School

I just received my advisor’s feedback on my latest draft of my dissertation research proposal. After glancing through the comments, I realized that there’s not much revisions to do…so, I guess this chapter of my life, struggling to write and rewrite my dissertation proposal, is finally coming to an end..whew!! Tomorrow, I’ll have to finalize the date and time (some time end of June) when the 4 professors in my dissertation committee will meet with me for a prolonged they-question and I-answer session.

As I ponder over the whole writing process, it wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. I expected more revisions and several more drafts. Wow, now that this writing process is over, I wonder what should I do with my additional stress-free time. Patapon? Crochet? Cross-stitch? Update special ed blog?

Hold on, I’m not done with studies yet. I’m just almost done with the research proposal; after this, I’ll have to actually do what I proposed in the proposal, and pray that everything will go as planned and I’ll get great results in a short amount time. Yup, that would be ideal….

Great South Side Sale

Every year, the university’s community service office will have a move-out sale. They collect all the stuff that students (who have graduated and are moving away) donate. The money from this sale would go to neighborhood charity organizations. This year, I volunteered to help out during the sale. I was there at 7am, helping to move boxes and boxes of stuff from the trucks, and then arranging those stuff (e.g., clothing, housewares, electronic goods, furniture).

There was one really big Sony TV for sale. It had a crack at the back, but otherwise, in good running condition. Two guys removed it carefully from the truck, but the bottom of the TV cracked a little more. As they were lifting it to the TV area, the TV literally fell apart. The plastic casing broke into hundreds of pieces. The inner tube crashed to the ground and circuits spilled out everywhere. I’ve never seen a TV in that condition before…hahaha.

My volunteer shift ended just before the sale started. So, I stayed a while longer and shopped some. I grabbed
- 2 new Lehigh t-shirts (I’ve always wanted to get a Lehigh t-shirt but didn’t want to spend close to $20 on a t-shirt)
- 1 new random t-shirt
- 1 like-new pair of shorts
- 1 very nice reusable shopping bag
- 1 rolling pin
- 1 set of stainless steel measuring cups (I have plastic ones but they are difficult to wash if I use them to measure cooking oil, stainless steel is much better)
- 1 new cap
- 4 pot holders
- 1 small first aid kit
All these only cost $7.50…not a bad deal!

When I got my first car in July 2006, I bought a notebook to keep a log of the cost of maintaining her. And for some crazy reasons, I also kept the receipts whenever I pumped her up with gas (petrol).

The cost of feeding her and feeding my lifestyle.

2006
Month: Average price of gas (money spent on gas this month)
July: $2.88 per gallon ($81)
August: $2.74 ($67)
September: $2.32 ($80)
October: $2.13 ($52)
November: $2.20 ($41)
December: $2.34 ($39)

2007
January: $2.23 per gallon ($64)
February: $2.22 ($22)
March: $2.42 ($73)
April: $2.90 ($79)
May: $3.05 ($47)
June: Vacation in Malaysia
July: $2.78 ($59)
August: $2.68 ($28)
September: $2.68 ($22)
October: $2.65 ($61)
November: $2.94 ($25)
December: $3.04 ($44)

2008
January: $3.00 ($43)
February: Lost the receipt
March: $3.24 ($38)
April: $3.42 ($40)
May: $3.70 ($43)
June: $3.96 ($45)

I’ve stopped running for quite a while now. My right knee hurts when I run, and even after a prolonged period of no running, it still kind of hurts when I try and run. So I’ve sort of given up on running. Nowadays, if I do go out to the trail, I’ll do intervals of fast and slow walks (e.g., 3 minutes of brisk walk followed by 2 minutes of relaxed walk).

And for the summer, I signed up for a spinning class. What is spinning?

Spinning is an aerobic exercise that takes place on a specially designed stationary bicycle called (obviously enough) a spinning bike. As you pedal, motivating music plays and the instructor talks you through a visualization of an outdoor cycling workout: “You’re going up a long hill now, you can’t see the top yet.” During the class you vary your pace — sometimes pedaling as fast as you can, other times cranking up the tension and pedaling slowly from a standing position. This helps you to focus inwardly and work on your mind as well as your body. (Neporent & Chiocchi)

That’s just a picture I got off the web, and it’s not the gym at Lehigh.

