Chicago/Philadelphia!

Newcastle!

Ithaca!

Calgary Rockies!

Niagara Falls!

Easter Retreat - Toronto

The visit to Downtown Toronto was not planned, and really the result of unique circumstances. I was supposed to take the 1125am flight from Newark to Toronto, and then the 6pm flight from Toronto to London. That would have meant that I would have had to stay in the Toronto airport during the transit as there would be too little time in between to do anything else. Secondly, even if I had reached Toronto early, it is quite unthinkable that I would have ventured out of the airport alone.

Serendipity had it that in my desperate attempts to get rid of my luggage, I went to the check-in counter to deposit my luggage at 530am even though my flight was at 1125am. There was no staff manning the Air Canada check-in. But there was a gentleman sitting in front of the counter. He approached me and asked me what time the staff would arrive. The conversation continued in all dimensions. He was a Frenchman, and had just spent 4 months in Mexico with his Mexican girlfriend. He intends to migrate there or to San Diego eventually to work. Previouly in France, he actually imported bubble tea from Taiwan after reading a "Food Journal on International Cuisine" and tried to sell it in France, albeit to little success. He concluded that French have very specialized taste, and are not very adventurous. His best friend plays in the First XI for Auxerre in the French Ligue and apparently, has been bought by Middlesborough for next season.

What then conspired was that the staff transferred me to the earlier 630am flight to Toronto, which was the same as the Frenchman. His connecting flight was 12 hours later to Paris, while mine was 10 hours. I suggested that with the luxury of time, we should go out of the airport. Toronto has a very simple and user-friendly transportation system, with a subway line going North-South and East-West, as well as buses serving the airport connecting to the subway. We first visited the CN Tower and Sky Dome, but due to the ridiculous high cost of going up the Tower, decided against it. I also prefer the Calgary skyline to Toronto's.

Thereafter, we had breakfast at a small cafe, from which the friendly Korean storeowner gave us directions to Chinatown and Kensington Market. And so, we started walking down the streets, indulging in my favourite pastime of pointing out pretty girls to each other.Toronto's Chinatown is the most impressive I have seen, it is not just a commercial one street Chinatown, but rather, a whole network of streets showcasing not only Chinese food, but also its culture. Essentially, it is a self-sustainable community with barbers, provision stores, drama clubs and more. The architecture of the entire district looks exactly like London.

Upon return to the airport, the Chinaman and Frenchman exchanged contacts. Quite remarkable, aint it?

Easter Retreat - Calgary, Alberta (4)

My final full day in Calgary was spent walking around Chinatown and downtown. Unlike Chicago, where Chinatown is located in the less prosperous and glamorous South of the city, the Chinatown of Calgary actually fronts the entire Downtown area. In fact, the archway bridge into downtown is guarded by four white stone Chinese lions. Having a population of 100,000 Chinese, it is no surprise that the Chinese have a huge impact and influence in Calgary. There are even more Chinese in Toronto and Vancouver, which has produced many Miss Hong Kong’s and TVB stars. I think that is why I have always had a very good impression of Canada. If only it weren’t so far away from Singapore, or even Cardiff. Granduncle parked his car at various hills around and overlooking downtown, and again, I felt that the people living in these areas had such a perfect view every morning of the tall skyscrapers right before them, and the Rockies in the background. Granduncle said that most properties cost around 150,000 USD when he first arrived in Calgary, and were now all worth millions. Canada is such a livable city, even their newspaper the Calgary Herald has an entire section dedicated to City Planning issues such as urban design, transportation etc. It gave me the impression that Calgarians were very well educated on their City and its changes.

But the highlight of this day, was a visit to B.J’s Gym. As some may not know, my only-ever idol in wrestling is Bret Hart who originates from Calgary. He is part of the Hart family, which includes Owen Hart (his brother) and the British Bulldog (brother-in-law). His father, Stu Hart is the legendary patriarchy of the family and was a wrestling tour operator in the 70s. The Harts had a wrestling ring in their basement where many top wrestlers first trained, and got into the business. The Hart house was sold recently but a son-in-law of Stu Hart opened a wrestling gym in downtown, and this is B.J’s Gym. Knowing that I was a fan of Bret Hart, granduncle went into the gym with me. A very friendly young guy came to us at the door and granduncle told him of my interest. He invited us in quite readily but seemed a little blur at first, so much so that I suspected if the gym had anything to do with the Harts at all. Upon entry, all my doubts were erased immediately. All over the gym, were signed photographs, cards from Bret, and his brothers to B.J, as well as Stu Hart. These were obviously transported over from the old wrestling basement. And to my amazement, the guy bringing us around was a grandson of Stu Hart, i.e. Bret’s nephew! I was really quite uncomfortable at first when he called names like Bret, Stu, Davey-Boy off his tongue as if he knew them well. But he more than knew them well, they were his relatives! The biggest coincidence was that granduncle’s friend, was actually the family doctor and close family friend of the Harts! B.J’s son (Matt Amis) brought us around the gym, including a view of the wrestling ring, (a wrestling class was on and they were warming-up). It was literally a tour of possibly wrestling’s greatest family, with many childhood photographs. I had to constantly remind myself that this wasn’t some museum tour with the curator showing us around, but rather, a young man showing me his family.

