To cut or not to cut

What do I want to cut?

Before you think any further, let me answer it. I am deciding whether to cut my hair or not till I am going back home around June.

For people who know me, they have often seen me with short hair.

Actually, I have a deep longing to see how I would look like with long hair. The problem with me keeping long hair is because it curls when it is long. The fringe will curl more than Superman's curl. There can be stubborn curls where they have 'lives of their own'.

The trick to lessen my lock is to wet and comb my hair. Every morning, my hair looks like a lion's mane.

The environment here maybe conducive for me to keep it long. Firstly, the weather here is definitely cooler. Longer hair can keep my head warm. Secondly, there are more curly-haired people here than my home country, so I can blend in well. Recently, there is a trend to keep the lock on male undergraduates. Some still need to perm theirs while I can save money since mine is naturally curly. Lastly, the skull shape of an Asian differs from that of a Caucasian. The barbers here are used to cutting that of locals. I have to find an Asian barber soon.

Perseverance (a poem)

I dedicate this poem to those who are actively pursuing their dreams, those who are afraid to take the first step towards their dreams and those who have forgotten to dream!

Do get hold of this book 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho for inspirations to pursue your dreams.

Perseverance

Pursue your dreams with steadfastness in life’s journey,

Enduring hardships like a bee searching for honey.

Remember that life is not a raceway, but a journey to be savored each day.

Share your God-given talents and gifts with fellow men;

Enrich yourself with love and fulfillment by giving them.

Valiantly encounter risks, for it’s by taking chances we learn to be brave.

Experiences gained are worth much more than a billion-dollar race.

Running through life without dreams is meaningless,

Alas for the unfortunate souls who have forgotten to dream.

Nothing is final till the moment you stop trying.

Cling to treasures closest to your heart,

Eventually riding out your dreams in life is a living art.

-- Paul Tan April 26 2006 --

Rediscovering my sweet tooth again

When I was very young, around 5 year old, I used to love sweets. However, quality control of sweets production was bad. In the end, I had tape worms in my intestines. That was 1970s.

Now, in 2006, I am rediscovering my love for sweet stuffs. I used to abhor the amount of sugar I was loading into my system. Lately, I just started to crave for sweet pastries, chocolates and ice creams. I have three tubs of ice cream in my freezer now. I am slowly letting go of my resistance to these fattening food.

With no exercise buddy to push me here, I am slowly losing my fight against flab by leading a sedentary lifestyle, indulging in sweet food and an aging body. I know who will be laughing away when I am fat.

Spun like bacteria in a centrifuge

Yesterday, there was a brief respite from the onslaught of continuous rain since Friday (Apr 21). The Johns Hopkins University Spring Fair organizers and stall holders could take a breather from the sunny afternoon. Every year, since its astounding beginning in 1972, the Spring Fair has turned into the largest student run fair in the country. This year’s theme was Spring Fair 2006: Back with a vengeance.

Various rides such as the Ferris wheel and mini roller coaster rides were available. The one that I tried was called Roundup where I was spun around as though I was in a centrifuge. Since I am taller than the cushion padding, my head was pushed against the wire fence by the centrifugal force which was painful. I had to pry my head forward with my hands during the ride and I am suffering from neck ache presently. I can understand how bacteria ‘feel’ when I spun them during experiments.

In the Upper Quad of Homewood campus, there were stalls selling arts and crafts which targeted the fairer sex like handmade jewelries, clothes, scarves etc. I did not buy a single item since none appealed to me.

A variety of food stalls turned the Freshman Quad into a food haven, ranging from Asian food to Western burgers. I gobbled down a stick of chocolate-coated strawberries and tried the Dutch Funnel Cake which had sugary powder on top of convoluted bread. It tasted similar to a doughnut, though more expensive and intricate looking.

Paul reporting from Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus.

Absent but not forgotton

When you are alone in a faraway place, any news, snail mail, email or parcel received from your loved ones can brighten up your day.

Recently, I got a large parcel of white pepper powder, chinese medical oil and plaster from Ann which can last me my entire trip here! Thank you, Ann, for all the trouble of buying and shipping these stuffs.

Judith also gave me a packet of preserved sour plum. One of my favorite tidbits.

My family sent a box of preserved olive vegetables, pickled mustard and lettuce. If you observed the list of food, all of them are preserved food with high salt content. My acquired Teochew-taste enjoys eating these with porridge or congee.

So, to my friends and loved ones, drop me an email or leave your comment at this blog to perk up my day. Thank you.

Tulips, tulips everywhere!

Blessed Easter!

Today I got to know three of my colleagues better through a picnic at Sherwood Garden. It is located at the intersection between Stratford and Greenway in Baltimore.

