outdoor trips organized by The Outdoor Pursuits (OP). I was lucky to get a slot for the beginner white water kayaking trip on Sep 20 since the other trips were full when I last checked on them in the previous week.

Before any trip, participants need to attend at least two roll sessions. I was 100% successful for every roll that I attempted. It felt great. I also guided new participants on t-rescue, paddling strokes or roll since there were not enough instructors.

On Sunday, 13 of us went to Antietam Creek. The water was chilly but the river was not high. I was stuck on river rocks at certain stretch of the creek. The river was calm and the only exciting part was the Antietam Dam.

At the dam, we did surfing, ferrying and eddy-in and -out. Somehow deep inside, I had this unsettling fear of injuring myself as compared to two years ago when I just wanted to have fun. I guess my guts is shrinking as I age.

At our take-out, it was with a sad realization that this might be my last white water kayaking trip. To end it off, I did a roll with my safety gears on as compared to rolling at the pool.

Sea kayaking around Wye Island at the Chesapeake Bay

2009-10-02T09:18:00.010+08:00

I had my first try at sea kayaking on Sep 26 organized by The Outdoor Pursuits, Johns Hopkins which teamed up with two leaders from University of Maryland. Technically, we were arguing with our leaders that it was not sea kayaking, more bay kayaking. However, they argued that since we were using sea kayaks, hence the name.

There were supposed to be 12 participants but on the day itself, only 4 turned up. The leader to participant ratio was 1:1. A perfect safety ratio. An oddity was that the participants were males and the leaders were females. Interesting.

We stopped over at Wawa gas station to meet up with the two leaders from University of Maryland and I bought breakfast, lunch and extra caffeine mocha to wake myself up. Thereafter, we followed behind them and reached our landing zone somewhere at the end of Wye Landing Lane.

When comparing a sea kayak with a white water kayak, the sea kayak is much longer and thus harder to turn than the white water kayak. To aid in turning, the sea kayak has a rudder at the stern which can be let into or out of the water by simply pulling a string located on the exterior, near the cockpit. There are adjustable pedals inside the sea kayak for a person to change direction using his feet while his hands are paddling. Step on the right pedal if one wants to head right and vice versa. What I like about the sea kayak is there are three compartments for storage and my legs could stretch comfortably. Further, there is a network of strings for hooking or securing items. It was also easier to cover the cockpit with the spray skirt.

The weather turned out great as the forecast was a thunderstorm in the afternoon. It was relaxing to be out on the river where the water was warm, with wind blowing and seeing a clear, blue sky. Lots of jellyfish were floating in the river as we paddled around Wye Island.

Initially, the plan was to eat lunch at the campground at Wye Island. But because we would be paddling against the headwind, we ate at some clearing instead. After lunch, we also voted if we wanted to press on towards the campground or head back. I voted to continue but was out-voted.

When we were near the landing zone, I did a roll and was elated that I could flip myself upright using the same technique for white water kayaking.

Just as we were finishing securing the sea kayaks back on the trailer, the sky started to rain. The timing was perfect.

A surprise for me at National Harbor, MD

2009-09-15T03:47:00.009+08:00

A Sunday outing on Aug 18 to National Harbor in Prince George's County, MD turned into a surprise for me. Located to the south of Washington DC and east of Alexandria, VA, it was a new 300-acre waterfront destination where one can work, live and play.

For example, the interior of Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, the largest non-gaming hotel and convention center on the Eastern Seaboard, was impressive. There was a village-like setting of shops and restaurants inside the huge center foyer, enclosed by an arc glass roof and wall which allowed a temperature-controlled environment to beat any harsh season, e.g. a hot and humid summer Sunday afternoon.

Every building or street looked new. It looked like Singapore to me, clean and modern. While strolling along the waterfront, many yachts were docked at the marina.

One could also hitch a water taxi to Alexandria, VA which was located across the 95/495 Capital beltway bridge.

The surprise was this art sculpture called The Awakening which I had seen photographs of it at Baltimore photographic booths. I had always wanted to take pictures of it but did not know where was it. The work of J. Seward Johnson, Jr. comprised of five different aluminum pieces, a head and four limbs, buried in the ground. The facial expression and positions of his limbs gave me the impression of a buried man gasping for air. It is so intriguing and fascinating to display an artwork in this captivating manner!

Atlas, visitors to National Harbor were as excited as me, especially children who climbed on his face. I had to wait patiently or tried out angle shots to keep my background free of people. Anyway, I was satisfied that I had a few good pictures of him without people. Further, I must commend on a group of well-behave children who waited for me to finish taking pictures before they rushed over to climb on his face.

National Harbor album.

Cool internet tool for tracking distance

2009-09-11T22:04:00.004+08:00

Shuzhen introduced me to this website, called Gmaps Pedometer which allows runners, cyclists or anyone interested to measure the distance of their favorite routes.

It offers versatility of metric and English units. Interested in elevation of route, no problem. For those who count their calories, just enter your weight in the "calories burned" box. The mile markers can be toggle on or off. It even allows you to manually calculate dirt track which is not possible in Google maps.

Now, I can know exactly the distance I covered.

Spotting a new look

2009-09-11T09:57:00.005+08:00

I have been growing a beard for fun. It took me a week for it to be fully grown and grows around my mouth and chin. My sides are not dense enough to complete a full beard.

I had to ask people with beard how do they keep theirs tidy. Scissors, of course. Ahem, I was thinking of hair clipper.

Six personal friends had commented that I look good with it. Others had asked me for the reason behind it. One said that I still had not shaved after she met me one week later. I am trying to get used to it and I think it makes me look older. The upside is that I do not have to shave everyday. Just every other day to shave at my lower lip and sides.

Well, let's see how long this beard can survive.

My first baseball game at The Camden Yards, home of The Orioles

2009-09-10T10:00:00.031+08:00

There are two major sports which Americans love, football and baseball. Can you believe that in my almost 4-year stint here, I have not been to either.

My chance to experience a baseball match came when I saw an article in Inside Hopkins Newsletter about watching a baseball game and donating to The Baltimore Heart Walk. It was a win-win situation where I bought two tickets. The other ticket was for Tom, my American friend who could explain the rules of baseball.

On Sep 6, I wore an orange t-shirt to show my support of the Baltimore Orioles. We took the light rail down to Oriole Park at Camden Yards since we did not have to find parking space and deal with city and game traffic. You can see that Baltimore is proud of its baseball team, even the light rail train had advertisement of Orioles. For your information, Baltimore is a.k.a. Birdland.

Besides the Camden Yards is The Sports Legend Museum which used to be a train station, actually the country's first commercial railroad in 1865. Exhibits include Orioles related news and Babe Ruth, a famous American baseball player of whom I first heard of by watching an animation called "Everyone's Hero."

Having some spare time, we visited the Orioles merchandise shops. Personally, I found the selling prices were steep e.g. a jersey could go for $100. I was tempted to buy a mini baseball bat or a foam glove as a memento, those which you see on televised matches with fans waving in support of their favorite team. Fortunately, a long line at the cash registers prevented me from getting them. Bottled water cost $4 and beer was $5.75 and do not mention food prices.

Before the game between Orioles and Texas Ranger, there were some entertaining gigs involving Oriole's mascot, none other than the orange-and-black oriole bird, pitching to kids. You can also see relief pitchers of both teams warming up in the pen or bullpen.

Luckily, our seats in Section 67 were shaded and breezy. One could tell an Oriole fan by the color he was wearing. The match started immediately after the national anthem and that was when Tom started explaining to me about balls, strikes, outs, innings etc.

I got better at determining whether it was a ball or a strike as the game proceeded. Spectators around the home base could scramble for foul balls which flew into the stands.

Between games, there were entertainment such as Fan of The Game where fans at various locations of the stadium were shown on the large screen and race among mustard, ketchup and I-forgot-the-last-condiment hot dog race. Playing at home ground had its advantage of support from fans, demonstrated by their clapping, cheering, and shouting, "Charge."

We left the game around 7th inning when Orioles was leading 7-0 to take the light rail so as to beat the crowd.

Next on my list is the other American favorite sport, a football match at M&T Stadium.

Orioles at Camden Yard pictures.

Learning more with longer distance

2009-09-06T20:03:00.008+08:00

Last weekend, I completed my first 21 km/13.1 mi run while yesterday, I barely survived 25 km/ 15 mi. As I was wearing a lose t-shirt, my nipples were sore from constant rubbing of the t-shirt during the 21 km run. So, for yesterday's run, I donned a tight-fitting Under Armour shirt which extirpated the abrasion. However, my inner thighs suffered from abrasion as my heavy legs began to rub against each other. I would need to wear running thighs.

Running the last 5 km/ 3.1 mi was hot since the sun was climbing to its peak height and I had ran out of water. Wearing a shade did not helped much with the 12 o'clock sun. I would have to wear a cap. The marathon on Oct 10 will start at 8am. Projecting that I will take at least 5 hours plus, I would still be running around 1 pm. So, I am thinking of running faster in the morning to cover as much as I can before the heat drain me of my energy.

After a long run, that whole day would be gone as I was exhausted and aching. Marathon day is drawing closer and I have to keep up with the grueling training. My knees are aching and complaining at the 10 km/ 6.2 mi run on weekdays. Sometimes, my knees buckled at going down steps. I will have to see how far I can beat up this tired body of mine.

Wondering why I signed up

2009-08-22T21:11:00.002+08:00

For the past few weeks, I have been wondering why I had signed up for a marathon. It takes lots of determination and discipline to run daily, except two days off a week, on top of work and other life commitments.

Not having been looking at my training schedule often, I nearly missed building up my stamina of clocking 35 miles per week. My right knee is also complaining running on sloping roads. So as not to miss my training, I cross train at the gym, lifting weights and training my core, as well as cycle and row. This helps me to train muscle groups that I neglect while running and give my knees a rest.

At the beginning of this week, I switched my training to early morning from evening so that I have lesser excuses not to run (e.g. it is hot, I am tired, I have to prepare dinner, I am hungry). It was tough since my body was still "sleeping" after waking up. By the way, running in summer heat can be energy draining where I drank 40 oz of liquid even before I complete 6.2 mi.

Counting down to Oct 10 and keeping to my training.

Wow, another POTD in Webshots!

2009-08-17T20:43:00.006+08:00

Upon opening up my inbox today, I had messages congratulating me on being featured Photo Of The Day in Rides. Another affirmation! Thank you and hope you enjoy viewing the photos as much as I love taking them.

This log car was taken at Artscape 2009 which is a free event held annually in Baltimore, Maryland. It had grown bigger each year, with participation from artists, designers, vendors and performers.

Among the exhibits was creative decorations of cars. There was another car with lots of cameras, lenses, and films, covering every inch of space except the windshield and wheels.

A must-see to experience the Baltimorean culture.

More Artscape 2009 pictures.

My first featured picture at Webshots

2009-07-07T22:31:00.003+08:00

When I opened my inbox this morning, I was suspicious on receiving so many emails from this same address (guestbook@membership.webshots.com), thinking it was a spam.

Upon reading the first email, the message was congratulating me for POTD. Subsequent emails were along the same line.

It dawned on me that POTD stands for "Picture Of The Day" and this picture of mine was featured under the travel section in Webshots.

I was standing 342 m (1,122 ft) above ground, on a glass floor at CN Tower, Toronto.

The feeling of being featured was thrilling and I felt that my work was appreciated!

Thank you all for your congratulations!

Toronto pictures.