Just as we were about the leave, we were introduced to another of Stu’s grandchildren – the son of the British Bulldog and Diana Hart, Harry Smith. He is already a WWE wrestler and I was quite taken aback when the guy brining us around introduced us to him. My first thoughts were however what to say as I knew his dad had passed away a few years back due to overdose of steroids. I acted matter-of-fact, ‘Oh, I thought you have signed on with the WWE?” He was more than friendly, and started explaining how he had done a few non-televised shows for them, but since then they had no immediate plans for him on the televised roster and had told him to go home, while still paying him. Both granduncle and I wished him all the best. I am quite sure he will go on to be WWE champion one day and wrestle in front of tens of thousands of people, and I will remember this day, when we spoke so casually on a Tuesday afternoon as almost friends. He is about my age anyways, and seemed like just any kid I have met in the US or UK.

Easter Retreat - Calgary, Alberta (3)

When it’s spring time in the Rockies,
I am coming back to you.
Little sweetheart of the mountain,
With your bonnie eyes so blue.
Once again I say I love you,
Little birds sing all the day.
When it’s spring time in the Rockies
In the Rockies far away.

From the top of Mount Norquay (one of the Rocky Mountain peaks), Granduncle and I sang this song together. When granduncle first migrated to Canada, he brought along his young family, with his son barely five. As a young family, they visited the Rockies quite a few times, and every time they went, he would sing this song with his son. Tears welled up in his eyes as granduncle sang the song; I knew he missed not only the good old days, but also his wife and son who were no longer by his side.

As we sang this song, in front of us was the grandeur of the Rockies, with Mt Cascade directly facing us. The snow-tipped grayish Rockies, seemed to merge with the light blue sky and white clouds, the mountain-town of Banff right at the foot of the mountain seemed straight out of a postcard, emerging the dark green of the fir woods, and next to it was the beautiful Bow River (flowing all the way from Calgary), reflecting its turquoise beauty. The most beautiful sight on earth, possibly. And next to us, barely a few metres away, was a herd of fourteen White Mountain goats. Such exuberance, such excitement, such exhilaration, such poignancy, such loneliness. Granduncle sang a track from “Sound of the Wind” and a line resonated in my mind, “I come to the hills when I am lonely”. I sang as loud as I could, hoping my presence next to him, could take away the momentary feeling of solitude he felt.

But deep within me, there was quite a whirlpool of emotions as well. I felt sad that I would never be able to share such a moment with my mother and possibly a few other loved ones, and I missed all their presence, but at the same time, there was quite a burning resolve within me that the next time granduncle and I came to this very spot, our family would be as large as the herd of mountain goats. And we would set up picnic mats and mahjong tables, the children would run around being chased by the mountain goats, my siblings and our spouses would prepare the food, and the older generation would sit back, and simply talk about the good old days. There would be not one less. And while the picture would never be complete without mamee, I have not and will never give up drawing the picture still.

Possibly the next strongest emotions I felt during the visit to Banff was the visit to the Banff Springs Hotel, which sits like a Disneyland castle amongst the Rockies. Built in the early 1900s, it started off as a dream holiday for the rich and wealthy from Europe. As granduncle and I walked around the hotel, he remarked he was glad that he had the opportunity to walk around what used to be reserved for the richest only. Deep in me, I felt even more than that. As we stood on the deck of the mountain, and gazed into the horizon, and the swimming pool beneath us, I felt very lucky again. I am not rich, but from what I had, I had carved out memory after memory, moment after moment, that only the wealthiest could claim. And yet, I did not crave it at all. I could afford to stay at Banff Springs Hotel for a night or two, but I did not want to stay for any longer. I could walk into a casino in Niagara Falls and walk out five hundred USD richer much to the amazement of Yizhuan, but I did not crave more and more money. All I ever dreamt for, was moments and memories, and I know, I am so lucky that I have experienced so many of these dreams. Maybe that is why I never envied the rich, because the iron they had, I had too, in gold. If only, such moments I could share with so many of you.

