Just to kill some time...

well... there's always this half an hour, or fifteen minutes where u think that u don't really have enough time to be productive, and you just don't feel like doing nothing altogether... so, i decided to kill about 20 minutes of my time... of this gorgeous Friday afternoon, before i go to work, by doing this silly quiz...

How am I gonna die? haha... i wish i know life and death is that simple... just take a quiz, and tadaa... u get ur answer...

here's what the quiz says:

You scored as Gunshot. Your death will be by gunshot, probably because you are some important person or whatever. Possibly a sniper, nice, quick, clean shot to the head. Just beautiful. Gunshot 73% Natural Causes 67% Cut Throat 67% Posion 47% Disappear 47% Drowning 40% Bomb 40% Disease 33% Suicide 33% Accident 33% Suffocated 33% Eaten 33% Stabbed 20% created with QuizFarm.com

A bit overdue....

Sorry peeps... I know that this is a bit overdue... so bear with me as I take u through the thoughts and the actions I did over the past several days...

Where did I stop last time around?? I think it should be some brief mentioning of the Summer Art Fair... yeah.. So, there's this huge Summer Art Fair here in Ann Arbor... for 4 days, (last Wed til Sat)... Virtually, artists from all over the States gather here (rented booth) to show their artworks and trying to sell their masterpieces...interesting stuffs and arts around... glass paintings, woodwork, oil paintings, watercolor paintings...all kind... i'm not the artsy type of person, but i do appreciate beautiness... so, although i don't really how to appreciate it, but i do know what's nice and what's not...

as it is aptly named, Summer Art Fair... that few days were really hot... and the overpriced food at the art fair doesn't help... imagine paying $5 for a cup of smoothies, or a cup of fresh hand-squeezed lemonade... $5 for butterfly fries, another $3 for a hotdog... simply put, just a ripped off...

on Saturday... it's again another 23rd... (if u didn't read my blog right from the start, u might not get why 23rd is of such important and significant to me...) well, I left home for the States on 23rd of August, 2004... so, it's been 11 months since I left home... feeling a bit home sick... i missed my home... i know they missed me too... (they better do!!!) Listening to the song Home by Michael Buble really intensifies the homesickness feeling... well... life goes on...

forgot to mention, as I don't work on Saturday night... not that I don't want to work, but the dining hall isn't opened on Saturday dinner... we don't serve on Saturday dinner...!!! so, Eric and I went to this place called Krazy Jim's Blimpie Burger... well, it's one of the best(if not the best) place to get burgers in Ann Arbor... and another must-have from the menu is the Fried Onion rings... ooh.... it's SOOOOOO GOOD... but, unhealthy... but, since I'm only eating it once a week... it's not too bad....(just once a week..., that's like 1 out of 20+ meals..., making it less than 5% of my meal...) I had the usual... (a triple cheese, with the regular fried onion rings... and a sprite)...

after dinner, Eric and I decided to walk along the State Street..., then, turned at forgot which street, and arrived at East Liberty Street's Starbucks... and we decided to have a cuppa... As I walked in, I saw the poster of their NEW beverage.. the Green Tea Frappucino(is that how u spell it??)!!! I'm really elated to see that as I've been waiting for them to introduce it here in the States... I still can remember slightly more than 1 year ago(back in Malaysia), my buddy, Min Han and I like to go to the Starbucks at Carrefour, Subang Jaya, to use the free wireless internet service provided there (not sure they still provide this wonderful service or not), especially when we got back from our different travelling... we will start plugging the camera, upload the photos and start explaining what every photo is about and all... and to share the stories behind every photos... those late Friday and Saturday nightouts were really great memories...

and this also kicks some thoughts about how immature and how youngster are willing to spend RM13+ on a cup of beverage... well... an average worker earns RM 1500+(that's a relatively high income for a fresh graduate), and what more, when I was only a student who earns nothing, to spend RM13+ on a cuppa is really ridiculous... Luckily, my parents don't know about my spending back then, or else... i would be long gone...

back to the Starbucks.... so, without any doubt, I ordered a Venti Green Tea Frap. it costs $4.55 here... and took a sit at one of the window-side seats... we chatted for awhile... just to catch up with anything... it was really good to enjoy a light moment, drinking a still-so-wonderful Green Tea Frap and mingling about nothing in particular...

we left the place at about 11pm... what a night... sometimes, everything that's so ordinary can combine and make up such extraordinary experience... hard to believe...

oh, BTW... I did managed to obtain an A-range score for my first midterm... whew...