Walk Across Maryland (WAM), May 29-31, 2009

2009-06-18T02:23:00.054+08:00

A few years ago, I heard of The Appalachian Trail (AT) from Greg, my colleague, and had went on a camping trip with him at Deleware Water Gap. The trail starts in Georgia in the south and runs north through the East Coast up to Maine, a total of 2,178 miles. There are two main colored markers, white and blue, painted on trees, rocks and signposts along the footpath. Hikers follow the main white markers while the blue markers are side trails leading to scenic spots.

My journey walking across Maryland (41 miles with elevation between 230—1,880 feet) began with Yiting who sent out an email asking if anyone was interested to go on this trip organized by a group of Mensans. Since Greg had mentioned that he would like to hike the entire 2,000 miles trail one day, I invited him along. We could not make it for the Friday day hike as we were either at work or studying. However, we drove to the camp ground on Friday night and decided to set up camp in the twilight before driving to town for dinner. There was only a pizza place and two pubs opened on a Friday night. When I asked a local, who was sitting outside one of the pubs, if there was another place nearby, he said, "None. It is a small town." Well, we stuck to the pizza place and every customer who came in knew one another. Thereafter, we drove to a supermarket to get breakfast for Sat and Sun.

It was a wise decision to set up camp because it was pitch dark when we got back from dinner. I had a hard time sleeping as there was a big rock directly under my back.

Early next morning, we took bottles of water and some snacks, and for me, my heavy digital SLR, while leaving the tents in the car. We headed south towards Annapolis Rock where we would have lunch and rock climb. The second day trail began with a steep ascend till we reached a ridge. I could still remember a boy scout hiking at Delaware Water Gaps complaining about rocks everywhere. It seemed that most parts of the trail are rocky which is bad since my ankles were twisted a few times.

As I had camped at Annapolis Rock this spring (Apr 18-19), I led the way. When we reached there, the scenery was spectacular from the vista. Previously, I did not have my camera then during the spring camping trip, which was why I carried my heavy camera with me for this hike. We also got to rock climb off the face of Annapolis Rock. It had been a while since I did climbing during my undergrad days. My legs started to tremble as I got higher. I managed to touch the carabiner at the summit before being belayed. From an old timer, the belayer, who had done WAM for 24 times, I learned that I could be a Mensa member since I had a Ph.D. degree. He told me a Master and above was sufficient. From then on, three of us (Yiting, Greg and I) made jokes relating to Mensa.

We proceeded towards the Washington Monument State Park, which was the first monument to the first president of the USA. Climbing up the tower was a torture after hiking about 10 miles but the view atop was beautiful. With a 360-degree view, one could see historic Antietam National Battlefield, Hagerstown where I shopped at the outlets and White Tail Ski resort among other landmarks. Along the way, I took pictures of pinkish Mountain Laurel which I found out was poisonous if ingested. The flowers looked pretty and the bell-shaped buds were cute.

At Turner Gaps, this was where support cars would shuttle drivers to get their cars back from Wolfsville Road. Also, we set up camp at the Hikers Campground which had hot shower available. It was a luxury and I showered without towel or soap. I just flicked off the extra moisture and put on a clean set of clothing. Dinner was stir-fried vegetables cooked Chinese-style with Chinese sauces and chilli. I did not know that Americans like Chinese food so much.

Greg and I decided to cover out tent although we had wanted to see the stars at night. As I was exhausted from lack of sleep on Saturday and hiking, I slept almost immediately upon lying down. Well, in the middle of the night, it started to pour and many got out to cover their tents while we continue to be dry. Another good decision.

On Sunday, it was a torture to hike the remaining journey. However, lunch was delicious. We had fried chicken, deviled egg, spaghetti, salad, potato salad, and dessert cake and fruits. Marshall, the organizer, thought of this wonderful treat some years back as they were craving for something delicious on the last day.

We were told to go to Weverton Cliffs, a blue marker trail, which overlooks the Potomac River. We took a 15-minute breather while drinking in the natural beauty of the place. I was caught looking over the precipice to see the height of the cliff.

The last part was easy as the trail was flat and followed the C&O Canal towpath for less than three miles before we crossed the footbridge across the Potomac River to Harpers Ferry, WV. Along the towpath, I could see white water kayakers and river rafters floating down the river which reminded me of my canoeing and kayaking trips along the same stretch. We had finished walking all the way (minus Friday hike) across Maryland. In Harpers Ferry, we had dinner at a local restaurant before parting our ways. They hoped that we would be backed for their 25th anniversary next year.

For me, it was an accomplishment and had enjoyed the hike even though it was strenuous.

Walk Across Maryland pictures.

Delaware Water Gap pictures.

Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Toronto, May 22-26

2009-06-17T08:47:00.071+08:00

I finally stepped into Canada for the first time on May 22. But before that, I flew into Buffalo Airport in the morning, rented a car and drove towards the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. It was unfortunately closed for a week due to the bad economy. My eyes, however, caught the greenish roofs of the Buffalo State Asylum for the Insane and I walked towards it, passing by The University at Buffalo. The Asylum was situated on a big compound and it was quite a walk just to cover half of the estate.

Next, I headed to the Forest Lawn Cemetery and Crematory, designed after Père-Lachais, the world's most famous cemetery which was established in Paris in 1804. Père-Lachais balanced art and nature, where civilization did not disturb the grandeur of the romantic setting. I am somehow drawn to the serenity I felt at cemeteries. Most of the tombstones were elaborately decorated and grand like the one on the left with Roman columns. It was interesting to learn how Americans remember their loved ones.

After my moment of peace at the cemetery, I headed towards Buffalo Downtown for an architectural tour. I was surprised to see many interesting facades and historical buildings in Buffalo. The Main Street with the light rail reminded me of Lexington Market area in Baltimore. Traveling on the light rail is free on Downtown's above ground section. I also drove to the Basilica of Our Lady of Victory in Lackawanna which was impressive with its sheer size and splendor.

Around 10pm, I drove back to Buffalo Airport to pick up my two traveling companions, Guanglan and Ana, who flew in from Boston. Thereafter, we headed to our lodging in Canada and were excited since it was our first in this country.

The next day, we began with a trip to Niagara Falls where we took the Maid of the Mist which brought us close to the American and Bridal Veil Falls. I presumed that the horsepower of the boat was super-duper strong since we were stationary at the middle of the Horseshoe Falls, experiencing the mist and sound of the roaring falls. Here I was posing with the American and Bridal Veil Falls in the background after the misty ride. The water temperature was still very cold.

The area around Niagara Falls was full of attractions for kids and families, such as arcades, museums, casinos etc. While heading towards Niagara-on-the-lake in the north, we went along the wine route for wine tasting at various wineries. I do not like wine in general but now I am an ice wine convert. It is a type of dessert wine produced from grapes that have been frozen while still on the vine during winter. The frozen grapes had a more concentrated sugar content which give ice wine its characteristic sweetness.

At Niagara-on-the-lake, we could see in the distant the skyscraper outlines of Toronto from the lake. We did some shopping where I bought fridge magnets and the famous Canadian maple syrup. After dinner, we headed back to Niagara Falls as there was illumination of the Niagara Falls at night. I took several pictures of various illuminations and my favorite was the pure white illumination of the American Falls. I had to improvise by placing my camera on the fence while exposing for 1.3 seconds.

On Sunday, May 26, we left for Toronto to visit Chris and Judice who were at the University of Toronto. They played host and showed us around. Ana joked that she was definitely with Singaporeans since all we did was ate at different restaurants. We also went up to the CN Tower where you could stare down to the ground from 342 m (1,122 ft) through a glass floor. It was scary initially to stand on the glass floor. The wait to the top of the Skypod was very long as there was only one elevator in service. From there, I took aerial pictures of Toronto, covering almost 360 degree.

The next day, we visited Casa Loma (Spanish for House on the Hill), a museum converted from a neo-romantic castle, with elegantly decorated suites, secret passageways, and stately towers. I purposely took a shot of the castle hidden by trees to give the effect of a secret castle in fairy tales. Our next itinerary was the University of Toronto where Chris is currently pursuing his Ph.D. The school buildings reminded me of Hogwarts of Harry Potter. I was thinking this ancient design would not fit into Singapore University context.

On our final day, we bade farewell to our gracious hosts and went to The Cave of the Winds which was on the US side. This was where you could get real close to the Bridal Veil Falls along a wooden footpath and staircases. My poncho got ripped when I went under the falls. The air around the area was smelly because of seagull poo and many seagulls were nestling at the cliff. Just look out for aerial poo bomb when they fly over you because birds cannot control their bladders.

Buffalo, NY pictures.

Niagara Falls pictures.

Toronto pictures.

10-10-2009, Baltimore Running Festival

2009-06-16T10:57:00.003+08:00

My janitor friend at lab often teased me for being a thrill seeker such as jumping out of the plane or white water kayaking. This time round, I am thinking of a mental and physical challenge: running a marathon (42 km or 26.1 miles) on Oct 10, 2009 at the Baltimore Running Festival. Training would be tough since I would be traveling often too.

Writing along the MasterCard advertisement theme:

Buying a Nathan Speed 2 Waist Pack with Two 10-Ounce Nutrition Flasks, $24.86
A new pair of Asics Gel Kayano-15, $122.91
Motivation to train and complete the marathon on Oct 10, $PRICELESS.

After a 1-month hiatus because of tour and recovering from a cold, I began to run 5 km this evening with my new pair of running shoes and the hydration pack along Linkwood trail. The shoes felt great and comfortable, plus the cushioning was good. The hydration pack did not bounce, fitting snugly to my waist. The bottles were easy to retrieve and fit back into the holders while running. The only issue I had was the velcro was sticking out.

As daylight faded, there were flashes of small lights along the forested trail. It felt like an enchanted trail with fairy lights (actually they were fireflies).

Meanwhile, I had downloaded some training program for beginner marathoner. I need to be consistent and discipline to train. Besides these, eating a healthy diet and having sufficient sleep are important too. Turning in now since it was 11.37pm. Good night from Baltimore, MD, USA!

Joint Service Open House 2009

2009-05-18T10:14:00.005+08:00

After nearly four years in USA, I finally went to the Joint Service Open House 2009 on May 16. I had heard of it from colleagues before but I did not have the chance to visit this event which was held annually to showcase US Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

JianShi, his parents and I went to the FedEx Stadium where we took a bus shuttle to the Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. At the entrance, air crafts of various sizes greeted visitors on the vast compound. I missed the chance to sit in a C-130 during my army days when I was attached out to represent Guardsmen for water polo. I felt small inside C-130. In addition, there were aerial acrobats involving USAF Thunderbirds, parachuting, picture-taking-session with army personnel, games, food and souvenirs.

I found the inflatable costume amusing. At least, the person inside, I presumed, would not be suffering from heat exhaustion since he had plenty of air.

A good event to go for those interested in army stuffs.

More JSOH pictures.

Replacing cable movies with rental DVDs

2009-05-14T21:46:00.001+08:00

The cable company, which my landlord subscribed to, finally caught up with terminating HBO and Starz movies free trial with new subscription. Recently, I had been 'googling' the best top 10 movies of recent years and borrowing from Milton S. Eisenhower Library.

I like especially foreign films from various film festivals such as The Cannes International Film Festival where the camera angle, scenery, culture, etc are different from those of Hollywood productions.

One very touching and emotional movie I recommend is The Kite Runner (2007) directed by Marc Foster.

Juicing to health

2009-05-13T20:21:00.004+08:00

Recently, I bought a big watermelon which was on sale and wondered how I could finish it by myself. I managed to ate and shared half of it. The other half was left in the fridge till yesterday.