Easter Retreat - Calgary, Alberta (2)

The highlight of Day Two was a 3 hr hike from granduncle’s home to the woods on a hill and back. Let me try to explain the terrain in words. The north of Calgary is basically divided into two by the Bow River running through it. This is quite similar to the city of Ithaca which has Lake Cayuga running through it. The difference between the two being that while Ithaca is pretty much built of sloppy terrain, Calgary sits on a ridge (flat land). Granduncle hikes for at least 2 hours everyday, and mind you, it is no easy hike. I may not have physically tested myself ever since NS (maybe since BMT), but the hike involved some slippery slopes, rocky cliffs, and concluded with a rather sharp 400m ascent to the top of the ridge. Starting on one side of the river, we hiked down the hill, crossed the river and hiked up the opposite ridge. I am finding it very difficult to actually describe the hike, but what stood out were the unbelievable surroundings I was in. In ten minutes, I am at the bottom of the ridge, with hills full of berries surrounding me, twenty minutes later, I am at the top of the ridge seeing the skyline of Calgary and the Rocky Mts in the distance, ten minutes later we are crossing the river with baby blue water, another ten minutes we are crossing into the park with the Elbow River (a smaller river) running through, another fifteen minutes and we are in the woods, with many fir trees all around us. Fir trees are beautiful, hiking among fir trees with temperatures of 12 degrees is a luxury which MacRitchie does not really compare to. But what I am really trying to write from the moving picture in my memory is the many refreshing sights a single hike could bring. I think the reason why MacRitchie is nowhere as attractive to hike in is because after 3 hours, all you see is still the same old trees! (Maybe I am not observant, but I doubt most are anyway.)

Easter Retreat - Calgary Alberta (1)

Many wonderful things happened in Calgary, Canada. As I sit here in Newark Intl Airport waiting 9 hours for my connecting flight to Toronto en route to London, I will try to reminiscence the past 5 days, and relive the beautiful as well as poignant memories I had. This is going to be a long entry, but well worth the read. My host in Calgary was my granduncle (my father’s father cousin) who had migrated to Calgary from Singapore in 1978. A most energetic and sprightly young man at the age of 69, he welcomed me with the usual bear hug I have come to be familiar with whenever he visits Singapore most winters. I arrived at 12 midnight on Friday, (almost missing the plane which remarkably was the only one that wasn’t delayed and the only one I was late for), and a nice big room welcomed me. (Though he didn’t mention it, I do believe he let me sleep in his room, as he was sleeping in a much smaller room.) He stays alone as both his wife and son live in Los Angeles, where his son is working as a psychiatrist. My trip to Calgary was a dream come true in so many ways and really, if not for him, it simply would not have happened.

Granduncle Hong Chiang (H.C here forth) is a staunch Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) and the better part of Saturday morning was spent in Church. It was International Day and members of the church of different origins from Africa, Asia, and Europe etc. went on stage and performed songs of praise in their respective languages. I thought it was quite a nice environment, not as dramatic as some of the charismatic church sessions I have attended in Singapore, but very family-like nonetheless. In the evening, we returned to the church for a concert by a visiting school band, which played both spiritual and secular tunes. Saturday is seen as the Holy Sabbath, as written under the Fourth Commandment by SDAs, and the day is meant to be kept for rest, which means no work, and as much time as possible spent for worship and getting close to God. A vegetarian diet is observed every Sabbath as well.

The good thing about having a local guide is that granduncle really knew what was special and unique in Calgary, and not just the usual scenic touristy sights that can be Google-ed or even Lonely Planet-ed. Lake Bonavista is a residential area, built around a man-made lake. More than 50 detached houses are built around the huge lake, with private wooden jetties facing onto the lake. The first thought that struck me was that this must be a wonderful place to live in. During summer, the residents can float around the lakes in their large floats or mini-boats, in winter; the lake becomes a big ice-skating ring, coupled with the ducks and geese. The soil dug out from the lake was accumulated into a hill next to the lake, and water is pumped from the lake up the hill into a man-made waterfall that streams down a creek. I saw families sitting on the hill, enjoying the lake and their homes, children playing with the half melted ice, dogs rolling on the hill. It is possibly the most scenic residential area I have ever seen. Residents are really connected by the lake. I must try to recreate this somewhere, sometime.

