Disclaimer: Skype did not pay me to promote this post.
I have been using Skype to chat with my family on their landlines with Skype credit. For friends who have Skype accounts, I can chat with them for free. Before I came back to USA from Singapore, I brought along a webcam so that I could let my loved ones see me. Skype also allows conferencing.
The recent add-ons that I found it very useful was Sketch pad. It allows you to see what the other party is drawing in real time. This was helpful in my discussion with Saimun in my previous post where we could see each other's drawing instead of abstract visualization.
What seems to be straightforward in theory turned out to be full of obstacles in practice.
Theoretically, ligation sounds simple where you simply add a vector (a carrier), an insert (your gene of interest) and a DNA ligase (an enzyme molecule which join two pieces of DNA together) in a buffer mixture, and incubate at certain temperature for a period of time.
With this mentality, I performed two ligation experiments but they did not gave result. I was frustrated because I preconceived that it should work for a simple experiment and I am under time constraint. I was determined to get it right!
Coincidentally, a visiting professor told me that some labs were having problems ligating and after discussing with my friend, Saimun over Skype, he corroborated the difficulties involved to optimize many parameters for a successful ligation. He also suggested his ligation recipe. These helped to alleviate my frustration where I thought I was bad at ligation.
With each experiment, I learnt more about ligation and thank God for giving me a sharp observation, I troubleshot the possible mistakes which I committed. The two main causes could be low concentrations of my inserts and short incubation time.
At the third attempt, there were results which needed to be verified next week. For now, I am partially satisfied till I get the verification. I do not like to count my chicken before they are hatched.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lessons learnt from this mini-episode.
Mistakes are meant to be made because we are not perfect and we can learn more through mistakes than success.
Failure is a state of the mind; When you succumb to it, you are defeated.
Shortcuts end up being nowhere.
Be humble to seek help.
Learn from the experienced and adapt their advice to your situation since you are walking it, not them.
I should celebrate for my 100th post, thanks to all my friends and readers who had read and contributed to my blog which had kept me going!
While swimming at the small indoor pool with Greg today, I realised something. As the length was only 25 yards, I could not get as much work out as I like since I glided half the way. So, I began to swim along the peripheral of the pool instead of tumble-turn. It hit on me that I was like a fish in an aquarium, swimming around in an enclosed tank towards a set direction. This behavior was also observed in animals enclosed in confined spaces in zoos where you could see worn out paths.
Like animals, we also tend to create routines in our lives, performing the tasks in a certain manner till something forces us to change to adapt to the new environment.
I had a taste of home when I cooked this dish. I can eat this for many days.
Ingredients: Chicken (depends on which part you like) Sliced old ginger Pounded garlic Pounded shallot Pounded lemon grass Pandan leaves or essence Salt Sesame oil Light soya sauce Coriander and cucumber (as garnishes)
Protocol: 1. Brew chicken stock or add chicken cube to water.
2. Fry pounded garlic, shallot and lemon grass till slightly brown.
3. Cook rice with brewed chicken stock, pandan leaves/essence, old ginger, fried pounded garlic, shallot and lemon grass. Add salt to taste.
4. Poach the chicken part in boiling water under low temperature for 20-30 minutes (depending on how big is the chicken). For flavoring, add salt to taste and ginger to get rid of smell.
5. Soak the poached chicken in cold water for 10 minutes. Chop to small pieces.
6. Serve cooked rice with chopped chicken decorated with coriander and cucumber. Add light soya sauce and sesame oil before serving.
A picture of tropical pandan shrub. Picture taken from here.
This morning, I slept till 9.30am (a luxury since I had been waking up by 7.30am, regardless of weekends or weekdays) and my driving lesson started at 11am.
This time, I drove us to Clifton High School under the instructor's guidance. I was more confident and actually cruised at 40 miles per hour compared to less than 20 miles per hour on my first day.
Today, I got to do turnabout and parallel parking where there was a three-minute period for you to complete each task during the driving test.
Let's helped me remember the process by committing it to writing: The first is turnabout in a tight space (there are four turns; drive, reverse, drive, reverse, drive).
1. Signal right 30 feet before the cone while doing all the mirror checking and head checks.
2. Once the driver seat passes the cone, turn right immediately and stop the vehicle where you can still see the kerb. If the hood (British: bonnet) covered the kerb, the vehicle is too close to the kerb for maneuvers.
3. Check rear view mirror, left side mirror and do a left head check.
4. Turn wheel to the left fully and move till the vehicle is close to the kerb.
5. Reverse and turn wheel fully to the right till the vehicle is close to the opposite kerb.
6. Shift to drive and turn wheel fully to the left, careful not to go out of the junction.
7. Reverse and turn wheel fully to right.
8. Shift to drive and straighten wheels.
Second station is parallel parking 1. Keep signalling right and position vehicle two to three feet from front poles.
2. Reverse till the front poles are at the middle of the rear passenger window. You should be able to see three back poles in the rear view mirror at the right.
3. Turn right fully and reverse till the three back poles move across to the left and stop when the last pole disappear from view in the rear view mirror.
4. Turn left fully and reverse till rear wheel touches the kerb.
5. Shift to drive and turn right fully, counting from one to three. Stop at three.
6. Reverse and turn left fully till right front wheel touches the kerb.
7. Move vehicle forward by one count and straighten wheels.
8. Secure vehicle by pulling hand brake, shift to park.
Yesterday, I was shocked when I returned two of four novels which I borrowed from The Eisenhower Library at Homewood Campus. The librarian informed me that I owed $10 for each of the four overdue books. I was puzzled since I distinctively remembered that the due date was Mar 14.
Anyway, I returned the books and went back to my apartment to get the other two to clear up this misunderstanding. On hindsight, I remembered when I borrowed the four books that a librarian told me that my library membership needed to be renewed by Mar 3 since it was valid for only one year. Thus, the due date was Mar 3. I presumed that the computer system did not update the due dates on my book loans and thus this misunderstanding.
After showing the librarian the due dates on my books, he agreed to waive the fee. I felt vindicated since I have never pay a late fee for overdue book. I like to maintain an unblemished record!
Let's get back to the main topic of sharing with you what I had read:
First was "Mendel's Daughter. A Memoir" by Martin Lemelman which is a tribute to his mother's bravery and perseverance during the Nazi persecution. This is a sad episode of human history which should never be repeated!
"Christ The Lord. Out of Egypt" by Anne Rice is an interesting novel on the hidden years of Jesus Christ. It projected him as very human where he was discovering his identity as God-Man.
