Rash!

I just recovered from a bad rash today. For the past 2 nights, I almost itched to death. Yeah, sounds like a funny way to die but it is NOT! Gosh! Can you imagine rashes spreading ALL over your body from your teeny weeny little toes up to your chin? 

I first realized my rash when I was examining my face in the mirror, not for the rash but other foreign invasion A.K.A pimples. To my horror, my not-so-fair skin turned into a spread of patchy-red. ARGH!!!! Before I could stop it, my skin started to itch badly.

It was too late to get to the pharmacy because it was not 24 hours for the one near us. Thank God I have a mum who is extremely particular about her children's skin condition. I whipped out the special cream my mum passed to me before I left for Boston (whipped out? Oh... I sound like my kids who like to whip out their handphones and punch 995 ...). Then the itch went off but the cream is not meant to stop the allergy so I woke up the next day with full blown rash. =(

I felt like a monkey, scratching myself all over, though I was well aware that I should not. Argh! Wasted no time and I got my hands on the anti-allergy pills to stop the rash. One thing that really caught me by surprise is that those flu medicine that tackles itchy throat and runny nose can actually undo the allergy. I never know that! But I believe there are different medical contents to such pills so children please do not try this at home! Ask a pharmacist or a doctor please. 

Now the rash has subsided and I am now up and about. The days with the rash was bad but I thank God for I was well within 3 days. It could have been worse. =)

In the mood for movies

Recently I have been having a strong "craving" for Wong Kar Wai's (王家卫) movies. So I went for a marathon of movies that spanned from 1990 to 2004. These include Days of Being Wild (阿飞正传), Chunking Express (重庆森林), In the Mood for Love (花样年华）and 2046 (二零四六). 

With a cast of gorgeous actors and actresses, Wong takes you through a journey of longing, desire, passion, concealed emotions, rebelliousness, hatred and tragedy. They lead you to ponder and create your own conclusions based on the perceptions and emotions that you have at the end of the show. 

There is a catch though; the storyline of his movies are interrelated. You probably need to watch them in sequence to understand the full picture of the unfolding plot.  I didn't quite understand 2046 when I watched it 4 years ago because I didn't catch his previous movies. Now that I did, I finally understand the storyline. 

Wong's movies are truly the epitome of art-house romance; how much have I missed in the past!

New TV

Our TV was ready for collection after more than 3 weeks at the repair centre. However, we soon realized that it was beyond repair. Luckily for us, the TV was still under warranty. So we got a brand-new TV in exchange. Ah huh! This time round, we decided to sell the TV. Previously we bought one because we thought it could keep me occupied but now I have got my macbook, my keyboard and tuition, we decided this is a great opportunity to get rid of the it. So no money lost because of this new TV. Yeah!

The Dark Knight

Just came back from the cinema yesterday, I must say The Dark Knight is fantastic! You must watch it! The performance by late Heath Ledger was superb! Bravo! His delivery of his character of the Joker was so convincing and spine-chilling that I feel he deserved a nod for Oscar not because he was dead but simply because he was good and this is no joke!

I'm back.

To be truthful, I never left. Not because I didn't want to leave for Korea but I was simply refused on board. BECAUSE OF THE STUPID TRAVEL AGENCY!!!!!

They screwed up my plans. Took my details and credit card number, reserved my flight but didn't not pay the airline nor send in my booking. CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?

Haiz. Maybe it was a trip that was not meant to be. So after waiting in the wee hours of the morning, we lugged back my luggage, headed straight to bed without informing our parents cos we were simply too exhausted. 

Anyway, our parents were quite calm after we gave me a call the next day. Similar reaction from our pastors and church friends, though they were so disappointed. Hmmm... what to do? 

So now, we are waiting for compensation from THAT agency. Lesson learnt - buy direct from the airline company. Period. 

Okie, so after a few days, I felt better. Now I am looking forward to our trip to Canada next month. Haha!

Work in progress...

Smooth Sailing to Providencetown

Yesterday was a most memorable day for the three of us. Having heard so much about the riveting beauty of Cape Cod, we finally decided to make a trip to Provincetown by the cape, which is a 90 minute boat ride from the Boston harbour. 

Tickets are a little steep though... going at $77 an adult, I was sure glad to receive a 50% discount because of my student status!

So here we were on board the Salacia, the fast boat that makes the daily commute between Boston and the Cape. Wanna know how fast? Just see the picture below... there I was holding Doris down because she was almost blown overboard by the wind. And where was Earng Han? Well, he's the one who took this photo, and yes, he still refuses to allow us to publish a picture of him... 

The long foamy wake left behind by the Salacia makes quite a sight, doesn't it?

So here we were, 90 minutes later and bursting at the seams with enthusiasm as the Salacia cut her speed and rolled into the Provincetown harbor.  The tall building you see below is the famous Pilgrim Monument. Don't worry, you'll get a better shot later.

This is a typical street along Provincetown, which certain has a very coastal town feel to it doesn't it? Privincetown has a large population of Portuguese Americans, so it is really common to see American and Portuguese flags and banners displayed all over the town.

Here's a peculiar-looking shop, mainly because of its color. It actually sells all sorts of puzzles, mind-bending toys and games. The shop's color is sure a great way to get a visitor's attention. Amidst the rest of the grey, black or other relatively drab colours, pink certainly stands out from the rest of the pack by a mile!!

Here's quite a view of the Pilgrim Monument, right? It is said to be the tallest all-granite structure in the United States.

How about this shot? This monument commemorates the "first landing" of the Mayflower Pilgrims in Provincetown on November 21, 1620.