Today, I went for my very first spinning class. Totally clueless about how to set up the bike. After a short lesson from the instructor, I was ready.

And she started:
Turn up the resistance, stand up and “run”
Let’s do 30 seconds.
Reduce the resistance, and “sprint”
Turn up the resistance, run and place your hands at the top of the handlebar.
Repeat 3 times.

And me:
Ouch! My thigh hurts
OK, I got to sit and pedal, the “run” is too tiring.

And she went on:
One more round, and we’re done with the warm-up.

And me:
What??!! That’s only the warm-up??!! Oh, no, what have I done? This spinning class might turn out to be not such a great idea after all…

And she:
OK, now we’re going to some jumping.

And me:
How on earth do you jump of a stationary bike?!

Surprisingly, I slowly adapted and managed to last till the end of the 1 hour class. When I got off the bike, my thighs felt numb. And when I walked, I felt like my legs would give way and I would crumple to the ground. But I managed to walk to the car. I wasn’t even sure if I could step on the accelerator and brakes properly. And I drove, up the mountain, down the mountain, all the way home.

Since the campus is located in a hilly area, I would often see cyclists slowly riding up the steep hill. Whenever I see one cyclist making his or her way up the hill, I would think, “These people are crazy. I would never ever attempt to ride up this hill, in the name of fitness or challenge or whatever. That’s just too much of a torture.”

Today, I spent an hour cycling on a stationary bike, going nowhere, making my way up imaginary steep hills. And at the end of it, I drove up over a small mountain to get home. How ironic! I guess I’m the really crazy one here…

Spinning terms:
Run = cycling while standing up on the pedals
Sprint = cycle as fast as you can
Jump = intervals of standing and sitting while pedaling

I heard on the radio that Transformers 2 will be filming in my neighborhood of South Bethlehem. I quickly looked it up online and found the news on Morning Call.

The film-makers are looking for Asian extras (me! choose me!) to be in the movie!! Apparently, they are transforming the old Bethlehem Steel mill into a Chinese city…hahaha.

Hmmm, maybe I can go for the audition and become an extra in the movie! That would be so exciting. I wonder how much time it’ll take. This is so great!!

Wait a minute! I can’t be a paid extra in the movie, my student visa only allows me to work on campus. Bummer!

If the international students of Asian/Chinese descent are allowed to work as paid extras, the film-makers can just come to Duh, the little Chinatown of Bethlehem, and find all the extras that they need: grandmas, grandpas, men, women, kids and babies!

THE Penang Government plans to hold an annual south Korean cultural festival beginning this year in a move to attract more south Korean tourists.
The Star (May 15, 2008)

I don’t know about you but this is such a crazy idea.

It’s like getting Malaysians to fly to Australia for a Malaysian cultural festival.
It’s like getting Americans to fly to Africa for a hot dog eating festival.
It’s like getting the Japanese to fly to Malaysia for sushi.
It’s like getting the Chinese to fly to India for the Chinese new year festival.
It’s like getting the French to fly to Thailand for a French wine and cheese party.

Maybe Penangites can show the South Koreans how to make “Malaysia Boleh” kimchi

I remember my Korean friend who visited Penang and stayed with me for several days. All she wanted to do was to eat good food (a lot of varieties in very tiny portions), hit the beach, and get a massage at a great spa. Unfortunately, she went to a highly recommended spa that turned out to be a “hanky panky” massage parlor…..hahaha.

If we want to attract South Korean tourists, we really need to work on our “cleanliness”:
- Clean accessible toilets
- Clean eating places
- Clean beaches
- Clean and safe streets
- “Clean” dealings: Honest prices and good customer service
- “Clean” beauty spas

My first three years in the U.S., when Spring came and all the trees, grass and weeds bloomed and spread pollen everywhere, I was fine. And I shook my head at people who complained about sneezing, itchy eyes, lethargy, etc., and who were taking myriads of medications for those symptoms, “What’s with the Americans and their allergies and their medications?!”