The other attractions granduncle H.C brought me to on Saturday afternoon were Glenmore Reservoir and the Olympic Park. Olympic Park is consists of a ski-jump, an iced luge track, and a ski hill. It was the venue for these sports during the 1988 Winter Olympics. Unfortunately, ski-ing season was over when I went so the place was basically empty. Nevertheless, it was my first visit to an actual competitive ground for a winter Olympics. I had previously been to the Seoul Olympic Stadium that hosted a Summer Olympics. The highlight of this day was still however, the Lake Bonavista.

Easter Retreat - Chicago

The visit to Chicago started disastrously. Most of you will be familiar with the “luggage fiasco” by now from earlier posts and comments I have made. I finally received my luggage at Chin Siong’s doorstep 3 days after I arrived in Chicago. Besides this however, the visit didn’t start off too well as I arrived in the midst of a very busy week for Mr Goh, who is preparing for his final thesis. In typical dramatic fashion, the first memorable event that happened when we met was me spilling his iced milk tea all over the seat of his newly bought Mitsubishi Sports Car (yes, Mr Goh drives a hip white sports car which has automatic seatbelts once you sit within. However, he has to manually open both car doors since the remote controls are not working.)

Perhaps the visit to Chicago can be categorized into 3 sections, the first being I going for lessons in the University with Chin Siong, the second being the lunch and dinners I had with a couple of friends, and thirdly, my viewing of the Singapore Students Association’s elections in the University. In sharp contrast to many friends of mine who go around crashing university classes in Singapore, UK, US etc, I myself have never experienced a lecture outside of Cardiff. It was quite an experience to sit inside a public policy lecture and economics lecture in the U of C. What stood out for the former was the huge amount of student participation in the lecture. Apparently, students are graded somewhat according to their participation. I think this produces the occasional smart and useful comment. Nothing stood out from the economics lecture which was on futures and bonds, because I did not understand a thing what was going on. Overall though, it is quite similar to what I experience in Cardiff.

Shawn Loh, my LPTE junior is in U of C reading economics too, and so is Hsin Yao, my Police OCT squad mate. Also in the university reading chemistry is Ghee Chuan, my RI Sec 1 and 2 classmate, and Fabian, my fellow Firefly Scholar. There are a few couple of people I met, ex-RI or HCJC students, during the elections for their students association. In all, there are about 60 Singaporeans in Chicago. While there are more Singaporeans in Cornell, I never met them all at a single event, even Hwa Chong Night in London saw students from all over the UK, not from a single school. Seeing so many people from Singapore, from all periods of my life, in Chicago really makes me realize how many Singaporeans each year go overseas to study. The elections for the office of President saw quite a heated debate on what should the purpose of a Singapore Association be, to serve and benefit the Singaporeans, or to introduce the country and its culture to students of other nationalities in the University. For a small group of 60, I didn’t really like the bureaucracy of it all. I think for small groups, I do not see the need for official posts; it really should just be Singaporeans coming together as friends doing the things they like and keeping each other company. Coming from a university where there are no Singaporeans, I think I really feel that. I do not really see the point of overseas Singapore Student Associations being run like some form of Government or hierarchy; maybe it provides good exposure for working life, or maybe it makes CVs look good, but it definitely fails the test of efficiency, and solidarity if people feel forced into something they wouldn’t otherwise do if not for the mere fact that they were Singaporeans. But it does not really bother me; I like good old Cardiff where Singapore is Foo!

While I mentioned earlier that Chin Siong was busy, it was quite obvious to me that he literally struggled within himself to allocate time for me, to drive me around for meals and etc, and for that, I thank him much! In the past, I would have been quite disappointed when I perceived what to be an unequal balance in friendships or relationships, but maybe the past year or so has taught me that people are different, and instead of imposing your standards on others, why not appreciate what they have already done for you! It was great meeting Shawn who I’ve known since he was 10, he’s really grown up and has his ideas and principles, but I’m glad he hasn’t lost the boy in him. That’s priceless! Hsin Yao and his girlfriend Jingli also brought me out for lunch at McCormick seafood restaurant, it was fun discussing our Barrack days, and having a good laugh about good ol’Dominic and our gruesome kayaking experience in OBS.