Busy...

sorry for not updating my blog more frequently... i've been catching up with my reading... for my midterms and those non-fictions I borrowed from the library...

oh yar... and also the Harry Potter book 6... spent 2 nights to read it...

and also, I have been working many hours more... those substituting... I'm picking up many substitution shifts... I'm working about 30 hours a week.. maybe more... my paycheck will tell... :P

anyway... this is an interesting joke to you guys...
quoted from "Slackos.com"

Onions and Christmas trees.

A young boy asks his father, "Dad, is it OK for us guys to notice all the different kind of boobs?" Surprised, the father answers, "Well, sure son, we wouldn't be normal if we didn't. There are all kinds of breasts depending on a woman's age. In her twenties, a woman's breasts are like melons, round and firm. In her thirties to forties, they are like pears, still nice but hanging a bit. After fifty, they are like onions." "Onions, Dad?" "Yeah, you see them and they make you cry." Not to be outdone, his sister asks her mother, "Mom, how many kind of weenies are there?" The mother, delighted to have equal time, answers, "Well, daughter, a man goes through three phases. In a man's twenties, a man's weenie is like an oak, mighty and hard. In his thirties and forties, it is like a birch, flexible but reliable. After his fifties, it is like a Christmas tree." "A Christmas tree?" "Yep, dried up and the balls are only there for decoration.

here's another one... this has been in circulation for very long time!!! really really long time...
but I think it is so good that another mention of it is not too much...

Politics summed up

Lil' Johnny goes to his dad and asks, "What is politics?" Dad says, "Well son, let me try to explain it this way. I'm the breadwinner of the family, so let's call me Capitalism. Mommy is the administrator of the money, so we'll call her the Government. We're here to take care of your needs, so we'll call you The People. The nanny, well, consider her The Working Class. Your baby brother, we'll call him The Future. Now go think about this and see if it makes sense." So the little boy goes off to bed thinking about what Dad has said. Later that night, he hears his baby brother crying and runs to his room only to find that his diapers are very soiled. So the little boy goes to his parents' room. Mom is sound asleep. Not wanting to wake her, he goes to the nanny's room. Finding the door locked, he looks through the peephole and sees his father in bed with the nanny. He gives up and goes back to bed. The next morning, the little boy says to his father, "Dad, I think I understand what politics is now." "Good son, tell me in your own words then what politics are." The little boy replies, "Well, while Capitalism is screwing the Working Class, the Government is sound asleep, the People are being ignored and the Future is in deep shit."

Summer is really fun!!!

Well... It is fun because:

1. I'm only taking one class... and I like the class I'm taking.
   
   I'm taking this class, Econ 327, Economics of Crime, under Prof. Paula Malone.I find it really really interesting. I'll put up another post all about this course and what have I learned so far.
   
   
2. I'm working...and that means more income, and hence, more disposable income(sorry for the Econs term... well I'm an Econ major :-P...in layman's term, more spending money).
   
   Currently, I'm working at the Mary Markley Dining Service (MMDS in short), Mary Markley is the name of the dorm where the dining hall is located, hence the name. I'm working quite a number of hours there, and I'm always the team-player, so, I tends to pick up a lot of substitution for my friends, even though it means less sleeping time for me, especially those early breakfast shifts. The pay is not bad at all, and I'm earning quite a handsome pay with that many hours of work weekly, on average, I think I'm working about 25 hours a week...
   