Every spring, this garden will have tulips of different colors and varieties welcoming spring. I am also blessed to be able to take pictures of cherry blossom trees that were still in bloom. (I missed that in Washington DC where only one out of about 300o trees was in bloom).

This time round, I visited the garden thrice because of the cherry blossom incident and most of the tulips were not blooming yet during my initial visit. Actually, I went yesterday to recce the bloom for today's picnic.

Each of us brought some food to share while we sat under the shade of a pear tree which gave off a sweet fragrance. Kuen OK prepared sushi, YangKun offered rock melon, Vladimir brought tuna sandwiches, banana and cashew nuts and I brought biscuits, water and tuna sandwiches too. My sandwiches tasted bland because I just meshed up the tuna and added white pepper powder. Haha... No time to buy mayonnaise.

The ambience was relaxing. We chatted while we ate our lunch. Then, we began to take pictures of this beautiful garden. There were musicians playing guitar and recorder, families enjoying a get-together and even an artist by the name of Kathleen Strukoff painting the warm orange tulips.
More photos of Sherwood Garden are available here.

Finding an olympic-sized pool here is difficult

What is the size of an olympic pool?

That would be 25 metres by 50 metres or 27 yards by 55 yards with a minimum depth of 2 metres (2.18 yards).

The biggest I could find was about 10 yards by 22 yards. With one breath, I was able to swim from one end of the pool to the other. Usually, I swam on average 30 laps of 50 metres back home. Here, I have to swim about 75 laps to cover the same distance. Haha, I have not covered 75 laps here because I am not as physically fit as before. Aso, I think I will get dizzy from having to tumble turn so many times.

During winter, all outdoor pools were closed while indoor pools were opened throughout the year. The indoor pools were heated. The pool management had to compromise on the water temperature between users who went there just to soak in the water and those who wanted to swim. Soakers preferred warmer water while swimmers like a lower temperature. Once, the temperature was set too warm that it was exhausting to swim.

With temperature slowly climbing north, I am waiting for the opening of the outdoor pools.

Washington DC

On April 9, Palm Sunday, I finally headed south from Baltimore to Washington DC with Greg, my colleague. This was my first trip out of the state of Maryland since I arrived in USA. The weather was sunny unlike the previous day which rained for the whole day. A perfect weather for an outing.

The drive took about an hour and half before we reached Washington. The Washington monument was the tell tale sign that we had reached our destination while travelling on interstate 395 highway.

We thought that finding a car park slot would be difficult with so many streets cordoned off because of security. A good thing we asked a cop on duty where could we park the car. He directed us to a road in front of the Capitol Building and parking was free. What a great blessing.

From there, the photo taking session began. I was impressed at the grand architecture and huge buildings. Greg was my tour guide, explaining the history and interesting details of the place.

Directly opposite to the Capitol Building was the Washington Monument which stood erected like a giant sundial. In between these was a long stretch of field called the National Mall. Both sides of the mall were lined with museums ranging from the Natural Museum of Natural History to National Air and Space Museum. I have to come back on several weekends to finished touring all the museums. By the way, all museums in Washington have free entrances.

This place is filled with memorials, commemorating important events like World War II, Vietnam War etc. and outstanding people such as Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Jefferson. You just cannot help feel solemn and awe at this place.

On our way back to Capitol Building, we also visited the White House. It was exactly like what I saw on TV except that I was physically there.

You can have a look at my pictures taken at DC at this link.

Day and night (a poem)

Day and night; One awakes to light while the other dozes off to night.

Twelve hours apart. The time they can communicate is short, during the twilight when sun meets moon in the sky.

In the clear still night, one fondly looks at the moon and recalls of times when both were gazing at stars under moonlit night.

In the wee hours of morning, a lonely heart prepares to dream while the other rises to life.

Day and night, twelve hours apart.

Wait for me Cherry Blossom

I was supposed to go to The National Cherry Blossom Festival today. But it started to rain in the morning till evening. Temperature was hovering around 42 Fahrenheit and my shoes were wet from walking. Greg and I decided to try again tomorrow as it is expected to be sunny tomorrow.

Most of the trees had started to sprout leaves in anticipation of warmer weather. Flower petals were scattered on the ground. I hope that the cherry blossom will still be in bloom. Else I can still visit the numerous museums in DC.

Go and visit when you are at the right place and time. Don't procrastinate like I did.

Humbled by Mother Nature

The weather forecast predicted rain for this week. Previously, I thought the rain here should be called drizzle because the rain drops were so tiny. I experienced the so called 'rain' twice and thought I would not need an umbrella.

Boy was I wrong this week. On Monday, April 3, I was working late in the lab when I heard some noises outside the window as though someone was throwing stones at the window. I was surprised to see hailstones about 0.39 in (1cm) in diameter hitting the window.