My fourth year, when Spring came, I was slightly bothered by it. But I was more bothered by the thick layer of pollen that was sticking to my car, made it looked so dirty, and forced me to take it to the car wash

I wrote this last year (May 16, 2007):

The onslaught of pollen
In my few years here, I’ve never given much thought to pollen or spring time allergy. This spring however I’m beginning to feel the onslaught of pollen. All these trees and plants pollinating at the same time, spreading pollen everywhere. My car, which I have yet to wash (I cannot believe I’m my dad’s daughter!), is now covered in a thin layer of yellowish-greenish pollen. I also wake up sneezing, my eyes feel puffy, and I just feel like there’s a lot of microscopic things bothering me.

This year, when Spring came, I noticed it immediately. The very first day that a very-high-pollen index was reported on weather.com, I felt it. I thought it would get better, but it didn’t. I continued sneezing, my eyes itched, my throat hurts, I just didn’t feel good.

Today, I finally succumbed to the pressure of living in this culture of drug-dependency, and went to the doctor and got a prescription for my allergies. The doctor prescribed Flonase.

FLONASE is an anti-inflammatory nasal spray used to treat the nasal symptoms of indoor and outdoor nasal allergies and year-round nonallergic nasal symptoms.

I went to the pharmacy and got generic Flonase (Fluticasone Propionate). It cost $70!! I didn’t expect the generic version to cost that much. Thankfully, I only have to pay $10, while the health insurance will pay the remaining.

A comparison:
In Malaysia, for pain relief, we have Panadol.
In the U.S., they have Advil, Tylenol, Aleve, Excedrin, Motrin, Bayer and some more. Most of these brands are being advertised heavily on TV. At the pharmacy, the over-the-counter painkiller section takes up a whole aisle!

The power went out in my apartment building. When I came home after my run/walk at around 8pm, the power was still out. The utility worker said that the power will only be back at 10-11pm. No electricity, no microwave, no stove, no food, no light, no computer. So I grabbed my work stuff and laptop, went out for a quick dinner and headed to the library. I had planned to do some dissertation work but decided to spend the 2.5 hours writing my response to the news article about the caged boy of Sanglang. Go here to read it.

My small group went for the replacement Sight and Sound show last Saturday. Our first Sight and Sound show — Daniel and the Lions’ Den — was canceled halfway through, so we had tickets for a replacement show. Instead of going for another Daniel show, the group decided to go to the Abraham & Sarah: A Journey of Love show at the smaller Living Waters theater. Here are the highlights of my second trip to Strasburg/Lancaster:

1. An interrupted journey

Two cars left Bethlehem in the morning. I was in the first car. After an hour plus in the car, we received a call from the second car informing us that they ran out of gas. So we had to turn around, go to a gas station, buy a special container, fill it with 2 gallons of gas, get to the second car, and fill the empty tank. Then there was this debate of whether the second car should go to the nearest gas station and get more gas before going to the show. It was already 1pm now, the show started at 1pm. Becky, the driver of the second car, decided to go to the show first and fill up later, which troubled many of us: What if the car runs out of gas again? What if the car does not have enough gas to go to the nearest gas station after the show? What if? What if? Anyway we honored Becky’s decision and continued on to the theater.

2. An interrupted show

We finally arrived at the theater at 1:20pm. The ushers had to wait till an appropriate time before letting us in. We had seats in the first 2 rows in the center block and they didn’t want us to interrupt the show for everyone else. We went in stood at the side of the theater at the very front. Just as Abram and Sarai entered Egypt, I bowed low and ran in from the side towards my seat in the first row, right in the middle. Two of my friends ran in after me. The others were able to sit on the available empty seats at the side till intermission before taking their proper seats.

3. Keen sandals

Sitting at the very front of the theater, I saw everything clearly. I noticed that all the casts wore Keen leather sandals and they looked really comfortable. I kept wondering if the sandals will get sweaty after prolonged wear. They looked odd but quite cute. After closer observation, I noticed that Sarai was wearing foot covers underneath her sandals. Yes, I was that close to the stage. Hmmm….if she’s wearing foot covers, I guess the sandals aren’t that comfortable after all and it will probably get icky after prolonged wear. Maybe I’ll get Crocs instead.