   
3. I've more leisure time... more sleeping time...
   
   Although I'm that kind of abnormal people who sleeps like 5 hours daily(that only applies when I'm busy... u know, desperate moments call for desperate measures.) Now, I can slumber for about 7 hours a day... actually, most of the time, 6 hours will make me good to go. And because of the Summer, the Sun rises at 6am, well, maybe slightly earlier... the sky is bright by 6am... so, that's the reason(i think) my body wakes me up at 6am. But, the more sleeping time I'm talking about is the afternoon nap... well, maybe because of the extra reading i'm doing, I tends to feel sleepy in the later afternoon... about 3 - 4pm... I will take a nap til about whenever I feel like waking up... U know those toss and turning in bed... wondering what time it is, wondering what i should do next - to wake up, or to continue sleeping... u get the idea.
   
   
4. I can do more reading...currently reading: The Torment of Others by Val McDermid.
   going to read: 4th of July by James Patterson and Maxine Patero and many more
   
   And the list goes on, Freakonomics, The Historian, and I'm holding quite a number of books in the library... I like to read fiction a lot.... A LOT... I do read some non-fiction when I feel like it too... but mainly fiction... thriller to be more precise.
   
   
5. I can do more running...
   
   After the afternoon nap, I will normally go for a run, if the weather is not too hot, and of course, when it is not raining. Those 1-hour long run is really good... I run from my apartment, cutting through the Diag, then, to the Hill Area, passing Mary Markley residence hall, then, the University of Michigan Hospital, then, running down a long flight of steps to The Arb, running a full circle in the Arb, then cut back to Hill Area, and then, taking the reverse route back to my apartment. It used to be really boring to run alone for such a long time... but now, with my new iPod, I can basically run and run, with music pumping into my ears, for quite sometime, until my leg ache.
   
   
6. I can eat whatever, whenever, wherever I feel like eating.
   
   When I'm too lazy to cook, I'll just choose which place to eat out... Big Ten Burrito, Krazy Jim Blimpy Burger, Subway, Buffalo Wild Wings... Or when I feel like cooking, I will either cook some Tuna noodle casserole, or soup noodle with some meat... or when I'm lazy and don't feel like spending, I'll just make myself some sandwiches and settle with it. And those late night snacks like Potato Tots, cookies, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, my pineapple sorbet...
   
   
7. Party...
   
   Only now that I know how much of American "Education System" I've been missing... especially being in one of the best and biggest public school in the States. Partying is part of college education... of course, college life. Believe it or not, after more than 10 months in the State, I just when to my very first party last Saturday... and I'm invited to another party next Friday... One thing unique about partying here in the States, for guys, u have to be invited to go to a party, for a girl, u just need to walk in and u are good... One thing, the invitation here goes exponentially..(sorry for the math term, couldn't help it, as I'm a math major as well...) in layman's explanation, once u are invited, u can invite your friends, and your friends can invite your friends' friends... and it goes on and on... and u can expect how crowded the party will be... and what we do at the party... that's too RATED to be told here... (my brothers read my blog... so, some censoring and moderating is needed...)
   
   
8. Basically, it's just the things i can do, with lotsa freedom and lotsa time... so time management is important.

Hope u get a hang of my feeling about Summer.... I LOVE SUMMER... I "HEART" SUMMER!!!

Dysfunctional Section of Hallmark...quoted

I'm in the mood for jokes... so, here's another one I found...

quoted from a forum maintained by Tremayne...

so, here it goes:

The cards that you'd really like to send.

I always wanted to have someone to hold, someone to love.
And now that you've come into my life...
(Inside card) -
I've changed my mind.

I must admit, you brought religion into my life...
(Inside card) -
I never believed in Hell until I met you.

As the days go by, I think how lucky I am....
(Inside card) -
That you're not here to ruin it for me.

Congratulations on your promotion. Before you go....
(Inside card) -
Will you take the knife from my back? You'll probably need
it again.

Someday I hope to marry...
(Inside card) -
Someone other than you.

Happy Birthday! You look great for your age....
(Inside card) -
Almost lifelike!

When we were together, you said you'd die for me...
(Inside card) -
Now we've broken up, I think it's time to keep your promise.

We've been friends for a very long time...
(Inside card) -
What do you say we stop?

I'm so miserable without you...
(Inside card) -
It's almost like you're still here.

Congratulations on your new bundle of joy....
(Inside card) -
Did you ever find out who the father was?