Finally, the city of Chicago. Due to time constraints, I could only make a real rushed tour of the Downtown, going down the Magnificent Mile, the Chicago River, and the Millennium Park, briefly popping into the Art Institute of New York. Basically, this was really to see the different architectures of Chicago, which houses many landmark architectural works, including the Sears Tower, John Hancock Building, and a whole range of Modern, Postmodern skyscrapers. The Mile is considered one of the world’s best boulevards and I went on it for a feel of what it was like, even though I had no time to venture into the countless buildings. Besides the architecture, what was quite interesting was the railway line running through downtown, admist the tall buildings. Millennium Park is unique because of its focus of Art over Nature. Subsequent photographs will showcase what I saw.

This was written in Minneapolis- St Paul Intl Airport where I am on transit to my flight to Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is a wonderful airport, with possibly the best array of retail and food outlets within the check-in/ transit area. And there are stores showcasing the wolves, grizzly bears and moose of Minnesota, which makes me really feel like visiting Minnesota! Perhaps, I will get to see these in Calgary though!

Till Calgary,
Cexiang
13 April 2007

Memories of Flight

Five years old.
Couldn’t sit still between Papa and Mummy.
Couldn’t stop talking.
When are we going to fly?
We are moving!
The plane started taking off.
I looked out.
I clutched my seat handles.
Trying not to look scared in front of others..
We are in the air!
Halfway, the pilot announced there would be turbulence.
What is turbulence?
Mummy started vomiting due to the turbulence.
I felt quite proud I could defeat the turbulence!
Nothing to be afraid of with Mummy and Papa next to me!

Twenty-two years old.
No one next to me.
No more talking.
No more anticipation on when I start flying,
Thoughts only on how long the delay will be.
The plane starts taking off.
I look out.
I clutch the seat handles.
Trying to convince myself I am not scared.
Finally, we are in the air.
Halfway, the pilot announces there is going to be turbulence.
No more questions, it must be the umpteenth time.
I thought I would be proud to fly alone.
I thought there would be
Nothing to be afraid without Mummy and Papa next to me.

But I look out of the window,
Into the darkness of the night.
And I wish they were.

Easter Retreat - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Due to closure, our original plan of going on the Maid of The Mist Niagara Falls Boat Ride on Saturday was thwarted. The plan to wake up at 630 am to watch the sunrise at the Falls also did not materialize as both Yizhuan and I could not wake up in time. I made a last minute proposal to go down to Pennsylvania, since I had told Gaurav and Junhao that I would try to visit them there if possible. We called Gaurav to get directions. It would take a mad 7 hrs to drive down. Knowing my wish, Yizhuan agreed without hesitation to the really daunting task. And so, at 930 am, we started on our marathon car ride. I have always liked long distance car travels. I am not sure if Yizhuan does so too. Nevertheless, I couldn’t thank him more for going the distance with me. Indeed, this has been much the story of my entire visit to Cornell. I think both of us would agree though, that the journey to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was more than worth it.

Gaurav and Junhao appeared almost immediately upon our arrival. Yizhuan and I had dinner with Gaurav, who has definitely matured a lot since RI, but somehow, upon seeing both of us, glimpses of the same old Gaurav shone through, and his usual snide remarks at me, and the jokes about the teachers. We all felt 15 all over again.

Supper was perhaps the highlight of the visit to Philly. Yinwei, who I have not met ever since Secondary 4, traveled back from Washington to meet us upon hearing we were in town. Yizhuan, Junhao, Yinwei, myself, and 2 of Yizhuan’s VJ Council-mates Stephanie and Weihan , met in Philly Diner. I think it was the most enjoyable group gatherings I have had since going overseas, or even in the past few years. Not everyone knew everyone else, those who did had hardly seen each others for years, yet endless laughter filled the night. There was I, aiming jokes relentlessly at the expense of Junhao and Yizhuan, with both trying their best to retaliate. Yinwei was laughing his head off, and so were Stephanie and Weihan, all providing the classic one-liners. While the conversations will be censored on this blog, what I will write down for posterity will be that it’s really been a while that I have been so happy among a group. People who want to be happy, who are happy, and who want all around them to be happy, will be the happiest people themselves. Junhao, Yinwei, Yizhuan and I played mahjong overnight at Yinwei’s place till 5 am.