4. Floods of dry ice

Sitting at the very front of theater, I experienced everything more intensely. When they pumped out the dry ice, I felt the full effect. And I felt and smelled it again and again.

5. God’s sacrifice

After these things, God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:1-2)

As Abraham was on his way with Isaac to Mt Moriah, it was one long sad and heart-wrenching scene. Finally, on Mt Moriah, Abraham placed Isaac on the altar and was ready to slaughter Isaac with a knife.

But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” (Genesis 22:11-12)

And I realized then that God spared Abraham the pain and suffering of killing Isaac, but He didn’t spare Himself the pain and suffering of giving His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us.

6. Donkey droppings

As Abraham and Isaac were heading home from Mt Moriah, the real donkey (Sight and Sound theaters like to have real animals in their shows) left a trail of donkey droppings all over the stage. Yes, I was that close to the stage. At least the droppings were dry, like brown stones falling and rolling around the stage…hahaha.

7. Shady Maple Smorgasbord

After the show, we went to Shady Maple Smorgasbord. Smorgasbord is sort of a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition of buffet-style restaurant. There are many smorgasbords all over the Lancaster area. And the Shady Maple is the Smorgasbord of all smorgasbords. That place can seat 1200 people. It looked like a megachurch from the outside. My friend commented that it’s the Church of Gluttony. The food was pretty good but I wasn’t that impressed with the place. They haven’t seen the food places that we have in Malaysia. Our varieties and tastes will trump all smorgasbords!

I’ve been wanting to write about the things that caught my eye at the museums in D.C. but things got really busy at school. So three weeks after the trip, here’s my top 10 in no particular order:

10. The cherry blossoms.

9. The lone duck (AIM)

I saw this lone duck swimming in the man-made waterfall (Grandfather Rocks) outside the National Museum of the American Indian (AIM). I found it really charming because it was the only duck there, so I didn’t suffer from the “see one, seen it all” syndrome here.

8. IMAX show: To Fly (Air & Space)

I’ve never seen an IMAX show, so it was a must see when I went to the National Air and Space Museum. I decided to see To Fly because it was the first and the most popular IMAX show. It was pretty good. However towards the middle, the horizon started to swerve left and right following the movement of the jets and the hand-glider and that was when I felt a bout of motion sickness. After that I just wanted the show to end and spare me the agony.

7. Planetarium show: Cosmic Collisions (Air & Space)

And I’ve never seen a planetarium show, so it was another must see. It was an ok show. But then I heard the narrator, Robert Redford, announced:

And in less than a month… incredible as it may seem…our moon was formed. That’s right. It took only one month to create our moon.

And that got my mind reeling: How did they know it was one month? How can they be sure of it?

Anyway, when the lights came up, I saw a 4-year old boy, who came in with his mom, sleeping soundly in his seat. So funny, he slept through the cosmic collisions.

6. Ghost dance statue (AIM)

I thought this was so adorable.

5. Creation story (AIM)

An American Indian creation story mural.

4. Gut-skin raincoat (AIM)

I almost bypassed this exhibit but I stopped when I read the plaque and learned that the raincoat was made from the gut-skin of seals. Gut-skin raincoat..that’s amazing! Actually, I don’t think it rains much in Alaska, so I should call it a gut-skin windbreaker instead.

3. American Indian baby cradle (AIM)

Beautiful and unique.

2. Allies in War, Partners in Peace bronze statue (AIM)

This little girl was at the back of the statue. What is she looking at?

1. Ito Jakuchu (1716-1800) (Sackler Gallery)

I was at the Freer and Sackler Gallery towards the end of the trip. Tired and suffering from the “See one, Seen it all” syndrome. And then I saw these two Japanese screens by Ito Jakuchu.

According to wikipedia:
Another of his famous pieces, dubbed “Birds and Animals in the Flower Garden,” is arguably one of the most modern-looking pieces to come out of Japan during this period. The piece, one of a pair of six-fold screens, depicts a white elephant and a number of other animals in a garden. What makes it unique, eccentric and modern is the division of the entire piece into a grid of squares roughly a centimeter on each side. Each square was colored individually, in order to create the resulting aggregate image.

This is my number one D.C. highlight.