You are such a good friend. If we were on a sinking ship
and there was only one life jacket...
(Inside card) -
I'd miss you terribly and think of you often.

Your friends and I wanted to do something special for your
birthday...
(Inside card) -
So we're having you put to sleep.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Dad!
(Available only in Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas AND
UTAH!!!!!)

Looking back over the years we've been together, I can't
help but wonder...
(Inside card) -
What was I thinking?

Congratulations on your wedding day!...
(Inside card) -
Too bad no one likes your husband.

A Whacky Joke...quoted from ewacky.com

Really funny... got this from ewacky.com

"First-year students at Med School were receiving their first anatomy class with a real dead human body.

They all gathered around the surgery table with the body covered with a white sheet.

The professor started the class by telling them, "In medicine, it is necessary to have two important qualities as a doctor:
The first is that you not be disgusted by anything involving the human body."
For an example, the Professor pulled back the sheet, stuck his finger in the butt of the corpse, withdrew it and stuck it in his mouth.
"Go ahead and do the same thing, "he told his students.
The students freaked out, hesitated for several minutes, but eventually took turns sticking a finger in the butt of the dead body and sucking on it.

When everyone finished, the Professor looked at them and told them, "The second most important quality is observation.
I stuck in my middle finger and sucked on my index finger.

Now learn to pay attention." "

Pretty good.. ain't it?

Anyway... I'm in pretty good mood today...
One is, well... I passed my Actuarial Exam, course P(first paper), P for Probability(i guess!). I got to know about it yesterday, sometime abt 3.30pm... I think they didn't notice that they didn't link the webpage of the result properly... But because, they(the webmasters) are too organized and also too predictable, I just change some numbers, and get to surf the result page anyway...

Second is, today is Saturday... well... Saturday... woke up this morning, at about 7am, damn... I just couldn't sleep for more than 7 hours now... my body clock is just too 'good'... anyway, so, i just click around , surfing webpage, well, Utopia again..., and then, chatted with someone too.... and before long, it's already almost 10, and I have to get ready to work... one thing I forgot to mention is that I ate the Kahlua Mocha Chocolate Cheesecake...(whew, what a long name) which I bought yesterday early in the morning, and well, maybe it's because it was really too early... and maybe the cheesecake was kinda huge.... that's why I had hard time swallowing the last piece of it.... well, I waited for awhile and managed to get it down... That's when I discover, not everything is the more, the merrier.... there's something call satiate...meaning enough is enough... try having 10 scoops of ice cream, of 2 pounds of chocolate... U get what I mean???

Working at the dining hall for the brunch was really easy.... everything was so slow... couldn't believe it that there were less than 200(i think, maybe not even 150) people turned up for brunch... Working in the dining hall, few people = Boring!!! basically, we just stood around, making talks, cleaning up already cleaned counters, waiting for people to empty the tray so that we can go and get a new tray of food from the kitchen...

Well... got off from work at about 2.45pm... walked back to my apartment, changed into my running shoes, and I started to jog to the Central Campus Recreational Building (CCRB)... there, I ran 1.5 miles for warming up... then, did some stretching...(quite a lot actually), some kicking... my kicking was really rusty... then did some machines... and then, went back to jog again... for another 2.5 miles... basically, I spent about 2 hrs in sweating... pretty good... then, walked back to my apartment... got nothing to do, and that's about it... that's why I'm here, updating my blog...

Weekends are here again...All about my work...

First of all... I would like to wish Happy 26th Birthday to my eldest bro, Nigel...
Yeeha!!! Happy Birthday bro!

This is 3 days late... Well... just 3 days late on this blog... I did try to contact him on that day itself... but couldn't get him...

So, after 2 days of classes (Wednesday and Friday), it's weekends again... I've been working quite some hours lately... My 'colleague' Nick had some bad food the other day, and I substituted him for work yesterday breakfast...

And from now on, I'll be working another shift on Friday night... that makes me working for 7 shifts a week... 3 breakfasts, 2 brunches, 2 dinners... (will be more if I pick up some more substitutes...) that's about 20 hours worth of work weekly... and that translates to not bad some extra income... $$$$$$$$$$

anyway, let me introduce you guys to my work... more like me introducing my work to u guys...
so, basically, i'm working in the dining hall... the Mary Markley Dining Service... And currently, my supervisor is on vacation... so, there are several supervisors from other hall helping him out...