We then awoke at 9am to go on a tour of the Independence Sites in Philadelphia, which is the birthplace of American independence. Both Junhao and Yinwei had incredibly slept less than 6 hrs in the last 36 hours. We were given a very concise but informative talk on America’s independence, from colonization under the British, to the Declaration of Independence, to the Constitution. A group of students from California were in the same group as us. They were taking photographs, and actively participating in the question and answer sessions, showing good knowledge and interest of their countries Independence history. Singapore’s journey to Independence from colonization doesn’t seem any less exciting than America’s (perhaps we had no War of Independence, but we did have WW2), but somehow, my impression is that students in Singapore are hardly enthusiastic about our road to nationhood. I definitely felt proud of our independence as I saw America’s. While the US is huge, and we are a dot, I think it was a similar spirit, ambition and drive that drove us to make our independence a reality and a success.

After lunch at a Malaysian restaurant, where I had the closest semblance to Singapore food overseas (the ones in UK are mainly Hong Kong, with lots of oil), Yizhuan and I headed back to Cornell. It would be another 4 hours before we reached Cornell. And I want to end of this post by saying that, though I myself barely slept when Ping Khuan visited me in Cardiff, and I do subconsciously expect from my close friends what I would give myself, there was never a moment throughout the weekend from Niagara to Philly that I did not feel amazed and touched by the sacrifices that Yizhuan, Junhao and Yinwei made to make my one day trip truly so very memorable. I hope somehow, I brought some joy to all of you through my visit, and made up for all the time you lost. Thank you.

Onboard American Airline from New York to Chicago

Note: For the second time in a week, I have had a delayed flight and missed my connecting flight. Worse still, I have had to go to a different airport form earlier planned. I really doubt I can collect my luggage successfully after touch down. It has been a mad air travel experience. My flight from Syracuse to New York departed an hour late. I missed my original flight from NY to Midway. I was referred to another airline in another terminal which I had to run to, only to be told that plane had left too. Upon transfer to yet another flight, not to Midway but to Ohare (also Chicago). I asked what would happen to my luggage and the reply I received was, “You worry about that when you touch down!” I was then selected for special screening, and had a full body check. If not for my prior experience in Ops Dept SPF dealing with security plans, I definitely would not have been as accommodating and understanding and patient as I was. To top it all, after getting on the plane, we were stuck on the runway for a full hour, waiting in line as other planes took off. To think I thought all airports are like Changi. Now I know. I will cross my fingers that I meet Chin Siong without hassle, and my luggage arrives on time. We shall see.
Afternote: I reached Chin Siong’s place safely at 12mn. But as I expected, my luggage is missing. Nothing valuable within except clothes. Hopefully they return it tomorrow

Easter Retreat - Niagara Falls

We left Ithaca at 2pm in the afternoon, and after a 4 hr drive, stopping only for twenty minutes halfway for a bite at mcdonalds, we arrived at the famed Number 1 Wonder of the World - The Niagara Falls. The Falls actually consist of 2 seperate falls, the USA Falls, which is horizontal, with many rocks at the bottom, and seagulls flying near the rocks and the falls; and the Horseshoe Falls, which is located on Canadian land. The Horseshoe Falls is majestic and in the shape of a horseshoe, with the water vapour rising from the impact of the falls crashing onto the lake covering almost half of the fall itself. I had little prior impression of the Falls before this visit, vaguely remembering them from some photographs my mum took when she visited the area more than 20 years ago. She said it was breathtaking, and it is.

Although it is now Spring, we arrived during a "cold" period and the temperatures were sub-zero, with rather strong winds making it chillier. The beauty of which is that the rocks near the falls are all frozen. Quite distinct from the usual green or autumn red colours that visitors in the warmer seasons will see, the Niagara I saw was white, and pale blue. Somehow, it resonated with images I had seen from documentaries in Antartica or Alaska. But the sacrifice I had to make for this unique view was that the boat ride into the falls was closed, meaning I did not get the opportunity to literally stand within the falls and feel it's strength, power and the adrenalin rush that comes along with it. Nor could I capture close-ups of the Falls, or the seagulls and rocks.It is a pity, but it gives a good reason to come back in the future!

We had dinner at the Rainforst Cafe, located at the Canadian side of the Falls. The Canadian side is very commercialized, with at least 3 large casinos, a whole array of themed-restaurants and waterparks, as well as other retail glamour stores. The US side on the other hand is far more natural, with only a single Casino, and numerous small motels. Perhaps the main beneficiaries of this are the tourists, who get to enjoy a natural view from one angle in the day, as well as experience a wonderful shopping and feasting experience at night.

As I and Yizhuan had dinner, I told him how I couldnt stop feeling how lucky we were. Having the opportunity to meet up with such a wonderful friend in another part of the world. It was only 9 years ago when we were wearing short white pants wandering blurly into Raffles Institution. And now, here I am flying across the Atlantic from the UK to the US, and then driving across the State of New York to the Canadian border, and seeing the Niagara Falls. I think I am a lucky boy.