Anne was also the author of numerous vampire books where one was made into a film starring Bratt Pitt as Louis in "Interview with the Vampire".
A mental note for myself that I should read more research papers and Immunology textbook instead of fiction and non-fiction.
After I had scheduled for my driving lessons one month ago, my first lesson was changed from Feb 6 (Tue) to today since my instructor got a new car.
On Feb 5, I called to remind him and that was when he said he had to postpone them. I was indignant as I had to re-scheduled my experiments and he should at least had called me instead of the other way round.
Anyway, we went to Clifton High School which had a huge car park with no parked car. My instructor explained how I should check the exterior of the car as one of the driving test requirements. Things to look out for include inflated tires, sharp debris that could puncture the tires, obstacles that could blocked the tires, all headlights were not broken, no leak under the engine etc.
After checking the exterior, upon entering the car, I had to lock the doors first, before inserting the key. Next, I made adjustments to the seat and mirrors. I had a briefings on all the buttons available on the dashboard.
I practised left and right turns, going forward and backing up before going on the road. Thank God the traffic was not heavy then. I was more relaxed and aware of what I was doing compared to driving in Singapore! The ease was partially because I was driving an automatic car. I just had to step on the accelerator or the brake. Surprisingly, left-hand drive was not as bad as I had been brought up on right-hand drive. Finally, maturity accounted for the rest since I am calmer nowadays and learnt to take things at an easy pace. I was a "gan jiong" king (Singlish for a nervous wreck) in my younger days.
A funny thing was I drove like a tortoise (less than 20 miles per hour) since this was my first time. The speed limit was 25. This Wednesday, I hope to keep to the speed limit as slow driving can cause accident too!
After completing six hours of driving, I have to practise at least 60 hours of driving with different conditions (dusk, dawn, highway, 3-point turn etc). Delores had volunteered to take me to the highway today after I told her about my driving. I jokingly said she had to make peace with God first, then we could go ahead.
Charles, I was not playing Sudoku till I abandon my blog (smile). I was busy at work and I could not get the nine time table to display the way I wanted it.
First, I tried to use table where Blogspot introduced so many empty rows that readers would assume there was nothing there.
Try pasting the code and see (you have to add '<' at the beginning of all HTML codes since I had removed it for Blogspot not to recognize them as codes):
Pardon me if my writing is confusing since I am not a Mathematician.
Every child would have to memorize multiplication time tables in Mathematics lessons. Digits 6 and above were a challenge to commit to memory.
Now, I share with you the beauty of nine time table. The left column is nine time table and the right column lists the sum of digits for each multiplication.
When you represent the multiplication of nine time table as two- or three-digit forms, the sum of the digits will always add up to nine except those of multiplications by 11, 21, 22, 31, 32, 33, 41, 42, 43, 44 etc. which give 18.
Interestingly, if you observe a pattern, what is the summation of the digits when you multiply 9 by 55? The answer is 18 i.e. a ten-fold increased will give one multiplication where the digits add up to 18, a twenty-fold increased will give two multiplications with digits adding to 18 etc.
Another pattern for multiplications from one to ten is that the digits are completely opposite when you use an imaginary line to divide at multiplications of five (45) and six (54), four (36) and seven (63), etc.
My last observation for multiplications of nine from one to ten is the first digit is one less than the number you multiply. For example, for multiplication of nine by two, the first digit of the multiplication is 2 - 1 = 1. Since it always add up to nine, the second digit is 9 - 1 = 8.
I know it is a long way to do multiplication by nine, but this is just another way of looking at it instead of memorizing.
What is Soduku? It is a puzzle of placing numbers in a 9x9 grid so that each column, each row, and each of the nine 3x3 boxes contains the digits from 1 to 9. There is only an unique answer to each puzzle. This basic 9x9 grid has evolved to other forms such as 12x12 with letters and Samurai Sudoku.
My first brush with Soduku was when I noticed my friend, Judice started playing Sudoku in 2005 but I was uninterested then. Recently, Eduardo let me played one such puzzle on his hand-held palm while on our way to Washington DC. After that, I am a fan of Sudoku because it is mentally challenging and helps to improve one's analytic skill.
The human body has an efficient way to cope with changes. A person who works out correctly at the gym will often accumulate muscle mass with a proper diet. However, if he stopped pumping, the muscle mass will decrease, since the body does not need to maintain a muscular physique to survive. Similarly, if a person does not use his brain much (e.g. watching TV), the mental capability will deteriorate. What you do not use, the body will not maintain it. That is why I am playing at least one Sudoku puzzle each day.
I shifted into my new place on Monday (Feb 26) with the kind permission by Edwin, my landlord/housemate. I could not sleep for the first night as I 'downgraded' from a queen- to twin-sized bed. For the second night, I brought along two of my pillows from my old place and was able to sleep till 6am.
Now, it seemed that my biological clock is set to wake up at 6am no matter how late I sleep. I am physically exhausted from the shifting and disturbed sleep. I still have my belongings at Vladimir's and Eduardo's apartments since I would be charged USD$75 for moving in with boxes or bulky items. The plan is to bring my stuff in grocery bags over several trips. It is more troublesome but I save $75 (this rate is exorbitant or cut-throat for using the lift)!
Living at the tenth floor and facing the east has one tremendous advantage. I get to admire sun rise every morning. The red orange glow of dawn illuminates my room as the fiery ball climbs the sky.
I promise to post pictures of my new place once I am settled down. Till then, I am enjoying the 185 channels on TV and surfing the internet.
How time flies in the blink of an eye, one year had passed by since I arrived on Feb 24 2006!
During this period, I would like to thank my colleagues/friends who had helped to make life easier here. To BJ for her great help at work. Delores who keeps asking me to 'hit the button' for the coffee maker because she knows I am a coffee addict. Vladimir for the many talks, walks and dinners. My swimming buddy, Greg. Eduardo, Greta and cute Mathias for the many road trips to Sam's club, Washington DC, etc. To Fero, my fellow Catholic companion at mass. Ernesto and Tom for their guidance and valuble inputs for my work.
My apartment is almost back to its original state when I first moved in one year ago. I had shifted most of my stuffs but I still need to clean up. Now I am sleeping in my sleeping bag. My kind landlord had offered me to shift in earlier. Have to gather my act and get this done and over with!
There were only two snow falls in this winter season but I had enough of it. Coming from a tropical country, experiencing snow was exhilarating initially. However, as snow froze to ice or became too thick to walk and wind chill brought already freezing temperature further south, the harsh cold reality set in. Slippery roads and power outages from fallen trees/branches or heavy frozen power lines were some of the inconveniences experienced. Worst, some people even died from the cold!
