CSI wannabe

No, i have never experienced an earthquake in S'pore. it wasn't even part of my structural curriculum to study seismic. so i was literally 'stunned' when a 5.6 quake occured last tue, the day before Halloween.

i was cooking at 8pm, standing right next to the electric stove when the earth shook. i only remembered to turn off the stove, but stood there for the entire time. carol 'scolded' me saying that i need to duck under the table or something.

yes, this shake up was a really good reminder to be disaster prepared. i put together an earthquake pack (not complete) and need to get familiar with the escape route of my apartment building.

i think all the talk of disaster scenario planning that i did during my years in LTA can never match the real need i felt after this. it was actually quite scary. u never know how long the quake is going to last and severe it may be.

i live on the 2nd floor so not only the thrid floor could come crushing down, my floor could give way beneath me. then there may be a fire along the corridor and do i have an alternative escape route (eg via the balcony)? all these need to be thought through. Hopefully i'll never get to use them, but 'readiness' is really the word of the day!!

the bay area is long over due for a major earthquake. so who knows...... that's why when friends say 'next year', i say 'now'; not sure if we are all still here by then......

BTW, i told my mum about the earthquake. all she asked was whether i suffer any property damaged. apparently she is cool....

I think life in the US is too good for many people that they get upset at the slightest imperfection. honestly, since being here for 3 years, i've met too many people who kick and scream when things don't go exactly the way they want.

while we strive to make everything perfect, people make mistake and circumstances do not always turn out the way we desire. so learn to adapt, make the best of every situation and quit the whining. kicking up a big fuss over a molehill doesn't make it easier for oneself and all those around. the situation may even become worse.

there is a girl in office who gets upset with almost everything. Yes, i agree our boss is not the best manager, but he is not the worst either. since she wants the job, just look on the bright side and press on. i mean, we all complain once in awhile but to be upset over everything that doesn't go your way? oh please.

seriously, if there are more important issues in her life that need to be fixed, i doubt she has energy for such trivial matters. she admits she has things easy most of the time. as a wife, she does not need to clean the house, cook dinner or iron her own clothes; she doesn't even know the price of grocery. she is lucky to have a man who is willing to do all these for her. thank goodness she has no complaints about him. i'll smack her if she does!!

then there are all these 'cloudy situations' (as carol puts it) among several of the girls that i hangout with. Ms A has something against Ms C and Ms D has issues with Ms E. man.... it was hard organizing get-togethers sometimes, cos we don't know who to invite or not.

i didn't remember having to deal with all these among my friends until i got here. even the guys are not any better. black, white, yellow - it doesn't matter. the guys here are americans and so full of themselves. everyone is so vocal but doesn't want to listen to another.

individualistic - i think that's the word to describe this load of shit. everyone for himself - the great american principle. i was taught to do things for the greater good, for the most part. but you will be an idiot to be so gracious. others will gladly step all over you - least anyone even bid an eyelid!! it is scary, sometimes, to realize how this society functions.

ok, there is no perfect world. it's a choice i made to move here, so i'll make the best out of the situation. it's my short week so i'm happy to get my friday off. hurray!!

Here you go - my new car. Ok, it is not a new new car but it is a lot younger then my first car. still a civic, but it is almost all that i could ask for in a car - 2-dr, sunroof, a/c, CD player. the previous owner had the car lowered with racing shock so it is a breeze cornering.... it's damn cool!! if it comes with a spoiler, it will be perfect. but it's ok, it's good enough!!

i had wanted a Prelude - but E would not 'let me embarrassed myself' by getting an automatic one. he insisted that i have to get a stick shift if i want a Prelude. I kinda agree but since i am not keen on a manual car (sorry, i'm too lazy), i settled for a civic, again.

i was driving a Kia Rio before i got this - man, the handling was horrible. i honestly wonder how could anyone drive that car - unless they have never driven anything better?!

well, E said this car is actually pretty well maintained and there is no major tune-up that i need. it is worth the $, so i got it. i really like the cornering - i can go at higher speed and not have the feeling that it will topple over. the back entrance to my apartment complex has a pretty sharp s-curve and this car sail thru' it so smoothly. it's so cool!!

i am keeping my fingers crossed that i can drive this car for a long time to come. it sucked to change car just when i was getting used to it. somehow, i actually miss the old car.......

so they say- your life will flash past you when you are experiencing near-death. But no, my life didn't flash past and i guess that's why i'm still alive....

to cut the story short, i got into a super duper major car accident - windscreen was smashed, windows broken, car rolled over and the roof caved in. i got stuck inside the car for 10 minutes and had to wait for the fireman to cut the door, move the driver seat to get me out.

how's that? this is no movie scene. it happened last sunday on my way home from LA, after a weekend at DIsney..... it was obviously more than just a roller coaster ride.....

but, i actually have to thank my lucky stars. i hit no one after losing control of the car and apart from several cuts (that required stitches), some bruises, i had no broken bones and was still cracking up when i was waiting for treatment in the hospital. even the nurses commented that i didn't lose my sense of humor.

some kid driver swerved right into my lane, forcing me off the road into the center median and that's when i lost control of the car. it went across the median into the opposite direction. that's why i said i was lucky that no one hit me.

i'm still waiting for the police report to see the conclusion of the cop's investigation. of course i'm back to the days without a car. my beloved 4-wheel baby is now sitting in some storage yard.... 3 hours from where i live.....