For breakfast, I'll either be the floater (which do almost everything, from serving food, to running to grab food from the kitchen(we call this job as runner), and to checker(swipe student's card before students enter the dining hall)...

I don't really like to work as checker... although it's like one of the easiest job among many positions, it is to more boring... like u have to sit at the counter for 2 hours... waiting for people to show up... after the breakfast hours, I need to collect all the utensils (tongs, spoons...) and prewash them before chucking all of them into a tray and run them through the dishwasher...

So, I prefer the work as a floater... when there's a line, we will serve the students so that the line will go faster... if the crowd is thin, we will just let them self-serves... we just need to check whether the food is low and get it from the kitchen and restock it... after that, we need to wipe down all the tables... which is quite a pain in the ass... but i rather get busy, than sitting they and greet everybody....((a)Hi there!(b) Good morning! (c)How you doing? (d)How'zit going? (e) Hello!) and shuffle these five greetings for 30 times... as there will be about 150 people come in for breakfast every morning...

For brunch, I'll be working as a Headwaiter... Sounds great?? yeah.. the responsibility is quite heavy too... will, u have to wipe down those bars...(salad bar, hot bar...), the pop machines, and those milks and juices dispensers... when the dispensers are low, u will have to refill those dispensers... and those things are heavy... those milks and juices come in 5 gallons packets... so, first, we need to place them into a milk carton, then, put it into the dispensers, and then, connect the tube, and cut the tube... that's about it..

For Sunday brunch, I work in the dishroom... either at the line to pick up cutleries and cups, or toss plates and bowls, or scrape those crap from plates and bowls...

For Sunday dinner, I'm the runner...

For Friday dinner, I'm the exit-host... Exit host basically reads baby-sitter... I need to sit there and watch those kids from making a fool of themselves, and to behave themselves... to clean up their own mess, not to let anybody to sneak in from the backdoor, to throw away napkins they used... all this crap... Well, I also need to keep an eye on the ice cream machine... reload those cones, refill those dairy milk for ice cream... and after the meal, I need to wipe down those tables again, and refill those napkins...

so, that's all about my job...

actually, I've a lot to talk about the class I'm taking this semester... Economics of Crime... Really interesting class... and wonderful reading... I'll try to cook up some examples here on real life and show u how interesting Econs is...

Bye for now...

My baby... My precious...

Finally... my iPod Photo is here... it's a 30 Gigabyte monster!!! muahaha...

This is me smiling like an idiot with my new found love...

at the back of my iPod, it is laser engraved with:

Voon Seng Lai
U of Michigan Class of 2008

As u guys already notice, (if not, then I'm telling u now), that my favorite color is blue... I bought my baby a 'baby blue' skin... and this is how it looks in it...

Sweet, ain't it... ROCK ON... iPod rules...

Thanks for visiting Ann Arbor...(Monday) Independence Day!!!

It's the 4th of July... It's the Independence Day!!! Hoorah...

Let's celebrate!!!

What's with the hoo hah??? Woke up at 6am this morning... Slept back and woke up at 6.45am again... LUCKILY... if not, I would be late for work... and I'll be dead meat... My student coordinator would kill me... :-)

Reached my working place, Mary Markley Dining Hall right on the dot of 7.25am.
I was really tired... my mind was not really functioning... luckily, my job was really easy... just swiping cards at the counter.

Went back to my apartment at abt 10am. Brought them to have breakfast at Expresso Royal Coffee. We took some picture at the University of Michigan board near my apartment...

Tze Chang & I

Teck Hua & I

We walked around and took more pictures before and after breakfast...(some of the pictures where snapped yesterday....)

This is the 'M' at the Diag... We just call it the Diag. There's a myth saying that freshman shouldn't step on this 'M' before sitting for an Blue Book exam...(basically, an Exam here in Michigan), or else, u will fail ur first paper... Believe it or not??

It's Independence day... the huge flag at the diag... The backdrop is the Hatcher Graduate Library...