After witnessing the hailstones, I was humbled that the weather in Baltimore can really be freakish. For example, the weather last week was considered warm (above 10 degree celsius) but this morning (April 5), it was snowing with strong winds. The snowflakes were twirling literally as it was drawn in the cartoon, X-men, when Storm uses her power.

For someone who comes from a tropical country, seeing the sun would mean that it must be warm outside. I was wrong again because the winds were chilling. Guess, I could not pack up my winter clothes for now till end of April.

My salute to all the plants and trees who have adapted to the bitter cold.

The idea behind 'What's next, Paul?'

As I am a detailed person, I tend to describe my experiences to the minute details. My friends, Justin and Bernett, told me that I could set up a blog to recount them. The reasons they gave being I am self-centric and write well.

Justin came up with the name because he found it strange that I would behave differently from majority of people. He envisioned that instead of I recounting only, there would be people asking why I would react differently to certain circumstances. It is meant to be interactive instead of mere reporting.

As far as I know, Justin had commented once. I seriously need feedback and ideas too. So, Justin, do what you have initiated.

One of the reasons I set up this blog is to keep my friends back home updated on my life here in Baltimore. As there are many groups of friends from various chapters of my life, I found it convenient to setup a blog and let them read it in their free time.

Besides, it is a good time for me to write freely as opposed to writing scientific papers. My Ph.D. supervisor had commented that I wrote like a poet during my initial scientific writings. He used 'flowery' to describe them.

In addition, I am open to share my experiences with whoever is reading my blog and hopefully learn something from it.

Lastly, it would be great for me to read back on all these experiences a few years down the road.

Iron deficient? Use a rusty wok

As a SBC, I had been brought up to use a wok for cooking. Using a frying pan for me can be a torture because the heated oil often splashed out and burnt me. At least with a wok which has higher wall could minimize against these mishaps unless you did not drain off excess water from your food. Ultimately, you would need a plastic surgery in this unfortunate scenario. It would not be splashing but exploding with oil. Haha... (Just remember, water and oil do not mix). Whenever I used frying pan, I would be like an ancient soldier, where a wok cover would be my 'shield' and a spatula as a 'sword' to turn the food. But over here, I have no cover and I prefer a wok.

During one of my shopping trips, I bought a wok from a departmental store that is well patronize by Americans. I lost no time to use it when I was back. I cooked a large wok of spaghetti and cleaned it after used. The next morning, I saw brown powder on the inside of the wok. Thinking that I did not cleaned it well, I washed it before using to fry chicken. However, I had my reservation that I was getting "iron supplement" in my food. True enough, the cleaned wok had rust or iron oxide (Fe2O3). This time it formed on the interior and exterior.

When I brought it back to the store for a refund, the store assistant actually asked me, "Why are you returning the wok?" Either she was blind or she thought that the wok looked this way. My colleagues laughed at her question when we were alone and jokingly said if anyone is iron deficient, cook in a rusty wok, bought especially from this store.

After this incident, I am paranoid of rusty wok. So far, the wok that I bought from Ikea has not rusted and I hope not to take "iron supplement" from it.

Empty apartment no more

After almost one month of endless shopping at every weekend, my once empty apartment (see 'Between heaven and hell') is furnished to my satisfaction. It now has a queen sized bed with four pillows (could not get hold of firm ones, so have to do stacking of the pillows) and a comforter. I have an extra pillow and a foldable bed for friends who want to visit me.

A dining table for eating and working, and three chairs. Most importantly, I have two lamps, just in case one bulb fused, I can rely on the other.

My toilet has a shower curtain with lots of toiletries on the water cistern. Now, there is no need for me to squat down when there was no shower curtain.

My kitchen is well-stocked with pots and pans for me to prepare one week of food. So, that will be at least 10 meals. I usually cooked large portion and bought lots of microwable boxes to store the prepared food in the freezer. Every Sunday is a busy day for me to do laundry, clean the apartment and cook.

What is a Singaporean?

I called myself a SBC or Singapore-born Chinese (a more familiar term would be ABC: American-born Chinese). My grandparents immigrated from Swatou, China to start life afresh in this sunny island. My parents and I were borned and bred on this island. I went through the Singapore's education system and served in the national service. So, I consider myself as a typical Singaporean.

What amazes me is that foreign and even Singaporean acquaintances had asked me what nationality I am? Recently, my boss said I do not look, speak or behave like a Singaporean. They thought I was Thai, Vietnamese, Malaysian or Hong Konger etc. Anything except Singaporean. When I visited Vietnam last December, the locals started to converse in Vietnamese when they saw me. I had to grin and tell them in English that I do not understand them. The same incident happened to me in Thailand years ago.