Since the days are getting warmer, I decided to make watermelon juice. The cool and naturally sweet juice was refreshing after my 10k run yesterday.

Next in line will be avocado with milk and honey. With strawberry season near, I can have strawberry smoothie. Yummy.

A toast to health!

Blessed Easter

2009-04-12T13:43:00.001+08:00

As the sun rises on this day, a new beginning dawns on us.

Hope is rekindled that Death is not the final end but a new beginning.

Victorian Cape May, NJ Mar 21-22, 2009

2009-04-08T08:38:00.021+08:00

On Mar 21, I went to Cape May, New Jersey at the last minute which was unlike me as I liked to plan ahead. After two months back from Singapore, I had to get away from the mundane affairs. Further, I had to weigh my mice daily for two weeks when my flu challenge experiment began on Mar 26.

I managed to reserve a one-bedroom unit at Camelot Motel on Saturday morning and drove for three hours in a full-size Chevy Impala. Along the way, I saw a gathering of cowboys at a rodeo competition, thinking I would drop-by on my way back tomorrow.

After checking-in around 3pm, I was hungry and drove to Lobster House where the locals dine. I bought a crab-clawed cracker as a souvenir.

Next, I went sight-seeing at the historic Washington St Mall. I surprised myself by buying a framed oil-canvas painting which caught my attention. It was a black-and-white scenery of waves breaking on the beach, gulls hovering in the distance and the sun peering out from a curtain of stormy clouds. Raging yet calm.

Those interested in Victorian houses could take a stroll around Washington St Mall or visit the Emlen Physick Estate. The Congress Hall was a grand building with tall columns.

At dusk, I drove to Cape May Point Lighthouse to capture the setting sun. It was cloudy and cold by then. I did not spent much time at the park since it was chilly and windy.

My motel room was too spacious for I alone. It had a kitchen, a living hall, a bedroom with two queen-sized beds and plenty of walking space, a walk-in closet and a bathroom. Since it was not peak season, I got this deal at $79 after tax.

Early next morning, I went for a jog along the promenade and the beach. It was great to hear the pounding waves and jogging along the beach. There were only two sun bathers on the beach, not bare-bodies but covered up.

For the rest of the day, I went sight-seeing and was recommended to eat fudge, a very sweet and rich confection where I bought chocolate-mint, pistachio, almond-vanilla and peanut flavored fudges.

On my way back, I was looking out for the cowboy place and was disappointed that the event only took place on Saturday. Next time, I have to be more flexible and spontaneous to stop and see things whenever opportunities arise.
Cape May pictures.

I'm sailing

2009-04-01T01:21:00.017+08:00

I tried sailing for the first time on Mar 27 with JHU Outdoor Pursuits Club at the Inner Harbor. It was a pretty and cloudless day, a break from rainy and foggy days we had been having.

The sail boats are owned by the Downtown Sailing Center which is a non-profit organization offering sailing instruction and access to sailing without the cost of private ownership and boat maintenance.

As a beginner, I had to learn sailing terms e.g. port is the left of a vessel and starboard is the right-hand side, and rules of sailing. There were three participants and two instructors in a Sonar keelboat. We each had a turn to steer the vessel. If we wanted to turn right, we had to steer the tiller to the left and vice versa.

To sail out towards the sea, we had to tack (zig-zag) several times. We sailed as far out as Fort McHenry before working our way back to the dock. At times, when the wind was traveling at 2 miles per hour, the vessel tilted dangerously close to capsizing.

Overall, it was a good experience where I had a relaxing afternoon at the Inner Harbor.

Taking pictures in raw format

2009-03-26T23:43:00.000+08:00

Recently, I switched to taking pictures in raw format from JPEG because proponents of it had sworn on how one could enhance and manipulate various effects from the uncompressed data using a photo-editing software.

I knew about the larger storage size of each picture needed but I did not know that Pictureproject had hundred copies of the same picture. This resulted in lack of storage space on my harddisk. Now, I had to sit down and edit each picture manually instead of hitting the auto-enhancing button in Pictureproject. Thus, my pictures of Cape May, NJ may take some time to be posted on the web.

I would revert to taking in JPEG after this round.

Test driving different car models

2009-03-24T04:44:00.018+08:00

In my two years of renting cars, I had rented mostly economy or compact size cars such as Nissan Versa, Chevy Cobalt, and Kia Spectral. However, the last rental I had was a Chevy Impala after a free upgrade to a full size class at Enterprise.

Since I had never driven a full size car, I was not used to the wider width and heavier weight. I kept looking at my side mirrors to ensure that I kept within my lane. At parking lots, I also had to maneuver more. When I approached junctions, I had to jam break a few times because it had a longer breaking distance compared to a compact car.
After getting used to the car, I started to enjoy driving it. Pickup was smooth and at high speed, it was very stable. The downside was the low fuel efficiency.

Renting cars here definitely helped me to choose the car model I want in the future.

Lactose tolerant now

2009-03-09T22:37:00.001+08:00

I used to visit the restroom after drinking a cup of milk because I suffered from lactose intolerant. Lactose is a milk sugar, made up of two simple sugar molecules, galactose and glucose. Since I had stopped drinking milk a long time ago, my body was not producing enough lactase, an enzyme to digest lactose. The undigested lactose became a food source for microbes in our gut which could lead to flatulence and diarrhea.

Recently, I had been inducing myself gradually by adding increasing volume of milk everyday to my coffee. Be careful not to overdose as there will be bad repercussion. Now, I can drink a cup of milk without any gastrointestinal upset. Our body does not waste energy to synthesize an enzyme which it does not use, so as the saying goes, "Use it or lose it."

Last of snowboarding

2009-02-17T23:38:00.012+08:00

I went for my first snowboarding session this winter season on Feb 14 (yes, Valentine's Day) after one week of recovery from my arduous journey.

At Liberty Ski Resort, I took a beginner course to refresh my memory because I had not snowboard for a year. Without fail, I assumed my secret identity of SpongeBob SquarePaul by sticking two car sponges into my pants to cushion against falling on my buns. This time round, I was comfortable moving, turning and stopping with the snowboard.

The bunny slope was not crowded that day which I presumed people were celebrating V-Day elsewhere. It felt great to slide down the slope with cold wind hitting my face. At the end of that day, I bought a mountain passport.

On Feb 21, a bunch of us headed back to Liberty again where I took lesson two and upgraded my board to a Type II (intermediate) from a Type I (beginner). I had to get used to the board as it was easier to maneuver and had to make sure I did not exert extra strength else I would fall. During the lesson, I learned how to traverse down a slope and linking my turns.

Falling a few times on my buns without my sponges reminded me that I still had a long way to master snowboarding. The green and blue slopes were steeper and more exciting than the bunny slope.

Atlas, winter is coming to an end which means end of snowboarding too. I intend to try skiing next season if I am still around. Finger cross.

Recognizing aging

2009-02-16T17:33:00.002+08:00

Signs that I have aged besides wrinkles and receding hairline:

1. Harder to adjust to jet lag. I used to be able to adapt to the different time zone quickly. Nowadays, I needed at least three days for my biological clock to be in tuned with the time zone.

2. My legs actually felt numb during my long 27-hour of flight.

3. My sense of balance is affected.

4. Tight tendons. I had to stretch my muscles in-between running to prevent aching.

5. Lower metabolism where I put on weight if I do not exercise enough.

After a month of indulging in gluttony in Singapore, I weighed 80.6kg. Since returning, my eating habit resumed to normal and I went to the gym daily, alternating between running and lifting weights. Currently, my weight was 79kg.

Happy Ox Year

2009-02-14T17:22:00.001+08:00

In the year of the Ox, I finally got to celebrate Chinese New Year with my family after two years. During this period that I was home, it was great to catch up with my family and friends. Of course, I also missed my mum's cooking.

Lunar year of Ox pictures.

Posting pictures of myself

2009-02-14T04:20:00.004+08:00

If you had been reading my past postings or visited my Webshots albums, I hardly posted pictures of myself. Mine were more of scenery, flowers and animals. I am actually a private person though I may be gregarious.

The feedback I got from friends was that they would like to see how I look (fat or slim etc). Debbie also mentioned that she would develop pictures of her son periodically and give them to her parents so that they could see his physical development.

This struck a cord in my heart since I am overseas and my mum would also ask occasionally if I had put on weight. While back in Singapore recently, I also flipped through my old photo albums which brought back many memories.

So, starting this year, lookout for portraits of me intersperse in my postings.

An idyllic Pulau Ubin

2009-02-11T05:47:00.014+08:00

As my nephew, Emmanuel wanted to visit Pulau Ubin, a small island northeast of mainland Singapore, we arranged to go there on my last weekend in Singapore.

The sea breeze felt good as we sat in the ferry (S$2.50 per person) and the sun was partially covered by clouds.

I had always enjoyed being in P. Ubin as it was undeveloped with no high rise building and lots of greenery. Houses were made of planks and zinc. Pace of life was slower than in Singapore. Residents used to farm and grow orchard but relied on tourism nowadays.

We rented mountain bikes and cycled towards the highest point on the island which overlooked Ubin Quarry. We had to take a forest trail to reach the summit, passing by two lower viewpoints.

The scenery was fantastic with turquoise water as backdrop. One could see Johor Bahru in the north and Singapore in the south.

Next, we proceeded towards Noordin Beach where there was a barricade in the sea to prevent entry of illegal immigrants swimming across the Straits of Johor.

We were lost in the mangrove when we wanted to take the route to Mamam Beach. Our bikes and legs were covered with smelly mud. After backtracking, we were able to get back onto the tarmac road.

We went back to Singapore around 4pm and headed to Changi Village market where I had beef noodle and ayam penyet.

Pulau Ubin pictures here.

Culture shock in Singapore

2009-01-21T17:41:00.003+08:00

Imagine a Singaporean feeling culture shock in his homeland after three years away.

The first impression I got was an overwhelm of Chinese since Baltimore has a majority of African Americans.

Most of the youngsters I spotted had dyed hair with funky hairdos. I found it irritating to have my vision obscured by strands of hair!

While waiting at City Hall Mass Rapid Transit Station during evening rush hour for my polytechnic friends, waves of commuters just kept 'pouring' out and in through fare gates. I felt claustrophobic. Foreigners were aplenty.

Another change I noticed was while hunting local dishes at hawker centers, there was an increased number of Chinese nationals working behind the stalls or clearing the tables. Formerly, these were taken by Singaporeans and the elderly. I had to see who were mending the stalls first before speaking Hokkien or Teochew. At one hardware store, I asked the stall helper in Chinese and he replied that he spoke English.

I also saw a surge in the number of cars on roads. New taxi companies were established. Cars here are parked facing out while in USA, they are often parked facing in. I was also confused with traffic direction. A few times, I looked in the opposite direction from the oncoming traffic.

Things are changing fast and I felt out-of-place.

A new beginning of 2009

2009-01-19T16:21:00.009+08:00

Since my last posting on my NYC Christmas trip, I had been busy preparing to go back to Singapore for a holiday after two years away.

By shifting my flight date from Jan 5 to Jan 10, I saved USD$240 and I had more time to settle administration for the period that I would be away.

Fortunately, my flight from Baltimore to Detroit was smooth with no delay due to bad weather. However, it was snowing at Detroit and we had to wait one hour in the plane for ground staff to spray anti-freeze chemicals on the exterior of the plane. Thereafter, it was a long 13-hour flight to Narita, Japan.