Spring, O Lively Spring, come quickly to break your sister, Deadly Winter's cold spell to bring forth live from the frozen soil.
This is my first Chinese New Year (CNY) spent away from home! Usually, I could feel the festive spirit two weeks prior to CNY when my family was busy stocking up goodies and cleaning the house. In Baltimore, it just felt like normal working days.
CNY eve was especially important to me since my family would gather to thank God for the blessings He had showered on us for the past year and shared a steamboat feast. Abalone, braised duck, fried chicken wings, etc. Thinking of them made me drooled. Chinese reunion dinner on CNY's eve is akin to Western culture of Thanksgiving (occurring on the fourth Thursday of November).
I spent CNY eve by calling home in the morning (since Singapore is 13 hours ahead) to wish my family health and peace. Then, I went to Sam's Club with Eduardo and his family to buy grocery. I bought a snow sled since it was on sales and spent the afternoon sledding away. I could not imagine sledding as being tiring but it was. My new kind landlord, Edwin invited me to join his friends and colleagues for dinner. I was so filled up by the food on the table and I drank two bottles of Singapore's own brew, Tiger!
Wishing all my readers a happy, healthy and peaceful piggy year!
My yesterdays are all boxed up and neatly put away Every now and then you come to mind 'Cause you were always waiting to be picked to play the game But when your name was called, you found a place to hide When you knew that I was always on your side
Well everything was easy then, so sweet and innocent But my demons and my angels reappeared Leavin' only traces of the man you thought I'd be Too afraid to hear the words I'd always feared Leavin' you with only questions all these years
But is there someplace far away, someplace where all is clear Easy to start over with the ones you hold so dear Or are you left to wonder, all alone, eternally This isn't how it's really meant to be No it isn't how it's really meant to be
Well they say that love is in the air, never is it clear, Try to pull it close and make it stay Butterflies are free to fly, and so they fly away And I'm left to carry on and wonder why Even through it all, I'm always on your side
But is there someplace far away, someplace where all is clear Easy to start over with the ones you hold so dear Or are you left to wonder, all alone, eternally When this isn't how it's really meant to be No it isn't how it's really meant to be
Well they say that love is in the air, never is it clear How to pull it close and make it stay Butterflies are free to fly, why do they fly away Leavin' me to carry on and wonder why Was it you that kept me wandering through this life When you know that I was always on your side
Majority of hair saloons require making an appointment and they closed by 6pm. I had attempted twice to get my hair cut at separate saloons but failed because I was late. I had booked the latest so that I had more time to work.
I can understand the business sense of filling up the working hours by requesting appointments but what about the customer who need to work normal hours too? Do we have to take leave just to cut our hair?!
Woke up this morning to a snow-covered day. On my way to work, I took time to take these pictures.
Indeed, each season has its own beauty for us to marvel and contemplate.
When I reached the lab, I could not resist the pristine snow-covered field beckoning me to make a snow angel. I wore my lab coat and gloves to prevent me from getting wet. Eduardo was there to take pictures of me in action. Some said my snow angel looked like a butterfly or a ribbon. I was freezing when I completed the snow angel. My first snowman will have to wait since the snow was flaky (not sticky).
Down at the Inner Harbor, the stagnant water was frozen near the pier, considering the harsh temperature (average -6 degree Celsius). Even cars had icicles forming. Ice cream anyone?
Yesterday, I helped Fero to move to his new place. There were two incidents of accident but I scraped through without injury.
First, we were shifting a heavy metal cabinet onto a truck when one of us lost grip and the metal cabinet slammed against a dolly. My right palm could feel the impact. Any inch closer, my hand would be crushed between the cabinet and the dolly.
Second, I was carrying a sofa up a narrow, dimly lit flight of stairs when I felt a sharp pain across my right shoulder blade. I knew there must be a nail. On my way down, I saw two nails jutting out. Wonder who was that careless and unsafe! My skin was not cut. I would have to go for a tetanus jab if there was a wound.
Thank God for sending his angel, my Guardian Angel, to watch and protect over me!
Angel of God, My guardian dear, To whom his love, Commits me here, Ever this day and night, Be at my side, To light and guard, To rule and guide. Amen.
Two days ago, I went to Motor Vehicle Administration to apply for a learner's permit at Mondawmin Mall. The customer officer rejected one of my two proofs of Maryland residency. I was fuming for making a wasted trip!
Yesterday, I went back to apply again. I hit jackpot when the same person served me (it would have been better if this was a lottery). This time I brought along my lease document. My friend who brought hers went through smoothly and I verified the lease document was included in the official list of sources of proof. He said that they do not accept this as a proof but without conviction. That was when I knew he was just being nasty and making things difficult for me!
Next, things went smoothly where I was complimented by the administrative officer. She said, "It's a pleasure processing your application for coming prepared without all the nonsense." The reason being I had already attended the 30 hour of theory lesson, where I had to sit in a 3-hour class every weeknight for two weeks in winter!
The vision test was interesting. Other than reading off the smallest alphabets, it included testing your peripheral vision where you need to identify which side had orange flashes from the corner of your eyes. I was expecting the flashes upfront.
After this station, I was sent to take my Law Test, consisting of 20 multiple choice questions. The passing grade was 17 (85%) within 15 minutes. I skipped three questions with the intention to answer them at the end. To my surprise, after the last question, there was a message stating that I had passed.
For the final stage, I had to wait for an hour to pay a $50 application fee. I was expecting to receive my card immediately but was disappointed when it would be mailed to me within 30 days.
Anyway, I am glad that I will have the learner's permit which serves as an official identification card (ID). I had been asked to show my ID at pub entrances, student hostel and shopping counters when using my credit card. As I do not like to carry my passport around, I was refused at times or some would accept my Johns Hopkins ID card.
Now, I just have to wait till July to take my driving test and meanwhile, I have to log 60 hours of driving.
I had been procrastinating till now. I finally uploaded my fall pictures taken in Baltimore county. I did not expect Maryland to be this scenic. Stretches of fenced up pastures reminded me of pictures in calendars of childhood days.
I am realising my dreams when young Paul wished he was there to ponder on the beauty of falls firsthand!
This winter has been a mild one. In fact, the temperature for one Saturday was 70 degree F (21 degree C). Highly unusual in winter. I was expecting snow by the time I got back from Singapore.
The weather forecast for this week is that there will be snow. My first in my entire life where I will upload pictures of snow-covered Baltimore.
Meanwhile, I am nursing myself to health from the flu bug, the common seasonal pest that comes with each winter.
