I like to think of myself as an avid observer. I like to peek into the lives of people, learn more about them, why they turned out the way they did, how they live their lives and what makes them tick. I might not be a GOOD observer, I might miss some really salient facts, sometimes observing isn't enough to know someone. and of course, I am irreversibly tainted by my own bias and world view.

It has indeed come to my attention that SEP isn't good for relationships. And for someone who isn't and has never been in a relationship, it is indeed puzzling and confusing to see that couples ALL AROUND ME who are on exchange are either breaking up, have broken up, or are facing serious problems. It's not one or two... itz like practically everyone... given the fact that I don't know that many people. Cept for Winky and Mike (and Junko and BF) who are the epitomy of a perfect relationship (and even they have had their share of problems), I can't find another couple who have made it through the quarter.

Isn't it only 3 months for both persons? thats simply 90 days, of which 50% of the time u spend sleeping, making it simple 45 days x 12hours = 540 waking hours. of which, at least 25% of the time you spend talking to your partner either on msn, skype, web cam or the phone. Add in the fact that as students everyone needs to study,(let's say that takes up another 25%) and put in the time to eat, bath, travel etc )another 25%) u basically are left with 25% with 'nothing to do' which translates to 3 hours a day. 3 hours a day. and it's not as your life revolves around your partner. However, it's simply this 3 hours that causes so much problems.

Yes in a way this is an extremely simplistic way of looking at things. I can just hear Qiuyi telling me 'Anne, you cannot count like this' ... I know that fully well. I'm not stupid or THAT naive, although i have come to the conclusion during this 3 months, that I am horridly naive albeit cynical if this contradiction is actually possible. There are of coz so many other contributing factors than just time apart, that leads to a break up, which usually isn't initiated on a whim. However, I am unable to comprehend how the choice of how that three hours is spent will lead to the collapse of something that had appeared perfect. How difficult can a choice be? Similarly, off the topic on breakups,I am unable to comprehend why couples have to be together practically 24/7. It's mystifying, but it's always happening.

As an observer who loves happily-ever-afters, as someone who is enchanted and enthralled by the appearance of a rainbow, events like these that bring heartache, the knowledge that something wonderful has finally reach its expiration date, leaves me baffled. Do I, as Dot keeps encouraging, have to fall in love (then fall out of love) to know the answer?

Apparently, I'm not all that good with keeping people updated about my life. No posts for quite some time ya? Didn't have this urge to write, didn't have the time. I get so caught up with what I am doing, I just don't write. but anyways, I'm in SEATTLE and staying with Qiuyi n Liyi at their dorm. UW is really an awesome, beautiful place. The buildings have the gothic style to it and coupled with the God-given red, yellow, orange autumn leaves on trees everywhere, it simply makes the whole university seem so romantic and 'old school'. This is something that Davis doesn't. Yes Davis is beautiful but its buildings are uninspired grey concrete buildings that can only be termed as ugly. I've spent my days comparing and comparing the universities till today when i finally visited the library. No competition. UW wins HANDS DOWN. I entered into a building that looked semi-hogwarts-ish., with high ceilings, stain glasses and loads of books which just got me so excited.

Remember how I talked about Shield's library being huge and having 4 storeys worth of books? yeah. this library looks bigger and is definitely grander in terms of design. Now I can't wait to visit Universities with hundred years of history like Cambridge. I can simply imagine how Hogwarts is replicated BASED on those buildings. It, after all came well before even J.K Rowlings existed.

ANother thing. Apparantly, UW has this garden where all the trees are CHERRY BLOSSOM TREES(Sakura). OMG. When i realised that, my imagination went into overdrive. Can you imagine when Spring comes, and cherry blossoms are in abundence. Wind, blossoms fall and follow the wind, some descend on your face, others simply caresses and drifts away, the air ISN'T simply just air, nothingness, it is patterned with Cherry blossoms. and my imagine takes a strange, anti climatic turn and i start to imagine how it would be like if there were balls of baby spiders like how it is described in Charlotte's Web. After emerging from their ball of web, they descend gingerly on their web and float where the wind takes them.

I really feel so happy meeting my friends again and touring Seattle has been fun. It definitely has more things to do than in Davis, however one drawback of it, would be the fact that outside of it, there isn't much out there unlike California. Davis has nothing, but SF is near, Monterey is a 2 hours drive, the premium outlets are near. One thing that I underestimated though was the amount of work that I have to do while I am here, which has in a way dampened my exuberance just a little. It just isn't in me to hand in slip-shod shitty work. It doesn't really sit well with me. It doesn't matter whether the grades matter or not. Its all about pride. I pride myself in handing in good work. Perhaps thatz why I am so particular with editing and compiling while doing project work.