As we were delayed for one hour at Detroit, I had little time left for the connecting flight to Singapore. Worse, we had to go through security screening again. I wondered why since we had passed security. Anyway, I managed to get on the connecting flight in the nick of time and it was another 7-hour flight. I tried to adjust my biological clock 13-hour ahead by staying awake watching three movies.

The plane touched down at 12.35am on Jan 12, Mon and I was surprised to see Debbie and her family waiting for me. We had arranged that I would take a cab to her place to sleep for the night since I wanted to surprise my mum in the day. I managed to recover one of two checked-in luggage at the carousel and reported the other as missing.

When we were about to drive off from the airport car park, I got a call informing me that there was a black bag with my luggage tag. I was puzzled since mine was a blue nylon bag. Upon claiming it, it was torn and wrapped up inside a black garbage bag which explained why I could not recognise it.

We had seafood hor fun and fish soup from Tian Tian Seafood Store for supper and I slept at 3am plus. I woke up at 7.30am and was hungry. Luckily, there was a key left in the door for me to get back in. I ate wanton mee, four zui chuay (rice cake), one you tiao and two cups of coffee. This habit of eating various dishes at one meal was repeated till today. I had gained 3 kg (6.5 lb) within nine days.

As for the surprise, I lied to my family that I would arrive on Jan 19 instead of Jan 10. In the afternoon, I called up my mum to chat with her, giving her the impression that I was still in USA. After hanging up, I immediately went to the door and took the candid shot of her surprised look. She was speechless and only said, "You, you, you ...." (in Teochew). Haha... I also got to see my nephew, Maximus who could recognise me since I last saw him at age two.

In summary, I had ate a lot of local dishes, drank lots of concentrated coffee-o and caught up with friends. My daily schedule included swimming at least 40 x 50m laps in the morning and running for 30 minutes in the evening to slow down my weight increase. I have three more weeks of eating and basking under the sun before I head back to the cold bitter winter. Till then, I am just enjoying myself back home.

Look out for River Hong Bao pictures soon.

Blessed Christmas

2008-12-25T06:05:00.009+08:00

I received a pleasant surprise on the eve of Jesus' birth. There was a call from my condominium concierge, informing me that I had a package from Santa.

Thinking she was joking about Santa, I went down to collect it.

The package was in a Macy's shopping bag with a red ribbon. Written on a star-shaped card was my name, unit number and Santa?

I am keeping this card to compare the handwriting of my friends where I will undertake a crash course on graphology to narrow down the 'suspects'. So to Santa, beware! I am coming after you to unveil you (smile).

Inside the package was a nativity set where I displayed on top of my TV which faced my bed so that I would sleep and wake to it.

The nativity set is a good reminder of God's love.

Thank you, Santa (whoever you are)!

Christmas lightup at NYC, Dec 12-14

2008-12-20T04:25:00.020+08:00

I had never been to the Big Apple during Christmas season nor took pictures of it at night.

On Dec 12, I was guided by Tom, an ex-New Yorker, to walk along Fifth Avenue where Lord & Taylor had wonderful, traditional window displays. As I did not like to use flash because of the harsh light effect on subjects and the light bouncing off the window, I had set my aperture to F3.5 and shutter speed to 1/20 seconds.

It did not help that I did not have a tripod and fellow viewers were walking into my view and looking at the displays too. Timing was essence.

The star-war effect was taught to me by Charles where I set my shutter speed to 1/20 seconds and twisted my zoom lens while capturing a Christmas tree.

At Rockefeller Center, there was a sea of people gathered at the Rockefeller Plaza where angels with trumpets drew your attention to the eight-ton, 72-foot Norway spruce in the center. Below the gigantic Christmas tree were people skating at the Rockefeller Ice Rink. Opposite to the tree, snowflakes danced to a tune on the facade of Saks Fifth Avenue. Bare trees around the rink were adorned with lighting, adding to the Christmas mood.

Thereafter, we proceeded to Times Square where I had a "light" overload. Lighted billboards, advertising musicals, brands, etc, were on every corner. We also went inside a M & M's store that had three floors of merchandise related to M & M's such as towels, mugs, jewelery, etc, and of course, chocolate.

The next day, we passed by Central Park Zoo which used to be free. The giant 'web' was the roof of a pavilion in the park.

My hand was frozen and painful at the end of the day when I took New Jersey cityscape from Manhattan pier. The wind made the cold unbearable.

Overall, I enjoyed this trip, having a deeper insight to life in NYC since I would not have ventured to tour the less-touristy places on my own.

Christmas at NYC photo album.

Stretching your dollars

2008-12-02T13:01:00.003+08:00

In this bad economic time, thriftiness is a virtue. Here are some ways to lower the grocery bill by changing our daily habits.

Toiletries come in different containers and shapes. For example, a pump bottle would need a certain minimum volume of liquid to dispense. In the first picture, I found there was still about 1 cm of moisturizer left which could not be dispensed. By cutting the bottle, I was amazed at the number of times I could apply with the remaining moisturizer. Do cover the opening with a Saran wrap to prevent evaporation.

The next picture was my shower gel bottle. Because of its viscosity, most of the shower gel would adhere on the inner wall before reaching the opening. By inverting the bottle, all the gel would be collected at the opening. To get the last bit out, you could dilute the gel with a tiny volume of water. Similarly, you could dilute shampoo and conditioner with water.

The third picture depicted a rolled up toothpaste tube. Squeezing along and rolling up the tube as you used helped to consolidate the paste for easy squeezing as recommended on the tube.

The last picture was my facial cleanser which I cut into half. There was still a lot left on the inner wall though I could not squeeze it out. So, invert and let gravity does its job. Remember to keep the opening folded to prevent the cleanser from drying out.

Avoid grocery shopping on an empty stomach as I found that I tend to buy more food.

Check through your home for the things running low and make a grocery list to prevent buying unnecessary things or items you already had.

Buying things in bulk or larger size is usually cheaper.

Buy items on discounts offered at supermarkets which often rotate items on sale. I often buy toiletries to store since they have no expiry date. Use coupons and mail-in-rebates.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend (Nov 27)

2008-12-02T08:36:00.013+08:00

After celebrating my birthday with lots of eating, the next feasting occasion was Thanksgiving which followed closely behind. Thanksgiving was celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November,

I had a pre-Thanksgiving dinner on Wednesday where I had a East-West Thanksgiving dinner of sambal prawn, pork braised in dark soya sauce, traditional stuffed-turkey, pecan pie etc. Cecilia and Josephine co-hosted this wonderful dinner and I avoided alcohol since I had to drive back to Baltimore from Camile Drive in Potomac, MD.

On Thanksgiving, I was invited by Yih Yng to his Singaporean Thanksgiving of chicken rice, salmon sashimi, Thai-curry pork, Szechuan soup and roasted beef. His culinary skill was superb. I realized I could not gorge as much as before. Sign of aging and lack of exercise.

On Black Friday, Joe, his family, and I headed to Hagerstown Prime Outlet, armed with discount coupons printed online. We reached around 9am and collected our membership cards which we applied online. With our new membership card, we split the cost of a $5-coupon booklet.

Thereafter, I headed straight to Adidas where I spent $77 on running gears. As I was looking for a humidifier and a travel hair dryer, I went into Black and Decker. There was no sign of either item but there were lots of Jo!e products which I had been collecting. There were pans, spatulas, measuring equipments, fridge magnets, tongs, cutting board etc. After spending $65, my collection would be almost complete. Yipee.

We only left Hagerstown around closing time, clocking my record of a 12-hour shopping spree! In total, I spent about $400.

On Saturday, we met again to do grocery shopping. I had not gone to AA Supermarket or HMart since Jianshi's in-laws came one month ago. I had to replenish Thai jasmine rice, leafy vegetables, tuna steak, and Chinese dumplings. We also dropped by Sam's club. My grocery bill came up to $150. To end the day, we had a delicious dinner at Szechuan House in Lutherville.

We visited Jianshi's newborn son and went to Towson Town Center on Sunday. I just bought a facial cleanser at Nordstrom Rack as mine was running out.

After five days of driving around shopping, doing errands, and eating, I was exhausted. Life returned to normalcy today.

Patterns in the sky

2008-11-25T13:23:00.011+08:00

These were the photos taken at DC where my theme was sky.

The first was shot at The Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard, inside the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery.

This was taken during dusk when the evening sun was peering through dark overcast.

The picture was blurred which is why I need a monopod.

Celebrating my birthday

2008-11-25T10:57:00.025+08:00

I celebrated my 33rd birthday today and I am touched by the many surprises, well wishes, gifts and love I get from around the globe!

My first gift to myself was my promotion from a postdoctoral fellow to a faculty position as a research associate at Johns Hopkins University. My other satisfaction would come from publishing my influenza manuscripts.

My first surprise was on Thu, Nov 20 when my Singaporean friends wanted to give Wenmin a pre-birthday surprise. So, we gathered at her apartment corridor with a side table and a waffle maker while she emerged from the elevator. She was surprised and touched by our gesture. She kept covering her face or turning away while I took pictures of her. Then, my friends suddenly took out a photography catalog with a $100 gift card and presented to me. I was truly surprised because I did not tell them my birthday. I had thought we were only celebrating for Wenmin's.

The gift card story began on Nov 14, when Tiah Ling overheard that I was interested to buy a monopod or tripod. So, she emailed me on the pretense of seeking my advice on which to buy. Instead, I told her it would depend on how she would use it. I was very 'politically correct'. Thus, she got nothing out of me and decided to get the gift card.

My friends from France, one studying in Germany, and my best friends and Godson in Singapore emailed, skyped or left well wishes on Facebook. My young nephews, Anselm and Maximus, called and sang to me the animal birthday song which they learned from the movie Madagascar. This is the lyrics: Happy birthday to you. You live in a zoo. You look like a monkey, and you smell like one too. Listening to their innocent voices singing this song brought a big smile on me.

I also had a delicious dim sum lunch yesterday when I 'dragged' Tom to Silver Spring. It helped to satisfy part of my food craving that I had built up over two years away from Singapore. Also, I got my bath scale which I had wanted to buy. I am putting on weight as I have put off going to gym and eating out often.

On Sunday evening, Vladimir, Dijana and I had gone for a walk around Loyola College. On our back, Vladimir treated me to dinner at Petit Louis Bistro, a French restaurant, at 4800 Roland Avenue. The restaurant was cozy with a fireplace, food was delicious and the prices were reasonable.

I had a restful sleep with my stomach stuffed with good food from Sunday.

This afternoon, Wenmin passed by my lab to give me a card, Cape Cod potato chips and M&M's (R) Premiums Triple Chocolate. After watching the program Unwrapped on the Food Network, I had been searching high and low for this brand to try out the salt and vinegar flavored potato chip. Now, I know where to get them.

As for today's dinner at Szechuan House Corporation at 1427 York Rd, Shiying, Clive, Tiah Ling and Yih Yng sacrificed their studying time to accompany me even though they had final exam tomorrow. Food was delightful and the company was fun. Shiying casually mentioned to the waitress that it was my birthday today. After clearing our table, I was wondering why it had taken so long for the waitress to come out with the fortune cookies. When she emerged, she was carrying a cake and sang the normal birthday song. It was an ice cream cake on the house. Life is full of surprises.

Counting my blessings

2008-11-18T06:07:00.007+08:00

Lady Luck began smiling at me when I won a ticket lottery for the musical, Wicked, which saved me $65 on Oct 23.

Recently, I won my bid for "Basic Economics" by Thomas Sowell on eBay, saving only $2.22. Though the saving was little, it was better than none in this bad economic time. This was my second attempt at bidding for something and won.