I had noticed choppers with spotlight flying around my area at night. They hovered way down low and the noise they created was annoying. I wondered what they were doing.
I got my answer on last Monday. Vladimir and I were taking a stroll at JHUHomewood Campus after a hearty dinner. When we parted, I first saw a black man running fast (definitely not in running gear but in polo t-shirt and jeans), followed by an officer chasing after him. I thought of helping the officer but I was thinking that was not a good idea. What if the suspect had a gun. I was not going to risk my life. As I reached the campus entrance, an empty patrol car was parked beside a bicycle which I suspected belonged to the suspect.
Moments later, a helicopter appeared and started flying around the vicinity. The helicopter served as an aerial surveillance of spotting the suspect. So like in Batman comics where they flashed the Batman sign when there was trouble, the choppers would be there to find crooks roaming the streets of Baltimore City.
My current lease with Broadview will end by 28 Feb 2007. They are raising the rent to $705 from $670, including only water and gas. Let me quote you a sentence which I found amusing "Management strives to keep costs at a minimum, but in order to maintain the high standard of living and service to which you've become accustomed, we find it necessary to increase rents at certain intervals". What nonsense! I am not buying this, so I am shifting out.
For the past two weeks, I had been looking for a place to rent for another year. I began sending out advertisement to the Chinese Association mailing list, asking around and searching the internet. A good website was http://baltimore.craigslist.org/ where I found several places. Some were located in an unsafe neighbourhood or the common area was messy where you had to share with five strangers for cheaper rents. Other considerations were the timing of shifting in, the number of housemates, duration of lease, proximity to workplace.
After weighing the pros and cons, I decided to rent a room from a 2 bedroom/2 bathroom condo unit at $650/mth which includes electricity, water, gas, cable TV, internet, local phone and private laundry. I have my own bathroom. My room looks out into the greenery and it has sunshine coming in. I cannot stand living in the basement where I cannot see the sun. As the landlord just bought the unit last July, everything is new. All I have to do is to bring my luggage and cooking items. The condo has tight security, a rooftop pool and gym facilities. Also, I will be a stone throw away from the shuttle stop where I go to work.
To conclude, I will give up my 'freedom' to share with someone whom I hope we can be great friends (instead of coming back to an empty apartment) and paying lower rent to maintain the high standard of living and service to which I've become accustomed.
PS: Those who want to bet on 4-digit system, try 1011 which is my new unit number.
Finished reading a book that is simply controversial. It sets the reader thinking what he would do regarding to his own body upon death (normal persons would have been buried or cremated).
Entitled "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" by Mary Roach who had done an excellent job detailing how to use the human corpse for worthy purposes other than rotting in the grave or be burnt at high temperature. Dead bodies have been used for practising surgery, targets of guns and ammunitions for developing body armour, and even medicinal uses?! To set the record straight, I do not mind donating my organs to save the lives of others but I am not willing to be experimented over my dead body.
I am reading two books simultaneously since one needs reflection and the other is a fiction. One of my favorite authors, Paulo Coelho shared his thoughts and reflections of life in "Like The Flowing River". This was a gift from Huibin who thought I might be bored at night and weekends with no good book to read. The other is "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown borrowed from the mini library at Broadview basement.
On Jan 4, 2007, I received a happy news which I had been anticipating since I started my graduate studies on Jan 7, 2002. Thank you, Abba Father and all glories are yours! I could change my salutation title to Dr. from Mr. It was like a fairy tale came true.
From young, my nickname in Teochew was "Ah gong" (English translation would be stupid or slow). I had been teased for doing foolish things or be the butt of the jokes. Who could have thought that this ‘fool’ had climbed to the pinnacle of education and succeeded!
Embarking on this path had its ups and downs. The perks included acceptance of papers, paid oversea trips to conferences (which were dependent on supervisor’s fund) and one was paid to study as the term ‘professional student’ so aptly described. There were periods of self-doubts, frustration at failed experiments after repeating umpteen times, many nights spent at laboratory, rushing for publications and their revisions, etc.
This journey had taught me much, from perseverance to self-confidence. I thought organizing and writing a 40,000-word dissertation was impossible. I often experienced a writer’s block where I could stare at my laptop screen without writing or editing. It took me four years to submit my dissertation (22 Dec 2005) and another year to get conferred.
The usual thesis examination period was five months but mine took 11 months. I was unlucky to have chosen an irresponsible examiner who claimed after the grace period was over that he/she could submit a report two months later. During last year, I was working at JohnsHopkinsUniversity which requested for my Ph.D. degree where failure to produce the certificate could result in my termination after one year contract. Anger and anguish accompanied me through this dark period. My patience was severely tested. I requested for a change to a new examiner in mid August where I am grateful to him/her for submitting the report within two months!
D-day was on 3 Nov 2006 when I had to present my work to the public. Next, was the ‘grilling’ session where the examiners would ask questions pertaining to my work. I felt my brain was squeezed dry for 45 minutes. After the whole session was over, I was congratulated for passing the examination.
I dedicate my success to my beloved mum who had set an example for me to follow. Though she was illiterate, she worked hard through her hands to get me to where I am today. When I finally got my conferment letter, I can truly say, ‘I believe’ as in the song by Fantasia Barrino.
Have you ever reached a rainbow's end And did you find your pot of gold Ever catch a shooting star And tell me how high did you soar Ever felt like you were dreaming Just to find that you're awake And the magic that surrounds you Can lift you up and guide you on your way
[Chorus:] I can see it in the stars across the sky Dreamt a hundred thousand dreams before Now I finally realize You see I've waited all my life for this moment to arrive And finally, I believe
When you look out in the distance You see it never was that far Heaven knows your existence And leads you to be everything you are There's a time for every soul to fly It's in the eyes of every child It's the hope, the love that saves the world And, oh, we should never let it go
[Chorus]
I believe in the impossible If I reach deep within my heart Overcome any obstacle Won't let this dream fall apart See I strive to be the very best Shine my light for all to see Cause anything is possible When you believe yeah.
Finally, I like to share with you two quotes which had kept me going while writing my thesis:
‘Many of life's failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.’ Thomas Edison
‘Man's mind stretched to a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions.’
After two months back home in Singapore, I flew back to USA on Dec 28, 2355hr on flight SQ026 via Frankfurt, Germany to John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY. A total of 24 flight hours. The stopover at Frankfurt allowed me to step foot on Europe continent for the first time. (I have a German friend who had been inviting me to visit him since 2002 but have not done that. I had made a mental note to visit him when I fly back home next time.) The waiting area was dull and cold as compared to the posh, carpeted and well-planned transit area of Changi Airport. There was only one gents room available for the big waiting area. So, better hold your bladder while waiting.