Weather in Seattle is, well, much colder than in Davis. My trusted blue sweater isn't enough. Scarf and gloves have become a necessity and walking fast a norm.

Depressing fact, I've really gotten fatter. lol. Depressing as it is, I'm not taking it too hard. Too many distractions out there to bother about something so inconsequential.

I visited St Helen on Saturday. It's an active volcano that erupted in 1980. The eruption occcurred over a few days however at the end of it all, the peak of the mountain collapsed due to the intense amount of activity happening within it and it was left with this big crater where the peak was. Think Gwen can explain it better than I can, she got all excited when I told her that I was going. I wished she or Siying was with me. I would have gotten a much much more geographical perspective. I feel so ignorant sometimes.

It is one of the most beautiful place i've ever been, with mountain peaks all spotted in snow, the valleys left with the imprints of the eruptions. even the slopes where only the tree stumps remain (as the trees were toppled due to the strength of the mudslide that was caused by the eruption) look good. Took a hike along this trail which totally freaked me out at some points as it was simply a narrow dirt path at the edge of this hill opposite St Helens. Going downhill when the left of you is simply air, nothingness, where it is so steep at some places you can't see the ground you might roll past should u fall really isn't my idea of fun. Nevertheless, I did enjoy the view and did enjoy myself and learnt to be, awfully careful.



The Library at UW (I forgot the name)


Along the way to St Helen's. Clouds cover the top of the hill. Not something you see in Singapore do you?

Sunset

A Closer view...

St Helen's

Profesor de Espanol y Yo

Spasticism at its best

I think the photo will speak for itself. My spanish tutor and I being spastic. lol. This is my "I-don't-know-what-the-hell-is-happening-but-I-will-just-play-along-and-humor-u" look. There I was sitting in my seat, listening to the incomprehensible spanish flowing around me when he pointed to me "Anne" (in espanol accent) and asked me to come to the front where he proceeded to role play the process of photo taking and demonstrate to the class what front/back/left/right was in Spanish. Chance would have it, the Afghan graduate student Taher had an IXUS 700 in his bag and he whipped it out and we got our photo really taken.

Cynically funny

Autumn has finally arrived

The green of the tree that had and still has toilet paper draped over it since the start of the Quarter has turned yellow. The tree next to the bus stop I wait at every morning has become bald. The wind brings with her, the rustle of falling leaves. Yellow, green, red, pink. A whole kalaidescope of colours on one simple tree. Students with their layered clothes, urgs(boots), scarves, jackets. The cold air. The condensation of air whenever I breathe in the morning. The now cloudy skies. The setting of the sun at 5pm. The rising of the sun at 6am. Yes. Fall has come

I just love my parents u know. I told my mom i bought a jacket and tt i'll be buying clothes to stock up for the future and she said: ok i'll put money in your account. I trust you. wah. happening ok. but i know myself. I can be trusted. I always feel a huge responsibility when i am spending someone else's money. but the feeling is good. I can be trusted. She doesn't question. She just says. here is the cash. same for my dad. when i told him abt seattle, he just said u decide=) that was all.

Wonderful

Have I ever told you that I love reading Dot's blog? It never disappoints. It's entertaining, humourous and ever so informative. Sometime I just wonder, how she manages to do this. lol considering her new post... she might just reply coz i am not studying... but itz more than that... her insight, her take on what goes on around her is always so refreshing and eternally optimistic.

Moving on. i am to the armpits with my papers. Why? coz i am trying to squeeze travelling time between them what could have been a slack schedule, where i had time to mull over my papers, procrastinate, has become an extremely tight schedule as new events that I can't reject keep coming up. I hate rushing.

today, was supposed to be spent completely on papers. then Meghann (suitmate) comes in and tells me they are having a drinking session tonight. I can't say no right? It's not as though they always do this. I'm going to Meghann's home at Salinas tmr. It's going to be a long weekend spent there (3 days) where we'll go to Monterey, Santa Cruz and mabbe do some shopping. ALL fun and I'm definitely looking forward t it. but that leaves me with hardly any time to finish my papers. and i am so afraid of doing a bad job on them. It's cool to say... pass can already. but that is really not my mentality (till i do badly). and I'll be going up to Seattle next week. No time again. i think I will bring my computer there to type my paper.