In time of job retrenchment and high jobless rate, I have a choice of two good positions for my career.

Paraphrasing Thomas Sowell "Life does not ask what we want but offers us choices."

Capturing autumn colors in Baltimore City

2008-11-12T06:42:00.015+08:00

Initially, my Singaporean friends had intended to take pictures of fall along Skyline Drive in Virginia. However, no one was interested to drive 6 hours just to take the pictures.

So, I decided to cycle around Baltimore City since there would always be subjects to capture if I looked hard enough. It would also serve to showcase Baltimore's charms, which coincidentally is one of Baltimore's slogans, called Charm City. Unfortunately, most of the trees had shed their leaves by the last weekend due to wind and rain. I had to find trees with leaves and not just branches.

My hunt took me to Guilford Avenue where colorful row houses lined the street and Jones Falls Trail with the arc waterfall, reminding me of Niagara Falls on a much smaller scale.

As the sun set earlier at 5pm, my last shots were along Roland Ave where the golden rays illuminated a line of trees with yellow leaves. The driveway was covered with fallen leaves which left a deep impression of the beautiful colors of red, orange and yellow.

Baltimore fall pictures.

USA Presidential Election 2008

2008-11-07T01:17:00.002+08:00

I considered myself fortunately to witness a historic presidential election during my stay in USA. The political scene and campaigning is different from back home.

I especially get a kick out of watching Saturday Night Live Presidential Bashing where politicians are the butt of jokes. Politicians were game to play along with the acts. The political freedom here is truly something.

Way to go for electing an African-American to be president. Change for the better is on the horizon.

A 'clip' on my Achilles

2008-11-05T01:32:00.003+08:00

After experiencing a nagging pain around my right heel in June, I have not been running since then.

I limp slightly when I wake up each morning, and my right heel hurts if I run or even do a brisk walk. After resting for three months, the pain was still there. I finally consulted with my doctor who referred me to a podiatrist at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

My appointment was on Election Day, Nov 4 2008. As I filled up their questionnaire online, I could arrive 10 minutes prior to appointment in contrast to 30 minutes and the specialist kept thanking me for filling it online. Strange.

I had to wear a lead gonad shield to protect my heirloom from x ray during three exposures.

Instead of developing the films, x rays were downloaded to a computer where I saw some bone growing around my Achilles tendon, thus restricting my movements. My diagnosis was Achilles tendinitis.

His advice was to stretch my calf muscle four times daily to compensate for the shortening of the Achilles tendon.

My advice: Warm up before running and down after running. Living with it is troublesome.

Fatten up before visiting the Windy City, Chicago

2008-11-04T04:45:00.075+08:00

After completing my first draft of my manuscript on Oct 21, a deadline which I gave myself, I went for a vacation in Chicago, Illinois. As I had been working on it for months, I needed a break so I could revise it after this trip with comments from my supervisors.

On Oct 22 (Wed), I nearly missed my flight as I had forgotten to check the schedule for the MARC train. My flight was to depart at 9.21 am and I was still not check-in at 8.30 am. It did not helped that the train was traveling slower than usual because of a delay ahead!

Upon reaching the Baltimore-Washington International Airport Station, there were only two cabs in sight. I intended to hail the first cab but the money-minded driver said he would not take me and told me to wait for the free shuttle to the terminal. Shortly, another passenger came and he took off, earning $55. How I knew he earned $55 was because I had to listen to the second cab driver complaining that I should have sat in the first cab, without telling him where I was going. Initially, he also said that he was not going to take me. I told him I would pay him $20 for the short trip to the terminal and he relented. After he had cooled down, we chatted about the weather and where I came from. He seemed to be a nice guy; he was just irritated by the work ethics of the first cab driver.

Due to security rule concerning fluids on flights, I had wanted to check-in my haversack but was told that the gate was closed. After getting my boarding pass, I ran quickly towards security, inquiring a Transportation Security Administration officer if I could bring my tubes of moisturizers and a used bottle of Cepacol spray for relief of sore throat. She said they were fine after checking them but I did not zip up the side pocket containing the fluids and passed my haversack through the x-ray machine. There was a fluid alert after my haversack went through and the officers checked that they were less than 3 ounces (100 ml).

After security clearance, I 'flew' to my departure gate and arrived in the nick of time. It was boarding my section. During the 2-hour flight, I read up a Chicago 2000 travel guidebook on places-of-interest and transportation maps, hoping nothing big had changed.

On arrival at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, I gained 1 hour because Chicago is in the central time zone. The airport had five terminals and I had to navigate through the big maze to take the blue line subway. Thinking I would hop on and off the public transportation a lot, so I bought a 3-day visitor pass ($12). It took about 50 minutes to Downtown.

I headed towards Chicago Cultural Center which was a former public library but is now a cultural center and has a visitor information center. The interior design is beaux-arts style and the 38-foot dome in the Preston Bradley Hall is the world's largest Tiffany stained-glass dome, worth an estimated $35 million. Music lovers can attend free concerts during weekdays at 12.15pm.

From the visitor center, I chose a river architecture cruise along Chicago River where a certified guide gave anecdotes of tall skyscrapers along the river. The wind was chilly. Behind me in the background is Sears Tower (with two poles).

While walking along the street, I noticed staircases leading down. I decided to investigate and saw it was a separate 'world' of streets and garages, lit by lamps. There was a bum who saw me taking pictures and headed toward me. I fled up the stairs before he came near to me.

I also saw Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate at the Millennium Park. I liked his work after seeing them at Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art. People were amazed at the visual effects standing under the Cloud Gate. Other interesting features include the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, BP Bridge, The Crown Fountain and The Lurie Garden.

At dusk, I had intended to go up Sears Tower to take pictures of sunset. My plan was upset when I was held up, having to go through Sears Tower presentation. It is the tallest building in the Northern Hemisphere and the third tallest building in the world. The sun had set when I was at the Skydeck. I tried my best to capture the twilight with Chicago lit up while holding my breath to prevent blurring.

I checked in to my hotel around 9.30 pm and was exhausted. My cough was worse after a grueling day of sight-seeing and the cold air. I had caught a cold in the freezing water after my intermediate white water kayaking trip on Oct 19.

Early next morning, I had complimentary breakfast at my hotel. I set out around 8 am which was too early for any attraction to be opened. I decided to walk from Diversey Parkway towards Downtown.

First in the list was Lincoln Park where I visited The Notebaert Nature Museum which had a free admission for that day. It had environmental exhibits catered toward children. However, I enjoyed taking pictures of butterflies in the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven.

Next, I visited the Lincoln Park Zoo which is free and opens 365 days. The animal exhibits are good, considering it is free. I managed to see wolves up close since I did not see any during my Yellowstone trip. Bald eagles were within camera shot. I detoured to the Lincoln Park Conservatory which houses tropical palms and ferns before finishing the 35-acres zoo.

Some of Chicago’s most expensive real estate and and most historic architecture can be found in the neighborhoods of State Parkway, Lake Shore Drive, and Astor Street, nicknamed The Gold Coast. Residents living along Lake Shore Drive could have a good view of the stupendous Lake Michigan.

There were actually choppy waves in the lake which resembled those at sea. The water was cold and wind was strong.

Thereafter, I walked along the Magnificent Mile, akin to New York's Fifth Avenue. I also visited John Hancock Observatory since I did not take pictures of Chicago at daylight. Visitors could also drop by the Old Water Tower and Pumping Station to inquire at another visitor information center.

As the weather forecast for Thursday night would be raining, I did not want to wander in the rain or stayed at my hotel. So, I thought of catching the musical, Wicked in the evening. I traveled to Ford Oriental Theater three times. First, when I wanted to buy the ticket; but at $90, I was not keen. The cashier told me I could enter for a lucky draw at 5.30 pm where a pair of tickets at $25 could be won. Second time, I turned up for the lucky draw after completing my Magnificent Mile tour. I was the second winner and this was my second win in 32 years. Between then and the show, I wanted to try the deep-dish pizza for dinner. I walked towards Pizzeria Uno where I had to wait 1 hour for the pizza to be cooked because of its thickness. I had to settle for McDonald's.

I was impressed by the elaborate interior design of Ford Theater and was taken aback when I entered the hall. It had long drapes of velvet curtains and richly ornamented walls, chairs, etc. Forty winners of the lucky draw got to sit on the two front middle rows of the theater where I could even see the mole on an actress. I enjoyed the story of how the Wicked Witch became 'wicked' with reference to the Wizard of Oz story. It was raining when the musical ended.

On Friday Oct 24, I went to Navy Pier which is a great place for kids to hang out. With plenty of time to spare, I tried to have the famous deep dish pizza. There was no long line like the previous night and I sat at the bar counter. I was recommended the express personal pizza which took 25 minutes. The depth measured about 1.5 inches.

Thereafter, I visited Grant Park where the Buckingham Fountain was under renovation. The rest of the afternoon was spent at the Art Institute of Chicago which houses a good collection of famous works like Van Gogh's. The paperweight collection was colorful and intricately designed.

I had wanted to taste home food when I saw the Penang Restaurant in Chinatown. However, it ran out of business and I ate at a Chinese restaurant.

Overall, I was impressed by the architecture of Chicago and the good transportation system. The weather was chilly. It is best to fatten up so as not be blown away by wind and to insulate against the cold in the Windy City.

Butterflies pictures.

Chicago pictures.

Great Falls from a different perspective

2008-10-20T23:43:00.000+08:00

Last year around October, I visited Great Falls and from the trail, I saw people kayaking rapids. I secretly wished I could be on the rapids though I thought it was dangerous.
By a twist of fate, one year later on Oct 19, Sun 2008, I was on an intermediate white water kayaking trip on the Potomac River.

It was a cold Sunday and we each put on a wet suit, a splash jacket, a personal flotation device, a skirt and a helmet.

We had to carry our kayaks over some distance since the launch site was far away from the parking lots.

Before heading out to the river, we practiced rolling and none was successful on our first attempt. We were not used to the bulk and the water was freezing cold.

As I head out onto the river from an eddy, my kayak was caught by the current and I flipped. I tried to roll but was unsuccessful. I had to wet exit. It was embarrassing to be the first to wet exit on the trip.

After getting back into the kayak, I started to enjoy the scenery and saw hikers looking down at us from the trail. It was a different view, looking up at them from the river.

Great Falls pictures.

Boston, The Walking City. July 18-21

2008-10-01T04:18:00.010+08:00

I am catching up with my postings since I had not been updating regularly for the past few months.

As my Ph.D. supervisor was working at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, I thought of visiting him and passing him my hard-bound thesis to him for mentoring me. It was also a chance for me to visit Boston.

He offered me his place to stay during my visit. It was located 5 minutes from where he worked. I arrived in Boston on July 21, Friday and took The Boston Subway, known as T to Longwood Station. I alighted at The Government Center to transfer from blue line to green line. Instead, I crossed to the opposite platform and took the blue line heading back towards the airport. I snapped out of my daze and jostled with the evening commute back to Longwood. That was when I learned about the inbound and outbound directions with reference to Downtown.

I also met my ex-colleagues who were currently working with my Ph.D. supervisor. I was given a tour of his laboratory by Guanglan. Thereafter, all of us went to Legal Seafood for dinner. I did my homework to check out which restaurants in Boston offered the best seafood and their chef's specialties. I ordered grilled swordfish and clam chowder. This was my first time eating swordfish and I found the meat tasteless. The clam chowder had a smooth texture and creamy taste which I wolfed down happily. For dessert, I had Boston cream pie which was rich but palatable. By the time we finished dinner, it was passed midnight as we were seated only around 10pm.