I entertained myself through the arduous journey watching five on-demand movies from over 70 channels and was well-hydrated from the frequent serving of fluids from the flight stewardesses. Food was good but I avoided alcohol since I lack alcohol dehydrogenase. Overall, the service was better than United Airlines which I took on my first trip to USA.
Upon touched down at 1000hr Dec 29, I decided to travel back to Baltimore instead of spending a few days sight-seeing New York City and counting down at Times Square. I had four luggage which contained mostly Singapore local pastes such as laska, mee rebus, meesiam, etc and souvenirs for colleagues and friends. Getting to the actual train station was a challenge since I only had a bit of information from a friend who suggested this route.
I travelled on the Manhattan Express to The Grand Central Terminal which unfortunately was not the station departing for Baltimore. It did looked like a grand dame and was packed with tourists and passengers. I had to navigate myself through the crowd with four heavy luggage, carrying them up and down staircases. This was the worse part of my mini-adventure for doing things last minute as was contrary to my usual "plan ahead mentality". After two transfers of the NY subway, I arrived at Penn Station, NY and bought a train ticket (USD$114) leaving in 15 minutes time. Since it was the holiday season, the price was high compared to the usual $60 range.
There was little time for me to get lunch and go to the restroom with my heavy luggage. So, I opted to go hungry not knowing that food was available on Amtrak train. After settling myself comfortably, I noticed commuters heading towards the front carriage and back with food and drinks. I bought a pizza (the first typical American food after a two-month period) and a can of root beer. I had to fight against the sleeping 'monster' in order not to miss my stop at Penn Station, Baltimore (FYI: there are lots of Penn Stations in USA, so better ask which state before you buy your ticket). Fero was kind to pick me up at the station and sent me to my apartment.
I knocked out at 7pm after 31 hours of travel and got up the next day adjusting to the 13-hour difference.
For this new year, my resolutions include getting back into shape, learning how to bake, getting my US driving license, travel as many states as possible, and publishing first and co-author papers.
* Crab * Pounded black and white peppercorns (if you want spicier taste, add more white peppercorns, else ratio is 1:1) * Pounded garlic * Pounded ginger * Pounded chilli (optional, add only if you can stand the spiciness) * Dark soya sauce * Sugar * Oyster sauce
Stir fry dry pounded peppercorn till you can smell the choking aroma.
Add cooking oil and fry pounded garlic, ginger and chilli till golden brown.
Add crabs and fry.
Add dark soya sauce, sugar and oyster sauce to taste.
Add water and cover wok. Repeat process thrice to cook the crabs. Stir occasionally.
Signs of men over 30 are showing: Pot-belly, thinner scalp (am thankful that I still have a full crown) and lethargy.
After one month of eating at least three local dishes at one meal and a drink, I had gained 4 kg/ 8.8 lb and a big pot-belly. It was eating like there was no tomorrow. I was actually eating to make up for one year absence since I would not be coming back to Singapore next year. One round way trip costs me at least SGD$2600. Travelling back next year would set my savings back by $5200. I would have to forgo Chinese New Year and my PhD convocation. Come 2007, I would use the time and money to travel to as many states as possible (fyi: 50 states). Yellowstone National Park is on my top list.
With a bigger tummy and lack of exercise, I felt tired more easily. My mind was set on running and swimming, but my body refused to obey. It seemed that I just had to binge and sleep. I am turning into a lazy pig! Friends had commented that I looked bulkier (euphemistic way of saying I am fat).
One of my goals for this coming new year is to reduce my waistline so that I could see my abs again. Haha...
I have been looking forward to go back to Singapore where I began packing on Oct 21 and 22. As I was about to reserve for a shuttle that would take me from my apartment to Baltimore-Washington International (BWI) Airport on Monday Oct 23, Greg kindly volunteered that he would drive me there. I was surprised and appreciated his offer.
I began transporting my check-in and hand luggages on Tuesday and Wednesday to the lab where I would spent a night at Greg's place since it is out of the way for him to come and pick me up on Thursday. In fact, I was adjusting my biological clock forward a little at a time to prepare for the 12-hour difference.
On Wednesday night, I stayed up till early Thursday morning (1 am) watching my favorite serial, Law & Order: Special Victim Unit.
Woke up at 6.30 am and reached BWI at 7.30 am. This was where I began living out something like The Amazing Race, CBS. Starting point: Baltimore, Maryland USA Time: Thursday, Oct 26, 10.13 am (Planned departure but took off only at 11.30am) Problem: Bad weather at Chicago caused delay in my flight. Connecting point: O'Hare, Chicago, USA Time: Thursday, Oct 26, 12.35 pm Problem: Connecting flight to Hong Kong had left without me (Departed at 12.18pm). Ground crew told me to rush to catch another flight to Narita, Tokyo instead. I had to run about 500 meters to the departing gate. There, I had to change my boarding pass where initially, they wanted to book my flight from Narita to Hong Kong then Singapore but I requested for a direct flight back. Thank God, there was no full flight and I was not stuck at Narita. Time to play: None as the Narita, Tokyo flight was waiting for me.
Connecting point: Narita, Tokyo, Japan Time: Friday, Oct 27, 5.30 pm Comment: I did not know that I had to be screened again for transiting passenger but the process went smoothly. I just had 15 minutes to relax before boarding my last connecting flight. This time round, I could not sleep as much as I wanted on all my flights. Maybe I was too excited to come back. Besides, with the new law banning all bottles containing liquids over 3 ounces, I did not bring a mineral water bottle and I was dehydrated. I had to request water from the flight attendants constantly.
End point: Singapore Time: Friday, Oct 27, 11.40pm Shopped at the duty free shop for liquor, wine and beer before proceeding to claim my check-in luggage. While waiting at the carousel, I realised my luggage might not be on board the plane because there was just sufficient time for me to run to catch the Narita flight. True enough, after waiting for sometime, I filed for a lost baggage. After checking on the computer, my luggage was left behind at Chicago, waiting for the next day flight to Singapore.
So, I am waiting at home for my luggage to come today. A good thing I packed most of my gifts and laptop in my carry-on luggage. Sleeping and waking at odd hours now. Torturous but at least I am at home!
Finally, after eight months in Baltimore, USA (my longest time away from home), I am looking forward to meeting family members and friends! The long flight hours with three transfers and 12-hour difference are the minor hardships that I have to endure before the reunion. (I wrote as if I had suffered a lot here hor?! Haha....)