Easter Retreat : Ithaca, New York

Cornell University is in the City of Ithaca, which is part of the state of New York. By car, it is 5 hours from New York City, and 3 hours from the state of Pennsylvania. The past 2 days have been spent largely in the comfort of Yizhuan's car, with him and Joshua (my primary school classmate) driving me around. I have never been in the United States before, and my first impression is the massive land size. Houses are huge, land plots are huge, shopping malls are huge, all these despite Ithaca being a relatively small town of about 30,000 residents. The city actually develops around the tip of Cayuga Lake, which is one of the Finger Lakes. The terrain is largely hilly, and Cornell University, as well as much of the residential detached houses are on hills, which look down upon the lake. The lake is a nice shade of baby blue. The area is blessed with lots of waterfalls. of which I visited Taughannock Falls with Joshua, and Ithaca Falls with Yizhuan. Both were unplanned, but we just came across them as we were sight-seeing. (Photos will be updated upon my return to Cardiff). I was also exposed to the cows in Cornell University, as I and Joshua stood in front of the barn for close to 20 minutes, moo-ing at the cows! These vrey cows produce the milk and ice-cream in Cornell, not bad for a university to be self-sustaining. (The university orchard produces apples too!) However, to my disappointment, I have not seen live deer, even though on the way to Ithaca from Newark, I did spot a few dead ones on the roads. Again, road accidents involving deer is a completely foreign concept to me. I was constantly shouting to Yz to slow down in case a deer jumped out.

I met my JC classmates Jaclyn and Christina for dinner on the first night, together with Jos and YZ, as well as an RI schoolmate Ernest. This was the fiirst time I was meeting them in 3-4 years, and even when we were in HC, or RI, we seeldom interacted. Nevertheless, it was nice, I am really not used to familiarity outside Singapore. We had dinner in the residence catering of Cornell, which actually is pretty much like Marche, buffett style with a wide array of good food choices! It definitely is a first among university catering, if Cardiff had such, I believe I would be very fat now. Perhaps, its a blessing in disguise! Dinner for the second night was at Wings at Ithaca, which serves a variety of wings dipped in different sauces. The portions are famously huge, and it was a heartening meal with Yizhuan and his housemates Sam, and Yan Kai. By the way, I weighed myself in Yizhuan's flat. I am now back to my target of 50kg!

The next few days will be spent at the Niagara Falls! Anticipate!

Easter Retreat Day 1

20 hours ago, I wrote my Pre-Departure Sketch. According to the plan, I would be in Cornell by now, after a 4 hr drive from Newark Airport. Yet, as I predicted, things never go to plan. It is from Toronto’s Pearson Airport that I type this post. It has been a day of delay after delay, in fact, nothing but delays. My flight was scheduled for 830am (UK), when I reached the airport at 6am; I realized it had been delayed till 930am. Already, there was an incredibly long queue at the Check-In. However, there was a new techno-machine which allows self check-in. Most people did not use this since I assume the old tried-and –trusted check in at the counter was more reliable. I am not particularly adventurous, but I am very impatient, so I went to use the self check-in machine. Incredibly, I jumped over the entire queue, and within 10 minutes, was seated in the departure hall, my luggage successfully checked-in. It’s quite a convenient tool really, and it safes lots of time and manpower.

At 930am, I proceeded to the gates, having sat within till 1030am, wondering what on earth had happened to the flight, the PA announced that due to a engine fault currently being remedied, the flight would be further delayed by 2-3 hours. It was not until 1pm, that my plane was on the runway, and it took another ridiculous half an hour before we would take-off due to the long queue of planes before us lining-up to take off. It’s a really weird situation. I never experienced that from Changi Airport, or in fact, any other airport I have been in all my life. But I never had a very good impression of Heathrow anyway.

The flight arrived at 345pm (Canadian Time) in Toronto. By this time, I had missed my original transfer flight to Newark New Jersey. We were informed on the plane that replacement flights had been booked for us. How awfully wrong that turned out to be. Upon reaching Toronto, I had to wait 1 hr for my luggage to appear, and then another 1 hr before I was given a new flight slated for 910pm. Yes, I had to wait another 4 hours in Toronto. The transit terminal was an utter mess, no priority for earlier flights, I actually had a flight for 530pm, but had to stay in the queue for close to an hour, thus missing the flight.