OK, so here's some trivia about the monument. The tower is 77 meters tall and rises 350 feet above sea level! It takes 116 steps and 60 ramps to hit the summit. The granite, we found out, came from Stonington, Maine, and each stone is the thickness of the wall. The design is patterned after the Torre Del Mangia in Siena, Italy.

During the climb up, one will see many interior stones that were donated by cities, towns and organizations from all of the United States. Halfway to the top...  another 58 steps to go...!!

And the prize? These breathtaking view of Provincetown... and the strong coastal breeze of course... 

And then we continued our Provincetown adventure with a trip to the famous sand dunes. Was this what Moses and the Israelites experienced when they were wandering in the wilderness?

We made friends with a family from Eastern Europe while touring the dunes. They have such beautiful daughters.

I just had to capture them at this point because they were spotting such sunny smiles... too bad the tour guide's figure in the background of the photo is a little 杀风景!!!

And finally, after a hot day, it's time to chill, so here's our very own Guinness model at the bar... ok, so it's not Guinness, but a light British beer, and it's some restaurant in town after a seafood dinner...

And here's the after-thoughts... you must still be wondering where is Mr Chan right? Same old story... he remains camera-shy and prefers to stay elusive for this moment... but of course, if you want pictures of him at all the unfathomable places, let me know and I'll post it without reservation!

Chicken soup for Mr Chan's Soul

We have on hand a large consignment of herbs of various kinds... the most recognizable are the mess of roots called ginseng as well as wolfberries; the rest I cannot even fathom the names. Anyway, we have come to realize that putting them all together into a pot with a chicken and simmering for a couple of hours makes pretty good soup. 

So, to soothe our dear Earng Han's tired soul (after he had toured God know's where in Boston), we decided to cook up an eclectic stew of herbs, mushroom and chicken. After simmering for about six hours, the  visually exhilarating, redolent of an art form, masterpiece (see above) was the final result. And our dear Earng Han's take on it? Priceless...

Mr Chan is back!

Earng Han is back with us once again after spending 5 days in New York, the city that never sleeps. He was super excited because he was told that there was a fantastic Italian restaurant highly recommended by his New York friends. So we headed to Vinnyt's of Boston last night. When there is good food tagged at a reasonable price, an excellent ambience, wonderful service topped with great company of friends, what else can you ask for? 

Appetizer

Entree

After that, we headed to a hip supermarket. I like the cute signboards!

After the trip to the hip supermarket, this was what we had this morning. Nice!

Celebrating Independence

Yesterday was Independence Day in America, and what better place than to celebrate it here in the historical City of Boston, where the settler's resistance to the British taxation regimes finally led to a decision by 13 colonies to make a formal declaration of independence from Britain.  The declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776.

The years that followed after that was marked by several years of fighting between American regiments and militia (subsequently allied with French and Dutch forces) against British forces supported by some German and Canadian units.  The Americans finally forced a British surrender at the Battle of Yorktown in 1783. Well, so much for a brief page of history...

4th July is today celebrated as Independence Day and is commonly associated with fireworks, barbecues, carnivals and other celebrations.  So knowing that this would be our first and last fourth of July in our present American sojourn, Doris and I were determined to join in the celebrations in the city, which promised a crowd of some 500,000 people by the Charles River.  

Before that, we met with a couple of my classmates - all International students (Bulgaria, Greece, Israel, Morocco and Taiwan) - for dinner at a Brazilian eatery along Cambridge Street after what seemed like an endless trek from the Central Square station in the Harvard area. Arriving a rather ravenous lot, we lost no time in launching into a carnivorous rampage of the eclectic selection of grilled meats.  Yummy!

The 'council' of international students looking all prim and proper... ah but wait till the feasting begins!!!

 

The odd couple from Singapore... in the company of mainly Mediterranean and European countries. 

The waiter serving pieces of meat right off the grilling flames... that looks like bacon wrapped over chicken.

Following dinner, we travelled to the Kendall area to mingle with the crowd, catch the audio broadcasts of the celebrations at the Halfshell, and catch some 30 minutes of riveting fireworks! Don't the pictures just remind you of our own National Day Parade?

Above is a shot of maybe 1% of the crowd at the Harvard/MIT side of the Charles River. You can see the iconic Prudential Tower - the tallest one - on the other side of the river. 

Let the fireworks begin!

Fireworks timed according to the 1812 Festival Overture composed by Tchaikovsky - you can hear a similar rendition in our juke box.

 

Meet Mr Chan!

Our church friend, Mr Chan Earng Han, has officially reached Boston City from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I travelled to the airport to fetch him and it was supposed to be rather convenient to do that Boston. However, Mr Chan has apparently brought with him some form of disaster. Allow me to explain...

Firstly, the train I wanted to catch, caught fire. That was yesterday on my way to the airport.

Secondly, the weather was supposed to be very sunny today. But within an hour, it turned into a thunderstorm.

Thirdly, we almost kena drenched by dirty rain water from a speeding car.

Fourthly, the train we took from Lechmere broke down three times.

Lastly, I nearly got killed by a fallen tree at Boston Common!

So Mr Chan declared that he has brought forth the series of unfortunate events and we would be free of calamity once he is off to New York City. 

This was the breakfast prepared by Daniel for Earng Han. 

After the frightening thunderstorm at Boston Common, we headed to Lechmere for some shopping. Then we found out that we could go for free visit at the Museum of Art near my house. So being kiasu, we rushed down to beat the peak hour crowd. 

Some photos taken at the museum. Earng Han refused to let me post his photos online. So those who want to see his face, sorry ah...

This is a super duper small Christian devotion book in Syrian. 

Christ the Good Shepherd. Carved from ivory wor...

I love this cast glass bench!

Jesus and the 12 disciples. 

我要飞得最高、最远。。。我的梦无限空间。

This is made from styrofoam.

Arty farty tree.