Camping over night @ College of Computing

Current time: 530am
Current Location: Georgia Tech College of Computing commons

Just spent the nite programming in school....more such nites to come in "dead week". The week before the exams....Now I know why it is called "dead week". It requires u to work till you are dead.

Beside me are the "concussed" bodies of my frenz....all lying with their heads on the table beside me.....

I wonder how did the perception of US Unis being more slack came abt..I am going to totally change this concept when I get back to SG. The school is just like a home to these students. They practically spend nites in the labs, trying to perfect their work. I am now truly immersed into their culture.

No worries, Km is not turning into a nerd. 1.5 weeks from now and I will be in the casinos of Las Vegas or in the magnificent Grand Canyon. This is wat is keeping me going at the moment.

I have been chatting to ppl from SG from them waking up .... NTU ppl taking their exams, finishing their papers, had lunch and even my master is knocking off from work soon. And I am stil in the same position. My laptop has become my best and faithful companion. A truly loyal servant who has been thru all the hard times with me. Thank you!!

Haha also muz express thanks to all those who msn me to ask me to jia you, esp xl, jh, steff etc... Really heart-warming to have ppl encourage you 9000 miles away across the Atlantic Ocean when you are stuggling with work in the wee hrs of the morning.

For those preparing for their last or last 2 papers...jia yous too!!!

Time for me to enjoy the sunrise in school.....must be a beautiful sight....hee...

Till next time...take care everyone!! Hope I can get back to bed soon.

14 days to go....

Currently in class, bored of work. So decided to on my laptop and blog a little. Haven had time to blog since white water rafting @ Tennese cos exams are here once again..bleh. 5 papers in 5 days…what a punishing schedule. Hope I can come out of it in 1 piece.

Haha just a few days ago I confessed to my mum that I drove in the US and as expected, she almost fell off her chair…haha…she din even know that I converted my licence to International licence before I left Spore hee…got a telling off and blah blah blah….I decided it was time to tell her since I won’t be driving in the US for summer and we were on some related topic. *of course I din tell her I got caught for speeding..hee*

14 days left in Georgia Tech. Everyone seems to be used to life here already and suddenly it is almost time to leave. Well for me…I am happy to leave….not that I don’t like Georgia Tech but that I think I had enough of such difficult courses. A definite eye-opener but the feeling of always finishing last sux. Guess I will be better off being a average student in NTU. I came here to experience the system and culture and I definitely got it. Maybe not in the friendliest way but I am satisfied.

I am just looking forward to summer now. It will be my longest tour ever. 3 weeks plus all around US. I am going to totally let go and have the time of my life since I have no more projects, assignments, quizzes and exams behind my mind.

Finally will be home…..for those of you interested in jioing me out for supper etc…. you may start doing that from 2nd June onwards…..Hopefully NC can confirm my flight from New York today with SIA….

Home Sweet Home after 5 mths….but first the dreadful exams….

For those in NTU having exams…hang in there guys and gals…1 more week to go and you guys are free!!!!

See you soon back home…..

Group Pic @ White Water Rafting Area 

km @ tennese 

Old Bridge across the river 

Natural Scenery 2 

Taking photo in the middle of the road 

Natural scenery @ Tennese 

White water rafting at Tennese 

Km @ Philips Arena 

Tipoff...Kevin Garnett won it.. 

Cheerleader performance 

Atlanta Hawks vs Minnesota Timberwolves 

Philips Arena: Home of the Atlanta Hawks 

Turner Field: Home of the Atlanta Braves 

Baseball Match 

Baseball match, Atlanta Braves vs New York Mets 

Countdown to summer

21 days to end of exam...so near yet so far...April has been the worst month in terms of work in Georgia Tech.. basically every project/assignment for every module is due. Deadlines deadlines deadlines.... already had a few sleepless nites this mth...more to come..haha...

Just met up with the VP of NTU and Dean of CE...gave my feedback on GIP and the american system and hope it will be of some use to them..nice to meet up with some ppl from Spore after leaving for so long...

1.5 mths more and I will be back home...but before that summer tour is the highlight. Not only will I be free from the crazy workload, I will be goin all over US. Las Vegas, San Francisco, LA , Grand Canyon, Chicago, Nigara Falls, Boston, Washington, NYC and then finally Singapore. Hopefully I won't go broke b4 I reach home...haha

Just saw the stats for passing for my modules in Georgia Tech...sad to say I am right in the failure zone for 3 modules. Hmm..very unfamilar zone....I can't recall the last time I failed at a major examination. Well, not everyday is Sunday. Time to face up to reality. Took me quite long to face up to this fact...Quite disappointing considering the amt of effort put in is much more than any sem in NTU. But well guess failures are part and parcel of life. Lets hope lady luck is shining on me this time. Haven had the best of luck lately...

for those in ntu in the midst of the exams right now, good luck and all the best! in the mean time, I shall juz pray everyday that I pass all my modules...hee and goin white water rafting tml. The last group GIP outing...shall cherish it....

seeya in 1.5 mths time...byeee

Exchange, something about gains and losses

Just had some free time last weekend to catch my breath after a hectic 3 mths in the US. Recalling the days before I came here and after my arrival. Suddenly felt that I had gained a lot of things through GIP but also lost a lot.