The next day, Guanglan and I went along The Freedom Trail which took us to Bunker Hill, USS Constitution, and graveyards etc. I noticed there were stones and pebbles placed on the tombstones of famous persons such as Samuel Adams. I wondered if this was an American culture.

At Little Italy, we had beer to cool down as the temperature was over 100 degree Fahrenheit that day. I even deliberately got drenched from a fountain. Thereafter, we proceeded towards Union Square Plaza where there was a farmer market selling fresh and cheap produce. I was tempted to buy a punnet of strawberries but the thought of carrying it around squashed the idea.

The trail also led us to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, bustling with street vendors, shoppers and tourists. We passed by Old State House, the State House with the expensive golden dome and finally to Boston Common.

Thereafter, Guanglan treated me to ginger stirred-fried lobsters, goat stew and a plate of greens which cost only $60. It was cheap for the quantity and quality of the food.

On July 20, I toured alone and went to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Fans were buying merchandise from the sports store and touring the stadium. Then, I passed by the Emerald Necklace, which is one of the oldest series of public parks and parkways, where city dwellers can get a respite from hectic lifestyle to garden or enjoy greenery. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted who also designed New York's Central Park.

To have a better look of Greater Boston, I went up the Skywalk Observatory located at Prudential Tower with an amazing 360 degree views. I could see Massachusetts Institute of Technology across the Charles River, Fenway Park, the Emerald Necklace, and Downtown.

Coming down from the observatory, I went to the shopping belt of Boston located along Newbury Street. High end stores include Gucci, Chanel and Burberry. I went into Northface to look at the prices for a kick. Visitors interested in sculptures can proceed to Commonwealth Avenue which is a mall of 14 sculptures.

For dinner, I went to B&G Oysters Restaurant where I had half a dozen of raw oysters ($2.50 each) and bacon-wrapped cod. The oysters were smooth and did not smell which was worth the price. The bacon-wrapped cod was perfectly baked and delicious!

On my last day, I went on a 3-hour whale-watch cruise where I saw whales for the first time. There were three minke whales, a mother and its calves. It was awesome to watch them swimming along our ship and diving underneath it. The wind was chilling and even though it was cloudy, I got tanned after the trip.

I also took a quick tour of Harvard main campus where I took a picture with the statue of John Harvard. His left shoe was shining from visitors rubbing it. It was rumored that students peed on it which I thought not possible unless someone was standing on a ladder. Next was Massachusetts Institute of Technology when it started to rain when I reached there.

To wrap up this great trip, I went to Penang Restaurant in Chinatown for comfort food where the waiter had to remind me that I had ordered more than enough for a person. I remembered ordering chicken satay, yong tau foo curry, beef rendang and chendol.

Boston pictures available here.

Conquering rapids

2008-09-26T09:19:00.007+08:00

Since my last white water kayaking trip in April, I had been looking forward to beginning of school term in falls as JHU Outdoor Pursuits would be organizing trips again.

I signed up for the beginners' trip on Sep 14 where we kayaked along Violet's Lock. It was the same river I went to for my first kayaking trip.

As safety was paramount in this sports, I went for my rolling session. I remembered that I was able to roll with the kayak model called Pop and practiced in it. I succeeded in rolling eight out of ten times which helped to boost my confidence for the trip. However, I still felt the need to have someone watching over me before I rolled.

The weather on Sunday was perfect. In fact, it was hot and dry as compared to the cold and rainy conditions for my previous two trips. I was able to paddle straight as opposed to the first trip where I was heading left and right except straight. I had learned to control my paddling strokes and use my hip to control the direction I desired.

There was one section of the river where we could practice surfing because of a big hole. A hole is usually formed behind boulders where water is circulated. In order to get to the hole, I had to pass fast flowing current. As I did not tilt my kayak towards downstream, my kayak caught the current and I went down under.

Not feeling panic and refusing to do a wet exit, I went to the starting position of rolling over. With one swipe of the paddle, I got myself upright and was feeling high from 'self-rescuing' myself. Undeterred from my failure, I tried one more time but failed. This time round, after attempting thrice, I could not roll over and drank a lot of Potomac River water. One of the kayak leader did a T-rescue. I was coughing badly after letting some water entered my trachea and my throat as of today, Sep 25, still feels weird. (I was coughing badly for two weeks before this trip and I am not a hypochondriac).

Along one stretch, I T-rescued a fellow participant who had capsized unexpectedly. Fortunately, I saw him since no one was around.

At the last stretch of the trip, I too capsized and tried to roll but failed. I was trying to hold on to the riverbed rocks with one hand and the other to the paddle so that the leaders would not have to retrieve it downstream. I could feel the river current swiping me downstream. After being rescued once again, my hands suffered several small cuts from the rocks.

It was fun and great to be able to roll in rapids but I would need more practice to perfect it. I am considering on the next beginner's trip which is on Oct 5 but it clashes with the river rafting trip I am organizing.

Hooray, my Nikon D70S camera is back in action

2008-09-25T05:11:00.012+08:00

After my Yellowstone trip in June 2008, I found there were black specks on every picture I took. Being a perfectionist and a detailed guy, I was upset at the specks marring the pictures, especially of clear, blue skies. This made me uninterested to take pictures till I got rid of those specks.

Since I had two lenses, I tried to determine where the specks could be by switching lenses. Alas, the specks appeared on the exact spots which meant they were inside the camera body.

I sent my camera twice to Nikon Servicing Center (NSC). For the first time, I sent my camera body but they shipped back without doing anything. For the second round, I sent both my camera body and newly bought zoom lens where they replaced some components of the lens. However, the specks were still there.

I was frustrated and felt cheated even though I printed out a picture indicating the locations of the specks.

During my last trip to New York City, I met a guy at The Top of The Rock where I asked him to help me take pictures of me with The Empire State Building. I approached him since he was carrying a Nikon camera too. He asked if he could change the manual settings on my camera. That was my sign to ask him if he could help me identify what was happening to my camera.

He said if there were black spots, then the sensor needed cleaning. For greenish spots, the problem was fungal. He also said any camera repair shop could clean the sensor after I mentioned sending to NSC.

Not willing to be disappointed by NSC again, I searched the internet and found an independent authorized Nikon repair service center. I called them up and was given an estimate of $45 to clean the sensor.

After sending the body to Illinois, I was getting worried when I did not get any phone from them after three business days. Thinking to call them the next day, I got a letter of repair estimate on the same evening. I was shocked to see the bill. It cost $115 plus $12 shipping.

I called the next day to complain why there was so much discrepancy between what was quoted to me and on the letter. There were services which I did not requested such as auto-focusing adjustment, TTL flash etc. After resolving the amount, it was settled at $45 plus $12 delivery.

Just when I thought I should be getting my camera back, it arrived on the same night. I wasted no time to take pictures and check for specks.

I was elated to find the major specks gone from viewing the LCD screen. I would need to transfer to a computer screen to scrutinize the cleaning but I am upbeat about it.

Striking off another "things-to-do-before-I-die" list: Tandem skydiving on 9/21/08

2008-09-23T02:55:00.032+08:00

I guess I am not the only one interested to skydive at least once in life. In fact, I think it is a cliche but who cares. For example, in the movie "The Bucket List" starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, one of their wish lists included skydiving.

I had to skydive before I have no guts left and major life commitments prevent me from doing such a risky sports.

The drop zone I went to was Freefall Adventures, located in New Jersey. I was surprised to see a crowd already filling up waiver forms before the official opening hour at 9 am.

There were at least eight pages of waiver form I had to sign and initial, agreeing not to sue if some mishap were to occur to me. I found one item amusing but realistic where I had to fill in any distinguish marks since it meant that my corpse had to be identified by someone.

Participants also need to view a short video clip, emphasizing on the risks involved in skydiving and a longer section on the thrills of skydiving.

I decided to include a video package to capture my first tandem skydiving for memory sake. My senses would be overstimulated from an adrenaline rush.

Rob was my tandem instructor who had 17,000 jumps under his belt and started skydiving since 16. My video cameraman was also called Rob.

After gearing up, we were taught how to exit from the plane, adopt the free fall position by arching the hip, landing with bended knees juxtaposed, and most importantly, pulling the cord to release the parachute at about 5000 feet or the instructor would pull the cord.

The aircraft we boarded had a rectangular, transparent door where I had a good view of things getting tiny since I sat closed to it. I got more nervous as the plane ascended higher. I was having second thought on why I had committed myself to jumping out of a plane at 13,000 feet. I had to psych myself that my life was in good hands.

When we reached an altitude of about 13,000 feet, the door was opened. Rob, the cameraman was the first to jump. I did not have the chance to hesitate since Rob, my instructor, was pushing me towards the door. My heart was in my mouth when we leaped from the plane. I felt I was committing suicide. You could see I opened my mouth during the exit (second photo).

I remembered seeing the clear, blue sky before flipping back to see Earth. As I wanted to feel the full effect of free falling, I was dressed in shorts and a long sleeve with a t-shirt over it. The temperature was cold. We were falling at a rate of approximately 100 feet/second for about 60 s. During this time, Rob was filming and taking pictures of me where I did the Superman's pose and breast stroke or mahjong pose. I was also supposed to hold on to him where we spun around for video taking. I felt a tremendous force pulling us apart when we locked our hands. Rob, my instructor, was spontaneous and posed with me.

I was enjoying the rush of free falling and was shouting away. My mouth dried up quickly when I opened it. The force of the wind was so great that it created folds on my thighs and cheeks.

Oblivious of time and height, Rob pushed my left hand towards my face and I saw the altimeter's needle at 5,000 feet graduation. Conditioned from the safety training, I pulled the cord at my right hip.

The sudden slowing down by the opened parachute caused me to swing up and I could feel the strain around my thighs where I was strapped.

Thereafter, Rob, the cameraman proceeded towards the landing zone to get ready to take my landing shots while I admired the scenery from above.

I had to blow my ears because of the pressure built up from free falling and my voice was coarse from shouting with excitement.

Rob did some maneuvering of the chute where we spun around and I felt the strain again.

Instead of landing on both feet, my left foot got the impact. It was painful but I was uninjured.

The one-minute of free falling was awesome, thrilling, and exhilarating. I would consider jumping again if I have spare cash.

The Last Lecture

2008-09-03T01:38:00.003+08:00

After reading The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch during my travel to New York City this past weekend, I was motivated to think positively. My life is not bad at all. (I am undergoing a period of searching and maturing as I am wrapping up my life chapter as a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University.)

Suffering from the certain death sentence of pancreatic cancer, he concentrated on living life to the fullest. The book is a very practical and optimistic way of leaving behind a living legacy, not only to his children but to those seeking fulfillment in life.

Conquering Old Rag Trail, Shenandoah National Park, VA

2008-08-22T14:32:00.006+08:00

I went on a hike along Old Rag Circuit at Shenandoah National Park, VA with a group of Singaporeans on Aug 16. This was a physically demanding hike which required climbing, stretching, hopping and balancing to get to the summit of Old Rag Mountain (3291 ft/1003 m). People suffering from acrophobia should be aware that part of the trail runs along cliff edges.

We decided to tackle the challenging part of the hike first, taking Ridge Trail by following the blue markers and returning along Weakley Hollow Fire Road to the Old Rag parking area.

An average of 5.5 hours with half an hour lunch along a 8.8-mile trail took us about 7.5 hours instead as we were busy taking pictures of us scrambling up large boulders and squeezing through crevices, tunnels and caves. I had a good laugh at the poses we did at various parts of the hike. There were crane pose, crouching tiger pose, and Charlie's Angels pose by three guys among others.