These two are photos of West Hall... The most creeped(literally) building in Central Campus...

This is the Michigan Union...

This is the Law Quad... Most beautiful building (really gothic-looking) of University of Michigan Ann Arbor.

Another look of Law Quad...

The Law Quad again, look at the beautiful creeps...

The Law Library... It's at the underground level with Glass Wall (because those old stones are too expensive and too rare... In order to preserve the Gothic look of Law Quad, they have to build it underground. What a genius...)

This is Angell Hall... Majestic, ain't it???

This is the Bell Tower...

Basically, these are the main features(more prominent buildings) of the Central Campus.

So, after having breakfast, and snapping photos, we walked back to my apartment, and they packed up and ready to go... Going to Detroit, they said...

In the afternoon, I watched some tv... The annual Hot Dog eating competition is on...Live on ESPN... cool...

again, Takeru Kobayashi won again... for the fifth consecutive times... He won the contest by eating 49 hotdogs (WITH BUNS) in 12 minutes... mind you... and it was 4 and a half hotdogs short of his 53 and a half WORLD RECORD pace set last year. That's INSANE!!!

the speed and the capacity is just crazy...

watched more baseball after that... and then, went to work again at about 4.30pm... til about 8pm... it was raining quite heavily... After waiting for awhile, the rain was some how lighter, so, I jogged back to my apartment.

Was quite tired from all the work, and haven't been sleeping well for the past 2 days..(i like my bed better... the couch in the living room is just too soft... and i like my comforter and my body pillow(bolster) better... :P)

Watched "Who wants to be a millionaire" (artists charity special episodes)... those questions are much easier... but it's for charity...

slept at 11+pm.. near midnight...

waking up at 6am tomorrow...
Goodnight...

Thanks for visiting Ann Arbor...(Sunday)

I'll be working 2 shifts today!!! Both brunch and dinner. From 11am til 3pm, and then from 5pm til 8pm. I woke up quite early this morning, at about 8 something and started watching Formula 1... and then Teck Hua and Tze Chang woke up, and we continued watching, dang... It's Alonso leading, from beginning til the end, what fun?

Then, switched to watch Wimbledon Open, Men's Final, Federer vs Roddick... No match... Federer was all over Roddick... dominated the match and just game, set and match...

Well, I left for work at about 10.30am, and left them my cell phone so that their senior can contact them, (they planned to go to Detroit, the Motown... in the later afternoon). Luckily, Brian was around to bring and show them the beautiful North Campus...

Getting tired with all these words?? I'll get you some pictures... here it goes...

Hmmm... Let me began with Brian meeting Tze Chang and Teck Hua right in front of the Graduate Library:

(too bad, the faces are too small.... from left to right: Tze Chang, Brian, and Teck Hua)

So, this is the Michigan Blue Bus... As the campus is really big, travelling around(especially from North Campus to Central Campus) is much easier to take a ride.(will, unless u have ur own ride)

On the way to North Campus, they got bored and started snapping pictures on the Bus... haih...waste of electricity(in the batteries) and electrons...

Teck Hua:"Give me the camera!"

Tze Chang & Brian :"If only u take our picture..."

Brian da man...
(fyi, I made those conversations up!

North Campus... basically, School of Engineering... and School of Music...

Forgot what's the name of this place...but it's at North Campus

Teck Hua, got desperate and started humping a Wolverine...

This is where Teck Hua was humping the poor Wolverine...

This is the Pierpont Commons... There's a bank, a travel agent, several nice places for food, Computer Lab... beautiful lounge, International Center, Bookstore, ATMs... Library... Most happening places in North Campus...(well, for engineers... it's really happening... :P)

And actually, North Campus is really really huge, with lotza modern looking building... (u know, engineers...) but too bad, it's really too huge to cover it on foot...

Took a shot of the drain cover...

I went back to my apartment after the brunch shift at about 3pm... Tze Chang and Teckie came back from the North Campus tour at about 10 minutes later... Too bad, they aren't going to Detroit in the afternoon... so, Tze Chang started to work on his Diff. Eq. homework while Teck Hua decided to walk around and snap more shots... Teck Hua went out to buy the pennant too.