But hey! I'm travelling! Why am I complaining?

SIngaporean dating sites are super loser... or rather , the people there are super loser.... I mean... the aim of joining a dating site is to tell pple how great u are so pple will WANT to meet u right???? RIGHT?????? WRONG!

This is what people write.

Profile
I'm Bill, 19 this year, interested in computer science but not really that good at it. I love to play sports but i'm not really good at any either. However, i love to read too. Then again i'm not really that well-read. so you see, my life is only half-full.

Desired Match
I'm looking for friends ,regardless of gender, who are sincere and willing to accept people as individual. Appearance is not really that matter, unless it is really gross out like the Fat Bastard in austin power. I mean if you are interested in others you must firt be interested in yourself, right?

WAH so desirable man...

then u have this heading for another...

"I am a friendly but ugly man!"

Aren't Singaporean Men the STRANGEST?

Exciting Discovery

I woke up at 5.30 am * to study for my spanish test, had a shower, found out that I had actually SLEPT with my contacts on (the first time this happened *appalled*) and left my room @7.30 to catch my bus. As usual, I walked to the Dining commons to get my 'express' meal aka lunch. and that was where everything exciting and good began.

This girl who entered the DC with me forgot to bring her ID card which meant she had no card to swipe to get her food AND to take her bus. So she approached me and asked to borrow my card so that she could enter our dorm to get to her room. Being extremely nice and not rushing for the bus, I immediately passed her my card and continued selecting my sandwiches and stuff. Fast forward, the bus came, i went up reach school and was walking towards my class when she suddenly came up to me.

I thought she just wanted to make a random new friend, since i was so nice and all=)so I smiled at her and waited for her to start speaking... but who would have imagined that the first thing she asked was "Excuse me, are u SINGAPOREAN?" OMG i just stopped dead in tracks. My eyes opened so big and I was suspended within the realm of utter disbelief. "yup! YOU're Singaporean? OMG I can't believe this" this was what i said. and then came the total singaporean accent from both of us. Another rich gal who has studied in the States since high sch just like the other gal i met. then a thought has just entered my mind. This might just be the girl the other SIngaporean gal(i think her name is Andrea or smth) was talking abt... they KNOW each other. lol. anyway. we just stopped there and chatted for 5 min before each of us had to rush for classes. ANyway she was telling me her dad from singapore will be visiting her tmr and has (i think) invited me for lunch with them! anyway i am simply so excited at this chance meeting. I can click better with this gal than the other one... lol i think coz she is less americanized.

So this is my happy news of the day. that and the fact that the small gathering tonight to introduce my friend's boyfriend who travelled from Michigan to visit her (both are on exchange) has turned out to be a full blown party for 8 pple has become 26 pple and counting. lol i am thinking of asking Lorana (the S'proean gal) whether she wanted to come. However, i wanna know more new pple in this party so mabbe not... LOL. There's this cute HK guy who's going later... lol and Ale, guy with nice guys...

Anne, Winky, Jessica, Justin. I can't turn the photo

I've never really introduced any of the friends that I have made here in Davis, Dot has Tomas and Lukas... Qiuyi has Qing You, Keibun and Jiro. Who do I have? I have Francesca, Junko, Kitty, Winky, June, Ryoko. Funny right? My friends all mix with guys and I mix with girls. Anyway they are not the reasons why I am writing this post. Jessica is. June's roommate, all-American girl who is in the UCD big band and plays the drums. Catholic. Getting married in April after graduation after dating for 6 months. Boyfriend's called is Justin. Lovely guy. Lovely couple. I've never seen a couple as in sync as this two. They are not lovey dovey, they don't only have eyes for each other, but looking at them together, you KNOW, that they think the world of each other. They simply complement each other. Jessica is excitable, cheerful, warm and when she panics (like when one of their friends collapsed in their apartment on Halloween), Justin by simply being there, is the calm to her frazzled nerves. No, she isn't bimbo type of excitable, she is the calm excitable type that tells pple, omg i was so scared etc etc but looks collected.

What am I trying to say here? I guess that I've never seen a couple as in love as this pair. They aren't the type of couple who needs to be touching all the time (u get what i mean right? those touchy feely pple)to affirm that they are in love. They know everything about each other, participate so actively in each other's life, while not intruding into it. Would they stay this way 20 years down the road? I sure hope so.