We were fortunate to see a black bear on the trail. It looked skinny and I hope it would be fatter in time for its hibernation during winter.

The panoramic views at the summit was well worth the muscle aches and blister I endured. Eagles were hovering high in the sky, catching the wind beneath their wings. I could see rolling mountains touching the horizon. It was very peaceful to sit on the precipice with cool, soothing wind blowing and admiring at the picturesque landscape.

Pictures along Old Rag Circuit Hike.

Starting a new blog on career development

2008-08-19T02:50:00.000+08:00

As I embark on my journey of searching for a job, I realized I had not truly reflected on what I like to do and how I want to see myself five or ten years down the road.

I also observe that many youngsters are at a loss after schooling. Education prepares us to read, calculate, and expand our knowledge etc. but it does not teach us job interviewing, networking, nor communication skills. We have to learn these skills as we go along.

I had been reading books related to career development and would like to share with you what I had learned.

Do visit and share your experience on career development: http://developing-your-career.blogspot.com/

Indomitable human spirit

2008-08-14T05:54:00.003+08:00

While watching world-class athletics compete at the 29th Olympics in China, I often get inspired by the determination and strength of the human spirit. Athletics trained long and hard, pushing themselves to the limits.

I am now mentally tired, hoping to get over it soon. I want to share this beautiful poem which my best friend shared with me during this anguish period.

Invictus by British poet William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of Circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of Chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

2008-08-05T03:05:00.002+08:00

Travelers intending to visit Yellowstone National Park during summer should plan at least half a year ahead since accommodations within the park were snapped up by the time we reserved ours in January 2008.

The one-week trip, beginning from Jun 7 -14, was joined by WenMin and Michele. We flew from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to Jackson Hole Airport, transiting at Atlanta, GA. As we approached Wyoming, we could see mountainous ranges with snow-capped peaks.

The sight of Teton range inspired awe and humility. As we entered the small Jackson Hole Airport, there was an arch of elk antlers to welcome us. There are four such arches at Jackson Hole Town Square, where many more antlers were used to make each arch than the one at the airport.

After picking up our rental car, we drove north, towards Yellowstone, passing by Grand Teton. The landscape was still blanketed with snow in June, in contrast to my mental picture of wild flowers blooming. In fact, we were hit by snowstorms and cold weather which might had affected my impression of Yellowstone. We were wise to check the weather forecast for the week and brought along winter gear.

Depending on your schedule and plan, I found that we could complete the highlights of Yellowstone within three days, provided that you leave early in the morning and return around 9 plus at night.

The highlights were Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Fall, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Mud Volcano Area, Yellowstone Lake, Old Faithful, and Midway Geyser Basin.

At Mud Volcano Area, the air was reeked with a malodorous odor of sulfur dioxide. I wondered if the mud here could be used to make beauty products such as face masque.

The picture of me, standing at 5-foot-10-inch (1.78-m), 'capping' The Liberty Cap, a 37-foot (11-m) travertine was taken at Mammoth Hot spring. Here, nature has created an amazing staircase of hot spring pools or terraces. Sadly, many of the hot springs like the one which had created Liberty Cap had ceased flowing, leaving terraces of white, porous deposits.

During this trip, I had lost count of the number of hot springs and geysers in the park, which had different colors, shapes, and sizes. Colors of hot springs included emerald green, cyan, blue, orange, and brown. I only remembered some of their names because they were aptly named e.g. Ear Hot Spring which has the shape of an ear. One reminded me of Edvard Munch's "The Scream". The largest hot spring in Yellowstone is The Grand Prismatic Spring which I had no way of taking it since it is approximately 250 by 300 feet (75 by 91 m). I had to be contended with buying postcards of it taken from an aerial view.

Taking pictures of hot springs meant waiting for wind to blow away rising steam from the water surface and longer waiting time for geysers to erupt. The famous Old Faithful erupts every 90 minutes plus/minus 10 minutes. You can check out the time from the front desks of The Visitor Center, Old Faithful Inn or Old Faithful Lodge. I was particularly impressed by the architecture of Old Faithful Inn which is the largest log cabin in the world. The main lobby has a huge fireplace, giving me a warm and cozy feeling.

Another attraction in the park, besides the hot springs and the geysers, was wildlife animals roaming freely. A telltale sign of animal sighting was parked car(s) along the road. We caught sight of our first animal, bison or buffalo, grazing in the fields. They were huge animals with scraggy fur. By the end of our trip, we were 'bored' of taking pictures of bison since they were ubiquitous in the park.

We saw grizzly bears four times in the park. One sighting was really close, where we were separated from a grizzly by a 20-foot wide river. It was standing on its meal at the opposite bank, occasionally looking up to see a crowd of humans snapping pictures of it. How to differentiate a grizzly from a black bear is by identifying a thick, muscular hump on its shoulder.

While driving one evening for animal sighting, a wolf or a coyote leaped in front of our car. It crossed the road unscathed because we did an emergency brake! I could not tell which animal it was since I had never seen the adult size of a wolf compared to that of a coyote before.

Other animals sighted included two curious chipmunks, an evasive marmot, several greedy ground squirrels, shy deers, and three long-faced moose. I could recognize Canadian geese and magpies, although there were other avian species to be sighted by bird watchers.

After completing our tour of Yellowstone, we headed towards Grand Teton National Park. A two-day tour was sufficient. The ever present Teton range could be seen anywhere in the park. I took so many pictures of the mountains that upon editing them, most looked the same to me. This is the advantage of a digital camera; take first, edit later.

We also took a ferry across Jenny Lake where we hiked up to Inspiration Point. At 7200-foot elevation, we marveled at the picturesque landscape of lake, open fields and mountain ranges.

We spent our last few hours at touristy Jackson Hole where merchandise were more expensive than in Yellowstone. Shopaholics can indulge themselves with a wide variety of shops.

For this trip, I broke my record for getting in and out of a car so frequently during one week to take pictures of animals, geysers, hot springs, and mountains. I could also strike off Yellowstone from my list of places-I-want-to-visit.

Yellowstone National Park pictures.

Grand Teton National Park pictures.

Pick-your-own fruits and a trip back to Sep 1862

2008-07-10T04:59:00.010+08:00

On Jun 28, a group of us went to a pick-your-own (PYO) fruit farm in Maryland. It was the beginning of blueberry and raspberry seasons.

When we arrived at the farm around 10am, some early birds had already finished picking tray loads of fruits. Most pickers sampled the fruits while picking them.

Picking blueberries and raspberries was an experience since I had not picked them before and I did not know how the bearing plants look like. I was told to tickle a bunch of blueberries where the ripe blue fruits would simply drop, leaving the green and red unripe fruits on the branch. I found this method not working for me. Instead, I picked only the bigger berries among the ripe fruits as I found that they were sweeter upon sampling different sizes of ripe ones. Blueberries are a good source of anti-oxidants.

I was surprised that a raspberry shrub has thorns. Having no clue to how a ripe raspberry looks like, I took a peek at someone's harvest and noticed the harvest consisted only of maroon fruits and not the bright red ones.

Thereafter, we headed towards Antietam National Park and managed to join the last conducted tour. A park ranger recounted the single bloodiest day of the American Civil War at different sites, dotted by cannons and monuments to the dead. Seeing pictures of dead bodies piled high up was disheartening. I also revisited Burnside's Bridge, rather than kayaking under it.

A visit to the sunshine state, Florida

2008-06-30T22:00:00.004+08:00

Initially, I was apathetic to go on a road trip to Florida as I was writing up my experiments and driving at least 16 hours at night put me off.

Finally, I went since I promised Greg that I would go at the beginning of 2008 and I needed a break too.

We left on Friday night, May 16 and drove along I95, passing through D.C., Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. We took turns to drive and stopped to sleep for two hours since we were drowsy.

We reached Florida on Saturday morning where I picked up some brochures and had complimentary orange and grapefruit juices at the visitor center.

Before going to Tampa, we en routed to University of Florida (UF) where Greg showed me around his alma mater.

I was impressed by the sheer size of the football stadium for a university. There were at least five more stadiums for baseball, track-and-field, basketball, softball etc. Among the sports facilities on campus, I liked the Olympic-sized swimming pool the most. I was fortunate to see the real mascot of UF not once but thrice around edges of Lake Alice, gator as Floridians will call an alligator.

On Sunday, we went to Clearwater Beach, ranked eighth in Florida where the sand was soft and white, and the seawater was literally clear. There were a lot of sunbathers basking under the summer sun.

Thinking that I came from sunny Singapore, my skin should be used to the sun and I applied suntan lotion instead of sunblock. But I had forgotten that I had covered my body for half a year from the cold weather. I strolled along the beach for two hours. After that, I went under Pier Six for shade and felt that my body was hot literally. It was irradiating heat. I was burnt on the second day and wondered how I was going to 'survive' in sunny Florida.

The next day, I was red like a lobster and sensitive to touch. On this day (May 19), Greg accompanied me to Busch Gardens, Africa where I enjoyed the 90 degree plunge from 200 feet in the air on the new ride, Sheikra. There were also other hair-raising and scream-inducing rides like Gwazi and Kumba. One commendable show was KaTonga, an African theme musical with energetic dance moves, lively music and great performances by the actors. The theme park also has a safari where gentle animals such as giraffes, zebras, antelopes roam freely in an enclosed area and visitors can go on the Serengeti Express, a truck or a jeep.

We parted in the evening where I picked up my one-way rental car from Tampa Airport and headed towards Orlando where I checked into backpackers' inn. To save on gas and parking fee, I parked the car at my lodging and took Orlando public transport.

I liked the public transport with buses arriving on time and they were cleaned. There were TVs on board which reminded me of Singapore's Mobile TV. At least, the volume in Orlando was not deafening.

As I was going on a tight schedule and not willing to spend a lot on theme parks, I had to choose two of four parks I wanted to visit at Walt Disney World. I bought tickets to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. I gave Magic Kingdom a miss since I went to Disneyland, LA when I was still in my teens. I was uninterested in the animal theme at Animal Kingdom.

At EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), the theme revolves around creative technologies gear towards the future. I love the icon of Epcot, The Spaceship Earth which is like a gigantic golf ball where visitors were taken on a ride in the 18-story dome. We were shown how human communication had helped shaped the future, one step at a time. I was impressed by how Disney showcased the message of conserving energy for a large audience where we were seated liked at a movie theater but moved around in The Universe of Energy pavilion. I had my adrenaline rush going on Test Track where the ride went at 60 mph and 45-degree inclination with winds blowing through my hair.

By Tuesday evening, I only managed to finished taking all the rides but had not seen the World Showcase of 11 countries: Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, United Kingdom and United States of America. Each country pavilion displays its culture and sells products made in each country. With only two hours left before my designated schedule, I zipped through majority of the pavilions.

As I needed to catch the last bus and I wanted to watch IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at World Showcase Lagoon, I had to walk towards the entrance while watching a display of fireworks, lasers, fire and water fountains. After the 13-minute show, I dashed through crowds and managed to catch the last bus.

On Wednesday, I visited Disney's Hollywood Studio. It was smaller in scale than Epcot. I caught several live shows including Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show and Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. I admired how the daredevils maneuvered cars and motorbikes in the tight stage space.

I was surprised that I enjoyed Voyage of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage. This is the magic of Disney which kinder one's childhood imaginations and dreams. I even went for an animation class where I was taught how to draw Winnie the Pooh. Inside The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, I was lifted off my seat because of the 'free falling' effect of the elevator, with camera in one hand and holding on to dear life with the other.