I went out to work again at about 4.40pm.

So, adventurous Teck Hua decided to search for something with the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, he got lost... and walked for really long to get this photo...(without knowing that there's another one like 2 minutes from my apartment away... should have told him earlier... :) )

I came back at 8pm, and I wanted to bring them to a really delicious(reads unhealthy) burger stall"Blimpie Burger), but too bad, it's closed... So, I decided to bring them to bd Mongolian BBQ buffet...(my third time in 3 weeks...) Mongolian BBQ should really give me an award or something...

The food was good... we had a big Brownie too... really nice... our server for the night, Colby brought us some kids cup for us to take away the drinks... it's really funny looking because those cups are meant for kids...

Whatever, at about 10pm, I brought them to South Campus...(which basically has nothing other that few fields and sports complex and athletic department....) We walked and reached my apartment at about 11pm... Watched some baseball again... (haven't u notice that there are several baseball matches every night, several too many...how exciting...)

Again, Tze Chang showed me his skills with Civ III:Conquests. I went to bed at about 1+ am... need to work at 7.20am tomorrow...

Thanks for visiting Ann Arbor...(Saturday)

To TeckHua and Tze Chang:

Thanks for visiting Ann Arbor. Really appreciate it. Too bad I have to work, too short notice, couldn't get anybody to cover my shifts, couldn't really bring u guys around. Hopefully those dinners are good... Well, that's about the best around...

so... for the first afternoon, both of them reached my apartment at about 2.45pm... They reached my place when I was walking back from work, about five minutes away from my apartment. So, i ran back when they called me on my cell.

It was a really hot & sunny day, and i forgot to turn on the AC. The apartment was really hot. After turning on the AC, at least, it was bearable. After resting for a while, until about 3.30pm, I brought them to hunt for pennants(triangular flag) & souvenirs. First, we walked to Steve & Barry's, and they got some Michigan t-shirts, but the pennants are too big, and not really that nice. Then, we went to another Michigan fans store, we saw one that's OK sized, as there are many more such stores, and the store will be opened on the 4th of July, so, I told them to hold on to their horses. Then, we went to the next stop, Michigan book & supply. But the pennants there are not as pretty. Another then, we walked to the Moe Sport's shop to look for pennants again, and couldn't find it. Then, we walked to the Michigan Union underground, and search for the stuffs in Union bookstore. Mission failed. Again, the pennants were quite ugly, or oversized. But at least, Teck Hua got a beautiful postcard to send home. Something funny happened, nearly happened. Teck Hua paid for his postcard ($0.99) with a five bucks, not knowingly, (he thought that it was a 1 buck bill), and almost asked the cashier to keep the change. Luckily, he saw that guy started counting bills and handed him $1 X 4 and a penny. Luckily for Teck Hua, if not, it would be really awkward and all.

Next stop, we walked really far (and I got lost...dang) to Main St. to search for pennants at another Michigan fans' store, the M-Den. And you guessed it right, to no avail again... And walked into another store again,(forgot what's the name of the shop)... and still... so, Teck Hua decided to get the one from the 2nd store that we went. By that time, it's about 4.30pm. And we were thirsty and decided to go to Starbucks to get a fruppa or some other cold drinks and settle down. We walked to the Starbucks on East Liberty St. I think that's the nicest Starbucks in Ann Arbor(we have many Starbucks here...). We ordered drinks(I had a Strawberries & Creme) and we went to the underground of the cafe. It's nice and quiet there. Three of us started to talk crap and we managed to chat til 6.40pm.

We walked to a nearby Chinese Restaurant, TK Wu for dinner. It was not really crowded, but we were make to wait for a good 10 minutes before we were seated... lousy server. We ordered long beans with pork, and steamed fish(both are my favorite dishes here). Experience tells me that the steamed fish takes forever to be served, so I told them not to eat too fast... And yeah, luckily we did eat slowly... and just slowed enough to be served with the steamed fish when we were almost done with the long beans.

After dinner, I walked them around the campus, show & tell kinda thing. After all those touring, we went back to the apartment... watched baseball, and watched TC played Civ III:Conquests... and called it a night.