While browsing to buy an English dictionary at a bookshop, I had asked a lady who was at the same section to recommend me the best dictionary to buy. She turned out to be a lecturer at a local university and teaching English. She articulated with the queen's accent and recommended one suitable for me. Then she poped the question, "Are you a Singaporean because you don't sound like one?"

Working at a research institute provided me plenty of opportunities to meet foreign talents. My Indian friend told me that I do not behave like a Singaporean while we chatted at the pantry.

So, can anyone help me to determine how does a Singaporean look, speak and behave from a visitor's point of view?

Freedom comes at a price

On February 24, 2006, one month had passed since I arrived in the Land of Freedom. During this time, I had come to realise that 'freedom' does not come cheap. Things are expensive here. A meal (a stable e.g. rice or potato and two side dishes) costs on average USD6+ with 5% tax in Maryland. Eating out is a luxury especially when there is service involved. Then, you have to add another 10-15% tips for waiters or waitresses who are not paid much. So tip them unless service is really bad!

Staying alone away from family also constitutes a form of freedom. When you are alone in a new place, you can act or behave differently from where you hail from. You tend to be more uninhibited since no one knows you. However, staying alone also means you have to do all the house chores, such as laundry, cooking, washing etc alone. For example, it can get pretty tiring and boring since you have to work in the day and then come back in the evening to prepare food. That is why I cooked 'for an army' at one go (as Betty would described my cooking portion) and eat the same food for several days. Buying microwavable ready-to-eat food is an attractive alternative.

Passing baton

Both Srini and I came from Division of Johns Hopkins, Singapore (DJHS) but we joined at different times.

While I was pursuing my Ph.D., Srini was already employed at DJHS and thereafter he came to Johns Hopkins University (JHU), USA.

Now that I am seconded to JHU, he is going back to DJHS. In fact, I will be sitting at his desk, using his computer etc. when he is gone. Sigh, life makes fun of people.

Yesterday, our boss held a farewell party for him at the Johns Hopkins Faculty Club. We had a sumptuous buffet dinner with roast beef, salmon, trout, salad, pastry and fruits among others except that Srini could only eat salad because he is a vegetarian. One thing for sure, he will be missed by fellow colleagues working at JHU. Through this meal, my colleagues got to know the new lab members better since we had to tell our life stories from our birth to the present.

I wish Srini a safe journey back and a successful career ahead!

Spring is in the air

Winter has passed, Spring is here. You can see transition, growth, renewal, life, happening slowly but surely. What used to be 'dead trees' are sprouting leaves. Some flower buds, like those of the daffodils, are blooming. The cherry trees are magnificent with pinkish flowers (reminds me of Chinese New Year).


The malls wasted no time in having winter and early spring sales too. Gone are the thermal long johns and going on discounts are thick jackets. The in-season clothes are thinner and brightly colored. I just love spring!

'Giving out electricity'

Winter is a time for 'giving out electricity' (My Mandarin translation of static electricity). This term has a funny or colloquial meaning back home. In Mandarin, it means you are interested in somebody. Chinese comedies would often show 'lightning bolts' coming out of the eyes of someone trying to seduce another.

As this was my first winter, I had no idea what is static electricity until I accidentally brushed my colleague's hand. I literally got a shock. It was not painful but uncomfortable. At another time, while getting up in the middle of the night for nature's call, I saw sparks coming from my finger tips the moment I touched the light switch. Amazing!!!

Now, there is a whole new literal meaning for me when I said I am 'giving out electricity' to another person.

The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore

I kept my promise to talk about the zoo in Baltimore. It is located at Druid Park. Without a car and a driving license, I took bus service 22 and walked for a good 20-minute stroll. At the beginning of the walk, there was
no sign to the zoo. I just trusted my gut to continue walking ahead till I saw lots of parked cars.



Since the zoo was celebrating its 130th anniversary, the entrance fee was waived. Naturally, there was a large crowd at the entrance when I arrived. The adult price was USD15. After passing through the gantry, you can either walk about 1km to the attractions or take a tram. I took the tram and arrived at the main area. There were only three main attractions, the polar bear area which housed a few animals from the Artic, the african journey which I could not see many different animals and Maryland wilderness area which was meant for children.


Overall, I was glad my colleagues did not come with me to the zoo. From my visit, I was disappointed because most of the animals were not in sight or they were too far to be seen. The diversity of animal species was limited. The only consolation I got was that I managed to see the
snow fox and snowy owl (like those in the movie 'Harry Potter'). More could be done to improve this zoo. They could take a leaf from The San Diego Zoo or The Singapore Zoological Gardens which are among the world's top zoos.