My head was hurting and my body was aching by evening. I did not enjoyed my last ride on Rock & Roller Coaster since I felt my brain hitting against my skull with every twist and turn. I had to give up Fantasmic, a fireworks and visual hydrotechnic show since I needed a rest and I had watched a similar show at Disneyland.

By Thursday, after another bad night of sleep, I felt better. It was the searing temperature yesterday, lack of hydration and exhaustion. Since my departure from Greg's parents' place on Sunday, I had been catching at most five hours of sleep because I was sleeping at a six-bed dorm where strangers come in at weird hours and I got up early to travel.

After checking out from the dorm, I went to Disney's Blizzard Beach, a water park. I rejoiced at the overcast since I was sunburn and I was wet anyway. The first slide I went was Summit Plummet which is the world's tallest and fastest free-fall body slide. It stands at 120 feet (36 m) tall where riders can reach speeds of up to 55 miles per hour. My bums hurt after going down a couple of times at breakneck speed. As I was alone, I asked a father and a son if I could join them in a family ride called Teamboat Springs. After I had enough of slides, I took out my camera and stood in line for Summit Plummet. People thought I was going down with my Nikon D70S but I wanted a bird's eye view of the water park.

I had never went to four theme parks for four consecutive days. It was fun but tiring. I bid farewell to Orlando and drove along Route 4 towards Daytona Beach.

After checking into my motel room which overlooked the sea, I asked the front desk to recommend a good seafood restaurant nearby. I proceeded to Aunt Catfish's on the River. I loved the ambience and the food. A lot of locals were dining there. After a hearty dinner, I bought some fruits, mineral bottled water and a bodyboard at Publix supermarket for tomorrow.

On Friday, I woke up to the rising sun and strolled on the beach. I was surprised that cyclists could cycle on the beach. The sand was coarse and compact. Then, I went bodyboarding where I saw a family of sting rays, two parents and three kids. The waves were not fantastic compared to those at Barnegat Light, NJ. There was also a school of fish caught in a wave and heading towards me. That night, I had dinner at Down the Hatch, another great seafood restaurant.

On my last day in Florida, I headed towards St Augustine, USA's oldest
continuously settled city established by Europeans. It was founded by Pedro Menéndez on September 8, 1565. The city has a Spanish charm with intricate facades and designs. I did not felt I was in USA. There were many museums to visit e.g. the Fountain of Youth, San Sebastian Winery and the Castillo de San Marcos. There is free wine tasting at San Sebastian Winery. To get around the city, you can go on a sightseeing train with detailed narrations at historical attractions.

I returned the car at Jacksonville Airport in the evening of May 25 and met up with Greg where we took the arduous 16 hours night driving back to Baltimore.

Look for eight Florida picture folders here.

Out of shooting action for now

2008-06-26T12:00:00.003+08:00

After waiting almost a year for a camera lens that has long focal length and image stabilizer, I ordered the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Nikkor Lens from US1Camera. This was to prepare for my Yellowstone trip.

I had been frustrated at not being able to zoom up close with my 18-70mm lens, especially when the subjects are at great distances. I love details.

After switching my lens, some dust particles got inside the camera body. I managed to get rid of a brush hair from the matte focusing screen. However, some dust stains were left inside somewhere no matter how hard I cleaned with my cleaning kit.

All of the Yellowstone pictures have spots, especially against the blue sky or snowscape. I am irritated by the spots but have to accept it.

I had sent the body to Nikon Photo Service Center in Melville, NY on last Friday and just got a quote of $25 for cleaning, $12.50 for shipping and $1.50 of tax. Hopefully, I will get it back soon and no more specks on my pictures!

I am not alone

2008-06-26T11:15:00.004+08:00

In the midst of my traveling stint, I am writing up my experiments on flu vaccine. This partially explains why I have not been posting as I am sick of writing.

Writing a paper is a different ball game compared to posting on a blog. For me, I take it to share my traveling and experiences overseas with my love ones. Of course, there are people who take their blog seriously and write stupendous articles that keep fans coming back.

In research field, there is an infamous phrase 'Publish or perish'. Many researchers enjoy doing experiments but when it comes to publishing their works, many struggle to write or present.

Trained to be detailed, critical and creative etc., I have to think of how best to present my results after interpreting experimental data and give a thorough discussion as to how my results can contribute to the global view of my field. I have to write in an objective and logical manner instead of basing on my moods and feelings.

It becomes an obstacle when you know your experiments inside out and you take for granted that others will know them well too.

Letting fellow colleagues proof-read and critique the drafts helps tremendously. I got over my mental block and started revising tables and figures after constructive criticism and discussion. I totally agree with the old saying 'Two heads are better than one'.

Seven more US quaters to a full set

2008-05-13T03:06:00.006+08:00

I have been collecting US quarters since 2006 after noticing there were different images representing the 50 states of North America.

The 50 State Quarters® Program began in 1999 and ends in 2008 where every 10 weeks, a new state's quarter will be released in the order states were admitted into the Union.

I found it interesting to see what each state choose to represent itself. The designs included state flora and fauna, state landmarks, landscapes etc.

The state I am residing in chose the familiar dome of the Maryland Statehouse which is the country's oldest state capital building still in legislative use (since 1772).

Presently, I am lacking quarters from Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Louisiana and Ohio.

Cylburn Arboretum

2008-05-08T01:19:00.003+08:00

Located within the city limit of Baltimore is a 207-acre nature reserve and city park, Cylburn Arboretum.

The Cylburn Mansion is Baltimore City's horticultural headquarters and home of the Cylburn Arboretum Association. The association is run by volunteers whose mission include working with the city to
preserve Cylburn's historic grounds and buildings by its horticultural and educational activities.

Cylburn Mansion began as a summer home for Jesse Tyson and his mother. Construction started in 1863 with gneiss quarried from Bare Hills, Maryland.

It became the Cylburn Arboretum Association in 1982. Educational activities conducted by the association are horticultural lectures and demonstrations, and guided tours of the Mansion and the gardens.

There is a small museum which houses Maryland fauna. This was where I learned of Blue Bunting which I spotted while cycling along the Northern Railroad Trail.

Plant lovers can see a variety of trees, shrubs and wild flowers. Many avid bird watchers also headed towards the nature trails, equipped with binoculars and water bottles.

Cylburn Arboretum pictures.

Cycled all the way to Pennsylvania from Monkton, Maryland

2008-05-08T01:18:00.023+08:00

I could finally strike off one of my resolutions this year when a bunch of Singaporeans cycled crossed the Maryland-Pennsylvania state line in New Freedom, PA on May 3 (Sat).

We started the day with a big American breakfast at Pete's Grille at Greenmount and 31st. I could not finished my third big hotcake, served with turkey ham and scrapple.

Then, we proceeded towards Monkton, located near the 8-mile marker of the Northern Central Railroad Trail since the bike rental shop at the beginning of the trail was closed.

We rented five bikes from a bike shop located at Monkton Village Center. We began cycling at 12.30pm. The scenery from the 8-mile marker was more picturesque than between the zero- and eight-mile markers. There was more open space with big houses on huge yards, equine farms with grazing horses and vast fields. Adding to the scenery was the meandering of The Gunpowder River along the trail, where one could hear the river gushing over boulders, forming rapids. Large boulders also dotted the trail. For those interested in bird watching, I could recognize cardinals, blue buntings and hawks, among other bird species sighted.

I stopped at a spot to investigate strange markings on some tree trunks after spotting a dam constructed from branches. I suspected it was the work of beavers since no human would build a small wooden dam in the middle of nowhere. Secondly, the trunks did not show sign of being chopped with an axe. We tried to look for the animal to no avail. Upon researching on beavers, they are mainly nocturnal.

We finally reached the state line around 3pm and I discovered that the trail actually continued for another 20 miles into York, PA.

Going to York would require another trip but for this trip, we cycled for about 25 miles in 4 hours.

Mini-Las Vegas in Atlantic City, New Jersey

2008-04-30T01:18:00.004+08:00

I had never heard of Atlantic City in New Jersey until Charlene suggested that we went there for a weekend getaway. After work on Friday evening (Apr 25), we decided to take our dinner before driving to Atlantic City. It was a good decision because we took about 3 hours to reach there around 11pm.

We stayed at the Sheraton Hotel which was located at Miss America Way. We found the street name hilarious till we researched the history of it.

The street got its name from holding The Miss America contest since 1921. Inside the hotel, there were displays of dazzling tiaras, splendid capes and beautiful gowns worn by past winners.

After putting our bags, we headed straight to the casinos. We went to Caesars, Bally's and Trump Plaza. Compared to Las Vegas, the resorts here were less lavished in their designs and glamor. We also checked out the prices of breakfast and lunch buffets which were over $15.

I tried on the slot machines and lost one-eighty. People taught it was one hundred and eighty dollars but it was just cents since I played on the five-cent slot machine. Charlene played the electronic roulette and actually won $5.75. Her strategic was to double the bet upon losing since the chances of winning was 50% each time.

We headed back to our rooms around 2am. I intended to run on the boardwalk early in the morning but skipped it since I had a headache. Instead, I slept in till 9am when we went for breakfast at our hotel.

After being fed, we proceeded to shop at The Atlantic City Mall where I 'lost' $200 to shopping. Then, we went to the boardwalk towards Trump Taj Mahal Casino. There were dilapidated buildings and empty plots along the way which reminded one of its glorious days. We did not stayed long on the boardwalk because the weather was gusty and chilling.

We had late lunch at a Greek restaurant where the walls and every surface conceivable like a football, ceiling fans etc were covered with one dollar bills with messages written on them. We wanted to paste a Singapore $2 bill but the owner said the fire department discouraged them as it could be a fire hazard.

We ended our trip by sitting in the car and sight-see the other end of the boardwalk around the Tropicana Casino before en routing to Baltimore.

More Atlantic City pictures.

White water kayaking along Antietam Creek

2008-04-24T03:10:00.009+08:00

Twice in a roll, I had to kayak on raining days. This time, we were on Antietam Creek.

However, the weather did not spoiled my mood since I was confident and relaxed after mastering rolling on Friday.

The drive towards west of Baltimore took about 1.5 hours. Upon reaching our destination, there was no potty except the wilderness.

We did not practiced rolling since that section of the river was shallow. I would not want to roll too as it was muddy and smelly.

Along the two-hour journey towards Potomac River, there was only a section of rapid and a two-foot drop.

I felt a rush of adrenaline going through the rapid. With prior experience, I paddled harder to prevent myself from swirling and take control of my kayak.

Between this rapid and the two-foot drop was a long stretch of calm river. I commented to Rob, one of the instructors, that this was liked a dream come true, kayaking down a river and drinking in the sights.

We passed under the infamous Burnside's Bridge which was the focal point of the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862. This was the bloodiest single-day battle with the highest casualties (about 23,000) in the American Civil War. The rain added a more solemn mood to The Antietam National Battlefield.

Going down the two-foot drop was exhilarating and not as scary as it looked. However, ferrying across the rapid was challenging. I flipped and did a wet exit since I could not roll over. I could feel the rocks under my bum and the current was strong.

I succeeded on my second attempt, keeping my kayak tilted downstream. On the opposite bank, I learned to surf on the rapid where my kayak remained 'stationary'. I just had to control the direction.

Our trip was cut short because of lightning. We had to exit from the river quickly.

I am definitely hooked on white water kayaking and will enroll for more trips.