True enough it is a great experience, I made new friends and some great friends too. Esp my dinner buddies haha. Also been able to see the world, traveling is really fun and exciting, esp when traveling with your frenz and doing really wild things together. Makes all the money spent and hassle coming here worth it. The experience here is something that you can’t buy with money later in your life.

Now I know why it is called Student Exchange. You exchange some of the good times at home for some other good times overseas. 3 mths and I have lost contact with many of my friends. I can sense my relationship with some of my friends drifting further and further apart. Something that I expected since my departure from SG. Sitting down quietly in my room, I unwillingly recall the good times with my friends: Brotherhood sessions with Westlife, supper sessions with hx, my master and gang, tuition sessions @ SaDeaf and talking crap with my roommate.

Many events have also been missed. E.g: Sparks 2005, CNY, reunion dinner with my parents and Westlife. Seeing the photos of these events always make me think of all the things I had missed out…

Also feel guilty for leaving my parents in Spore. There are many things that I can’t do for them when I am here…IT repair man, Accounts assistant, typist, Electrician, Driver…….Being a son……Feel abit bu xiao for leaving home when there is so much to be done at home. Btw thanks to Hx for helping out my parents when I am not ard..really appreciate it…owe u one…

Just some thoughts:

-Cherish the things when you have them and not when you lose them.

-Never take for granted anything or anyone.

-珍惜眼前人

-家是最好的

I am fortunate I will be able to do all the above again in 2 mths time but I know that some things will never be the same again just because of this trip….

You win some, you lose some……..

Spring Break 2005

Hi everyone,

Has been quite some time since my last text post. Just got back from Spring Break in Florida and it is back to the dreadful work.

By now most of you all must have seen the pics taken in Florida. haha and my master is envious..If you guys have the chance, you all must go to Florida, it is not called the "Sunshine State" for nothing. After spending my last 3 mths in the cold winter, finally I have the chance to dress in my berms and t-shirts. If you like the sun, sand and the sea, Florida is the place for you. The beaches are simply photo-perfect and so are the babes..hee...Spent a few days at Daytona and Miami beach and they are the best beaches seen in my life so far. The fine sand and clear waters make you just wan to slp on the beach. Not forgetting the large waves that are taller than me. Really had fun swimming out to the Atlantic Ocean and getting swept by the waves. Almost din make it back..haha

Disneyland is a must if you are a fairytale/magical person. haha I had the chance to take photos with some disney characters and being there just makes you forget all your troubles, at least temporarily. The fireworks at night is the grand finale. If you have been to disneyland but haven seen the fireworks, all I can say is you haven seen the best of Disney. 2 words for the fireworks ->"Simply Magical". Makes the 60 USD entrance fee seem well spent and NDP fireworks seem like sparklers...haha...If you like being in the movies, you may proceed to Universal Studios also but you will be another 60 USD poorer. You will really feel that you are acting in a Hollywood Blockbuster.

The most heart stopping moment of the trip must belong to being chased by Florida Police at Key West. hee I was caught for speeding... haha travelling at 75mph when the road limit was 45mph. I had the feeling of acting in the show Police Car Chases. 4 patrol cars stopped me and my fren's car with blinding flashing lights. haha all I could do was to pull over and surrender. It took them like half an hour to decide what to do with us and we were like crooks being stopped by the roadside with so many spotlights all on our cars. It was an ambush so I guess I was just plain suay. In the end, we had to pay a fine of USD 305.50 per car...ya..and that is not a typo error. Now we know how they fund their police force. A high price to pay but well there was not much choice since we were caught red handed. Luckily the fine was shared out amongst all. Another experience that you won't get in SG and an unplanned one as well.

Total Spending for the trip: 600 USD (inclusive of fine)
Total Mileage Travelled: Estimated 1800-2000 miles (3000km)
Cities visited: Orlando, Miami, Florida
Rating for the trip: 5 Stars
Length: 7 days
Memories: Beautiful & Everlasting

Time to sign off....it is exams time again for NTU...so jia yous everyone!! Stay tuned for more photos of Spring break.....Seeya n take care Spore