Distance and time really make a heart grows fonder of what you usually take for granted! Relationships and my favorite past time, swimming. I miss my bed too but definitely not the humidity and haze shrouding Singapore sky.
Well, I have a list of what I have to do already planned in my mind. As mentioned in the previous post, I would order beef kway tiao, nasi lemak, chicken chop noodle, fresh coconut and whatever is still opened after midnight! Then, I would cut my long hair in the day before preparing my slides for my big day (will write about this in time to come).
Counting down from 48 hours before I am on board United Airline heading to where my heart is.
Pardon me as I will not be writing any post till Nov 4 where I will be adjusting to jet lag and busy with my big day.
The moment that I have been waiting for is approaching in 11 days. I am going back home after eight months in Baltimore. Looking forward to meeting my family and friends again. And of course, Singapore food and fruits! In fact, I had arranged with my friends to pick me up straight from the airport and thereafter proceed to Changi Village Market for 'pigging out' after midnight. Hopefully, 48 flight hours and the jet lag will not take a toll on me.
Yesterday, I went shopping for gifts at Townson mall with Ao Yang. I bought clothing for my two young nephews and bookmarks for my niece. It is easier to buy gifts for little ones than for adults and I am running out of time. So, I had to forego getting gifts for the adults and a teenager nephew. I rather buy a present that is suitable for the intended person than to simply buy gifts or souvenirs meant for all!
Today, I intended to clear all perishable from my fridge else I could harvest different colors of mushrooms when I return from Singapore. Thus, the reason for cooking seven dishes (black pepper beef, fried chicken wings, braised mushroom with tofu, bean sprout with tofu, oven-baked Char siew pork ribs, Bak Kut tea/pork rib soup and spicy Chinese eggplant with dried lilies). If you are interested in cooking any of the dishes mentioned, message me for the recipes.
It had passed midnight and I am tired since I had 'toiled' from 2pm onwards. Good night from Baltimore.
PS: Dreaming of warm Singapore as temperature here is heading south.
Finally, I got myself the box where I can switch it on and let my mind rests. I have six channels only because I am using a TV antenna. The screen reminded me of my childhood days when we had a TV connected to an antenna too. The pictures were blurry and 'snowy'. Staring at it for long will deteriorate my eyesight. So, do not blame me when I cannot recognize you if you are just standing two meters away from me. Just kidding.
I have been trying to find the best positions for each channel. The problem was that the pictures appeared clearer when I was at the TV tuning. When I reached back to my bed, the screen became fuzzy again.
Recently, one of my colleague went back to her homeland after her stint here. Prior to leaving, she spent a lot of time and effort to buy gifts for her loved ones back home. With the current situation with terrorism, all check-in luggages must be unlocked. Passengers are allowed one carry-on and a personal bag.
Upon arrival back home, when she opened her luggages, her gifts were all gone except the packaging. She lost over more than USD$3000.
Anyone will be upset with this incident except those who committed the theft!
Wild horses. White beaches. Towering waves. Great location for relaxation during summer. The place that I visited was Assateague Island National Park, a barrier island located off the coast of Maryland and Virginia. People were camping in trailers and hiking along salt marshes, coastal bays and maritime forests.
The 'wild' horses are actually descendants of domesticated horses that roamed freely on the island. I went on a horse 'hunt', armed with my camera, to the salt marshes. The only thing I saw related to a horse was its poo.
Ironically, a stallion showed up at the beach, grazing the sparse grasses. It was not impressive as I imagined it to be. The beast was short and strutted awkwardly since it was walking on sand. I had taken pictures of what I had come to see and I was satisfied.
Next, was Rehoboth beach in Delaware. While driving pass Ocean City, Maryland, the buildings reminded me of my days at Gold Coast, Australia. Beachside hotels, shops selling beach wares and souvenirs.
Upon arrival, there was a sea of people walking along the boardwalk. The beach was crowded with sun bathers and I managed to tan for one hour before going into the icy water. The waves were huge. You have to be constantly on your toes. I was caught off guard by one which dragged me along the seabed. I escaped with scratches on my body.
I have long heard of Annapolis as a beautify capital but did not witness it until I visited on Oct 23. I went with Vladimir, Greg and Stacy where Greg was our driver.
Our first stop was the visitor center where we got our map and directions. Having a 1 Gig compact flash card was a big advantage where I simply took pictures of signboards instead of reading on the spot for historical information. We walked along Main Street which was lined with restaurants and shops on both sides. Red bricks paved the roads instead of tar and bitumen, adding to the rustic charm. Lamp posts had baskets of hanging petunia and other flowering plants. There were lots of big houses lining the waterfront and yachts sailing on the Chesapeake Bay.
A visit to Annapolis is not complete unless you visit the prestigious US Naval Academy which was established in 1845 where young men and women are trained to be future leaders. The buildings in the academy gave me a feeling that I was in Europe. We went for a guided tour of the academy where we saw their sports complex, dormitories, chapel and naval museum. The length of the swimming pool was 100 metres, a rare sight in Baltimore. There was a chapel which was shared by Catholics, Protestants and other faiths, a true representation of inter-faith harmony.
Coincidentally, there was a football game where the academy was taking part. We witnessed a spirited marching parade by the whole contingent of midshipmen towards the stadium for the show down. There were marching bands, a tiger mascot, a pirate and a ship float.
I had a whale of a time at Annapolis. I strongly recommend a visit to there.
It has been almost one month since I posted. During this period, I was extremely busy with experiments and preparing slides for update of National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant project, and culturing cells.
As my project involves screening different viral peptides for the entire lab, I had screened more than 600 peptides for binding to Major Histocompatibility Complex molecules (with help from fellow colleagues) in this short six months. The large data generated had to be processed and presented with results from prediction models.
Before the presentation on Oct 20, 2006, the atmosphere in the lab was tense. We (Yang Kun, Milton, Eduardo and I) were busy preparing slides. Dry runs were performed to improve our slides.
A farewell party at the Johns Hopkins Faculty Club was organized for Yang Kun, who would be going back to China on Oct 30. I will miss a good colleague and friend whom I had come to cherish in this short time. We also celebrated Tom's birthday on Oct 19 where he turned 79. I admire him for being so alert and active at his age!
On 'D-Day', I was the first to present where my voice quivered at the beginning. Eventually, I got over it as Linda (from NIH) was pleasant. Lunch that day was exorbitant and delicious, consisting of sandwiches, cheese and salad. We even had a lot left over for the next day.
Life on Oct 21 was back to normalcy of conducting experiments.