Staying connected
I’ve meant to write since my last post but have been ‘busy’. With what? Hmmm…. We keep saying that we are ‘busy’. But are we really that busy to even call a friend or write an email?

I’ve actually found a good time to catch up with friends and family– to call when I’m driving. A friend ‘taught’ me this. So now, I call my parents on Saturday evenings while driving to dinner or call my childhood friend in Florida while driving home from work. I used to keep in touch with people while riding on the MRT when I was in S’pore. So for those who think that you are too busy to stay connected to your friends, try it. But of course, unless you think those friends and family are not worth your effort at all…..

What am I busy with?
Oh, yes, I’ve been busy. Watching DVD/VCDs!! A colleague has a huge collection of movie DVD and I was busy ‘catching up’ on the movies I missed - X-men 3, MI3, Memoir of a Geisha, etc.

Now my evenings are spent watching the Japanese animation of ‘Initial D’. ( NC, if you are reading this, let me tell you – I know quite a bit of (car) racing and drifting now. I was clueless when you, EG and CC talked about souping up your cars way back then.) A friend lend me his whole collection of 4 seasons (>50 VCDs) and I’m only at no. 18. Way to go man!!

On the work front
Ok, for those who are even interested, I am doing a transit study for the local agency. It’s to determine if LRT is a viable option along a particular corridor connecting the downtown to a ‘regional’ center (as we know it in s’pore). It’s nothing but tons of number, ridership numbers. I work with a very senior traffic modeler who is looking to impart his skills to juniors like me. (again NC, if you are reading this, it all sound so familiar right???) It is a good chance to pick up modeling skills but this area was never my interest. It’s a dilemma….

My other project is analyzing traffic and parking situation for a local city. The city planners want to intensify the downtown and we are studying the viability for them. Back in PD, these were work we did ourselves. So that was good training for me now that I’m the other side of the table. I certainly know what the planners are thinking ahead of time.

Social Life
Don’t worry, despite spending my evenings after work in front of the TV, I do have a life. I go out, hangout with friends and meet people. I do my grocery shopping and cook. I still shoot almost every week (but ammo is getting really expensive. Maybe it’s the war?!). Finally hit the slope before the end of winter (thanks to LS!!). But had quite a bad fall (shhh….) while learning to snowboard that my tail bone hurt so much even after 2 weeks. I am going to the doctor tomorrow. Haven’t been volunteering at the animal hospital for 1.5 months. Gotta start again this week.

Planning to go Disneyland with a colleague and her friends. Looking forward to that……

It’s Spring
Yes, spring came 2 days back, at 5.07pm (?!). I guess that was when the groundhog saw its shadow 6 weeks ago. For the first time 2 weeks ago, I noticed the hills around were all green. Dale said that it only last for 1 month before they turn brown for the rest of the year. I told Carol to see it while she can. My tomato plants are budding and the apricot tree at E’s place is blooming with flowers all around. He said this year’s fruits will be good. I’m waiting for the cherry…….

It’s fun to be in a place with different seasons!!

decided to use a similar title as my 1st post in 2006. well, still no new year resolution. what's the point? as they say in Chinese, 人算不如天算. so what if you have all these big mega plans to do this, achieve that in the new year? tons of factors way way beyond your control can turn things upside down or inside out and you have to re-chart everything. the worst is the disappointment you experience when you change course, especially if what is now to come is deemed less desirable.

the new year began for me with a mix of good and bad news. there will be new addition to the family (yes, more kids) but i've also lost a good friend to cancer.

so how did last year go for me? well, graduating feels good, knowing that i've accomplished something - self actualization? it was great learning all the new things, in areas that are totally different from work and things i was used to. getting a full-time job that allows me to pay my bills and not worry about spending 2 more bucks at dinner feels great too - security. so maybe i shouldn't whine that the year hasn't been good huh?

this year.... oh.... i won air tickets and hotel stay for 2 pax in Las Vegas (valid till Nov 07).... any takers? perhaps the resolution should be to find someone worthy to share the prize with?? ha ha ha ha....

人一旦生活好转，就开始认为一切都是理所当然，周围的人都欠他的；而忘了是谁
在最潦倒的时候，不问报酬的帮过自己。

因为很多人在自己不如意时出手相助过，所以我都会义不容辞去帮任何有需要的朋
友。我不求回报，一声谢谢， 让我知道真的帮了他就够了。然而这些所谓的朋友却
把我的心意当理所当然, 对我呼来唤去；事情帮到一半还嫌我做得不够，对我诸多
挑剔，提出一连串不同的要求。

事情已经做了一半。就这样放开， 又怕临时找不到人接手；继续下去又超出我想帮
的范围， 真是进退两难。当事人还不觉得自己过分， 对我大呼小叫， 让我怎咽得
下这口气？难怪有些人宁可少‘好心’也不愿陷入这样吃力不讨好的局面，搞到自
己很不好受。真的是， 帮了人还要受气， 值得吗？

其实我不是第一次帮她的。之前的几回都非常愉快 - 那是在她最困难的时期，连
她家人和其他朋友都不支持她的时候。

对于这个‘朋友’，我想也就到此为止。帮完这回，绝无下次。