Amidst all this nuisance, the day thus far provided 2 positives. The first being the view of Toronto from the sky. As the plane flew over Toronto, I was amazed at the long straight roads that almost divided the city into perfect squares. The uniformity is amazing, but I am not sure whether I was more amazed or actually startled. The second is my flight to Newark. I will be sitting a small plane, called a Jazz, it is not like the normal commercial plane, but somehow like a plane seen in the movie Pearl Harbour, with the propellers at the front.

3 April 05. 630pm, Toronto Pearson Airport.

Afterword: Yizhuan pickd me up at 1130pm, having driven 4 hours from Ithaca. We then drove another 4 hrs back. An incredible diving distance for friendship. At 4 am in the morning, we eventually reached his room.

Pre-Departure Sketch

In a few hours, I will be boarding the bus from London Islington to London Heathrow, from which I will board the aircraft to New York Newark Airport, transiting via Toronto Pearson. From there, I will meet Yizhuan, who will pick me up in his car, and we will travel down to Cornell, where I will spend the next 6 days in. Within this time, we will drive down to Toronto and visit the Niagara Falls as well. Time permitting, I might make a trip down to Philedelphia to meet Gaurav, and maybe Yexiang and Junhao. I hope to tour New York too. On the 9th of April, I will leave Cornell from Syracuse Airport and fly to Chicago Midway, where Chin Siong will pick me up in his car and head back to the University of Chicago. His room which is situated next to Lake Michigan, will be where I live from the 9th to the 13th. On the 13th, I will depart Chicago and fly to Calgary, Canada, where my granduncle Hong Chiang will pick my up, and spend the next 5 days with me, possibly, making a trip to the Canadian Rockies. On the 19th, I shall take a plane from Calgary back to New York Newark, from which I will take another plane back to London Heathrow, arriving at 0625hrs on the morning of 20th April. Thereafter, I will take the tube down to London Paddington, where I will meet Jieming (my RI Interact Club junior), and we will take the rail up to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, where we will spend the next 3 days in. The highlight of the trip being the Chelsea-Newcastle match at St James Park. On the 22nd, we will take the rail back to Cardiff, thereby culminating my 3 week vacation.

That is the outline of my plans, and as I go along, the details of each stop, each meeting, each delight, each disappointment, I hope to describe and share in this blog. While discovering North America with close friends I have not met in a year is a big reason for this trip, I also hope to have nice conditions in which I can revise for my exams in May, as well, as research for the Neighbourood Masterplan we have in Newport.

The last 3 days were very idyllic. Starting on Friday, where I went down to Queen Street, Cardiff, walked into the WHSmith Bookstore, picked a book, and went to the 2nd storey Coffeeshop to read the book. "Interpretation of Murder" is a crime thriller incorporating Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, with their key ideas discussed therein. This must be the first fiction book I have read since my literature text in Junior College. I remember when I was much younger in Primary School, I loved reading, and my mum and aunt would buy book after book. I normally fiished a book in a day, and would not sleep till I finished. But ever since Secondary School, I lost the patience to read even a single book. That is why I was so happy with myself on Friday, when I actually sat at that coffeeshop for 3 hours, sipping my cappuchino, looking out to the people walking down Queen Street occasionally, but thoroughly engrossed in the book. Somehow, its such a peacful and graceful way to spend my afternoon, and let time past without me knowing. Perhaps, this will be the start of the second reading wave in my life!

Saturday will today was spent in London. I met my HC Arts Junior in London for lunch and dinner on Saturday. We ate at a pub in London Covent Garden, and watched the Arsenal-Liverpool, and Manchester Utd-Blackburn matches. Admist lots of British supporters, the atmosphere was rather good. Thereafter, I brought him to Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery. Somehow, I have developed a real love for museums and galleries. Pictures of our trip and some quotes from me can be found on Ziqian's blog : www.whereischang.photoblog.com

Sunday lunch was spent with Bjorn, Shining & Bryan at a Chinese restaurant where Bjorn has made excellent patronage of, and we shared the blessings with free dessert and a heavily discounted tim sum buffett. The rest of the time I spent sleeping or plaing poker with Andre and his wonderful housemates, who also cooked up 2 really good dinners! I ended up washing the dishes on both nights, as I was the loser at poker. (I would like to believe I subconsciously lost so I would wash the dishes as I felt guilty for not participating in the cooking. =p)

It's time for a short nap now, before I wake up at 330am and make my way to the bus stop.

Till America, ciaoz!