Most instructions for tying a full Windsor knot have you facing the mirror. It can be difficult to follow when you have to visualise your left from right. Thus, I have created a set of instructions whereby you are tying a Windsor knot as you see it, from head down.
Don't worry about the length of the wide end of the tie as our body shapes and sizes are different. Some have big chest or belly, short or long torso, narrow or broad neck etc. There are some who have ties reaching way below their belts or hanging high above. The ideal length of a tie is when the tip of the wide end touches above the belt or covering it, but not exceeding beyond the belt when you are standing straight. Practise allows you to judge how much slack to give for the wide end.
The Windsor knot projects confidence. Tie this knot during important occasions such as job interviews, presentations etc.
For easy visualization of tying the Windsor knot, the top is striped green and the underside is blue.
1. Place the narrow end of a tie on your left and the wide end on your right. (Tying the knot involves the wide end going around the narrow end i.e. the narrow end is fixed.)
2. Pinch the narrow end of the tie where you want the wide end to cross over and flip the wide end under the loop and bring it up to your left.
3. Pull the wide end to the right, behind the loop and go over the loop again. You should see a triangular knot upon tightening.
4. Bring the wide end to the left over the triangular knot, go under the loop and bring it up. Pass the wide end through the knot in front.
5. Adjust the size of the knot with both hands by tightening the knot.
6. Draw up the tie with one hand holding the knot while the other pulls the narrow end down.
7. For quick release of the Windsor knot, pull at the left loop above the knot.
Being sick is bad but to be sick in a foreign place is worse. You have to perform daily chores such aspreparing your meals even though you are tired and feeling unwell.
It started with throat irritation on Wednesday. Sucking lozenges did not help, so I prepared sour plum with honey. My sored throat recovered but I started to cough.
After self medicating by buying cough syrup from the pharmacy, I was able to control my coughing. But with the bad weather due to Hurricane Ernesto, my nose started to run and now I have blocked nose.
A good thing this Monday is Labor Day in USA. An extra day of rest for me to recuperate and recover.
Procedure: Knead flour into dough and place the dough into a covered pot. Let it set for at least 30 minutes to 'strengthen' the dough.
Meanwhile, cut chive into 0.5cm pieces and add cooking oil to prevent water from oozing out.Add water to minced pork, stirring in one direction only.
Add salt, sugar, Chinese cooking wine, light soya sauce, oil, sesame oil, cut ginger and spring onion, five spices powder and Szechuan pepper to taste. Stir in one direction.
Add cut chive to meat (1:1 volume). Meat texture should be gluey.
Knead the dough into a two-finger width rod and snap into phalanx-long dough. Roll the dough into balls. Squash the balls and flatten them with a rolling pin such that the center is thicker than the edges.
Wrap the meat filling with the flatten 'skin'. Sprinkle some flour on the dumplings so that they do not stick to one another.
Add the dumplings to boiling water. Cover the pot. Add two ladles of tap water once it has started boiling. Repeat the process of adding tap water for at least four times.
Drain the cooked Jiao Zi and let them cool down.
Serve with equal volumes of black vinegar and light soya sauce diluted with water (so that the sauce does not mask the taste of Jiao Zi). Chilli oil can be added for those who like spicy food.
For those who like Guo Tie (Pan Fried Dumplings): Fry the cooked Jiao Zi in a wok till golden brown. Add a teaspoon of water to prevent the skin from becoming too dry and cover the wok. Serve on plate.
Caution: Do not add a lot of water to hot oil. It will splash!
Finally, after the fourth time, I saw a small black mouse this evening when I just got back to my apartment. It was squeaking and making noise at the air vent near the air-con which caught my attention. To my surprise, it jumped out of the small hole and was in full sight for a split second before I reacted. I cannot imagine that a mouse could squeeze through such small holes (it must have taken some kind of contortionist lessons).
Previously, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me when I saw a black shadow moving from the central air vent and creeping through my kitchen door. After the third time, I was confident that it was a mouse. I asked YangKun, who had lived in Broadview for more than a year, if she had seen a mouse before.
I thought that by informing the Broadview front desk, they would send a pest terminator to get rid of the mouse. Instead, the front desk personnel passed me a box of mouse traps. I tried one trap but the mouse did not fall into it. I need to use some kind of bait. Any good suggestions?
Three weeks of large-scale screening of peptide binding assay had generated lots of data to be processed. I was exhausted at the end of last week. This week, I was recuperating from the exhaustion by asking quotations for liquid handling robots, prices for culturing cell lines and processing the data using an unfamiliar software.
When you are new to the field, there is a steep learning curve. I had to process the same data five times just to represent them scientifically but with improvement at each time. Tomorrow, all I have to do is to process five other data sets in the same approach. The challenge is to let the data 'speak' for themselves by representing them in a logical and theoretically correct manner. The reward is the satisfaction of gaining knowledge from interpreting information from the processed raw data!
This is my first time spent away from celebrating Singapore's independence day. I would usually catch the 'live' telecast of the National Parade on TV. I miss the fireworks and mass displays.
Singaporeans residing in USA were invited for a dinner on Aug 10 by the Singapore Embassy in Washington DC. However, since I have no transportation of my own, I missed the chance to meet up with fellow Singaporeans and celebrate our nation's 41st year of independence.
At the blink of an eye, I have been here for six months. During this period, I had my hair cut once by a Korean barber. The hairstyle turned out alright but not as good as back home. My hair grow long pretty fast and it has started curling.
My colleague, Greg, has curly hair too. He trimmed the curls whenever they appear. Last week, I thought why not try his approach and cut my hair for the first time. Instead of trimming the curls, I was cutting off about 2 - 3 cm from my fringe, top and sides with a small pair of scissors. It turned out alright without any bad comment from my colleagues. Yesterday, I bought a bigger pair of scissors and this time round, I will cut even shorter. It is difficult to cut the sides whereby I often would miss my hair and 'snip air'. I have to coordinate my movements to my reflection on a mirror. I am slowly getting the hang of it. For the back, I may just have to leave it long or I will visit a barber for a crew cut.
I always feel relief and relaxed after a hair cut. This time round is no difference. The downside is I have to clean up the hair.
Epilogue to "To cut or not to cut" If you read my previous post in April about me trying to keep my hair long just for the fun of it, I had this thought 'cut' away. My colleagues and friend were explicitly and implicitly hinting that I should have my hair cut. Comments were 'it is ugly' or 'you look tired'. Too bad I could not grow it to shoulder length and take a picture for memento. Debbie, your 'Paulilock' did not come true. Haha...
The distinguish characteristic of a male fiddler crab is its lopsided pair of front claws. Females and young have two equal-sized small claws.
The dry spell from my blog was because I was busy with large-scale screening of virus peptides that bind to molecules involved in the immune system. This screening included a lot of liquid handling where I had to transfer from one container to another using a tool called a multi-channel pipettor. The number of times I spent pipetting into 96-well containers during this short period was more than what I did in my entire undergraduate days. You can say that my right hand now is overused and aches from dispensing. To prevent myself from turning into a fiddler crab, I am using my left hand to dispense too (although I am using an automatic pipettor in this case). I still have to use my right hand for accurate dispensing. It would be good if I were ambidextrous.
The only hope for me now is to get three quotations for a robot that can dispense liquid accurately.
Johns Hopkins Homewood Campus has plenty of animals especially squirrels and rabbits. There was even a mother duck incubating her eggs during winter. The area was cordoned off and a sign was put up. It was termed the maternity ward and a make-shift shelter was placed over the duck. I wondered what happened to the duck and its eggs. Did they hatched into ducklings?
I thought of feeding the squirrels but they are constantly on their guard that I have not fed them yet. Anyway, they have been surviving without human intervention. Therefore, I should admire them from afar. I noticed that some squirrels had less bushy tails than others. I was told that these were the juveniles. Is it right, anyone?
Caught this inexperienced cute little bunny chewing grass while I was about two meters away from it. It did not have the instinct to run away as the older rabbits did. Alternatively, it might think it was too fast for me to catch it.
This bug was facing up when I took a picture of it. From dust you came, to dust you return.
My university friend, Chuntian a.k.a Sister, once said that washing dirty dishes can be therapeutic. I got that therapeutic feeling today.
I had procrastinated long enough for reddish-brown mildews to grow on my toilet sink and bathtub. The kitchen floor had not been scrub for almost two months from my weekend cooking. I had to wear slippers to prevent my soles from sticking to the floor. OK, I exaggerated. But I seriously hate the sticky feeling.
So, with a lot of mental determination, I got to clean my whole apartment while cooking simultaneously. After cleaning up, I felt good to see the shining tiles again and the carpet was rid of dust. On top of that, I went for a hike in the afternoon, exercised at the gym and cooked five dishes for the week. Fried chicken wings, pork chop, celery with prawns, minced beef for Mexican tacos and fried rice. Mission accomplished for this week.
What do you call a dish of fried rice prepared by a Singaporean?
Singapore Fried Rice (Haha… lame, right?) I must do some activities else my jokes are getting cheesy.
I live in Baltimore city with lots of buildings and roads. Recently, I discovered two running trails that ran along streams, lined by trees on both sides. The sound of running water helped to soothe my weary spirit and the fresh air refreshed my whole being. One headed north towards Roland Avenue while the other led westward to Druid Hill Park. I dislike running along roads where I have to breathe in car exhaust.
When I weighed myself two weeks ago, I had lost 4 kg due to lack of sleep, irregular meals and work stress. Ever since, I have been trying to put on weight and eating more meat. I am eating a stick of sinful Godiva chocolate ice cream and every other night while writing this post. Going to the gym helps as I tend to shrink to my gangly form whenever I stop exercising. There are lots of people here who want to lose weight but I am trying very hard to do the opposite. As I have not run or swim for a long time, my abdominal is developing into a small pot belly.
The trails and a pair of new running shoes are waiting for me to tread on them as I struggle mentally to get myself running again.
Upset my sleep pattern by sleeping from 5pm to 7.30pm after coming back from work. Now, suffering the after effect.
At 11pm, I went to a pub nearby for my dinner and a beer. Service was bad. I had to wait for 45 minutes before I got my food and the french fries were half-cooked. Bad service equals to no tip. This would be the last time I step into that pub again.
I apologies for the long absence whereby I could not write my blog.
My paternal granny passed away on 2 July. I felt ambivalent about her death. As her grandson, I do not want her to go but because she was suffering due to old age, it was better for her to depart. My attempts to communicate with her recently were in vain as she was partially deaf and was semi-conscious most of the time.
My heart broke when my uncles and aunts assured her, saying 'You had suffered long enough, don't worry about any matters.' She could not reply back as she was breathless but tears were streaming down her cheeks. She understood the message.
As days passed by, her aged body started to give up. She was put on respirator and feeding tubes. Family members gathered round to see a last glimpse of the grand matriarch of the Tan family. She passed away peacefully with her son by her side at the ripe age of 93.
Before I left for USA, it was a great blessing that my brother brought me to see her. She herself knew that I may not see her again with my one-year stint in USA. It was a sad departure for me to see her crying but I know she is proud of me for being her first grandson to pursue Ph.D. and working at Johns Hopkins Hospital. I was given a farewell red packet as a form of blessing for my journey. The red packet has been pasted on my wall since I arrived here.
History seemed to repeat itself. Many years back in 1993, when I was also in USA for a two-month industrial attachment, my maternal granny passed away. My heart grieved for not attending her funeral. The same thing happened again now.....
I can only express my feelings in this song, 'To where you are' by Josh Groban.
Who can say for certain Maybe you a’re still here I feel you all around me Your memories so clear
Deep in the stillness I can hear you speak You a’re still an inspiration Can it be That you are mine Forever love And you are watching over me from up above
Fly me up to where you are Beyond the distant star I wish upon tonight To see you smile If only for awhile to know you a’re there A breath away i’s not far To where you are
Are you gently sleeping Here inside my dream And isn'’t faith believing All power can't be seen
As my heart holds you Just one beat away I cherish all you gave me everyday Cause you are mine Forever love Watching me from up above
And I believe That angels breathe And that love will live on and never leave
Fly me up To where you are Beyond the distant star I wish upon tonight To see you smile If only for awhile To know you'’re there A breath away's not far To where you are
I know you'’re there A breath away'’s not far To where you are
This was the first time I came across a mystery fiction which include recipes. What an interesting idea! The main character, Hannah Swensen (in 'Peach Cobbler Murder' by Joanne Fluke), owned a bakery business. Things started to heat up when a rival store opened opposite to hers. She was suspected of killing the rival store owner, who was also her rival in love.
One afterthought after reading was that female writers write differently from male writers. The plot for the former tend to include more on romance. This is one interesting topic for me to research on since I have a lot of free time to read at night. For this, I would need to read mystery stories written by both sexes.
Currently, I am reading 'The Survivor: Bill Clinton in The Whiter House' by John F. Harris. It revealed the inner workings of the Clinton White House and will provide me a glimpse to the political system of my host country.
Disclaimer: Skype did not pay me to promote this post.
