Jason@UT Austin

Totally random stuff

2010-05-22T08:10:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we talked last time, hasn't it? Well, I guess this ain't gonna be a well received opening of a letter or an article of any kind that's meant to be read by people in such a time compressed world in which, unfortunately, we're living today. But that's OK, when I said we, I meant me and myself. I never would've started to ramble if it weren't for some beautiful yet sad moments that have been mentoring and inspiring me for the past few weeks. Suddenly I began to realize that as a self-aware intellectual creature, if anybody would agree with me on that, the amount of time I spend on reflecting on myself is just miserably insignificant and truth be told it feels horrible to come to such a place. I always thought that aging means being able to express my feelings with accurate combination of words at any time and the fact that I have total awareness of having them, but all things point to the contrary, now I rely on finding subtle resemblance between other people's emotions and mine just to understand myself better. So the next thing you know is me standing there looking at someone else's life and saying "I can't believe this is happening to me" while "this" is already in the past. That's right, that's how slow I am at the age of 22 and I've certainly made my peace with never been any slower before.

Last night was surprisingly great, in spite of falling asleep in front of some random comedies like I'd planned for a week, I made the commitment to finally watch The Time Traveler's Wife and before I knew it I was reaching out for tissues. I was almost completely and 100% lost in the story if it's not because I was subconsciously hating Eric Bana for making the lovely Rachel McAdams cry twice a minute. I think there are many lines and scenes in the film which indicate that this movie is about love and I believe now you know what I really meant by "slow". If there's one thing I can walk away with after jumped through their life is that love is bearing something unbearable for someone whose even slightest smile and breath could fill you with endless strength to carry on in worst of the worst. Sometimes love is pain, but that's what makes it beautiful because then you realize how important this person is and it's just worth whatever it takes. For the new found perspective of love and many other things, I truly appreciate this special friend of mine who has been restlessly recommending this movie to me. Honestly, I don't usually write and I'm kinda out of words too, so this is gonna be the perfect place where we call it a day, again, just me and myself.

PS: Randomness is good, so is being a little drunk.

Halloween Halloween

2009-11-01T14:18:00.000-08:00

Feels good to look down!

People People People

Bee, Nurse and a guy, I see what's going on!

Did we scare ya?

It's a party in the USA!

Bravo!

The Banana says, Bite me!

Let's chop it up!

Highlight number 1: Rocky Horror Picture Show
Call me dump, but I've never heard of Rocky Horror Picture Show before in my life. Is it good? Is it horrible? There's no way to know. But in Austin this Halloween, WAY!! The Alamo Drafthouse Village theater put on a Rocky Horror Show at midnight Halloween and that's the place where we found the magic! This is literally the first time that I sit down in front of a show like this. Act it out while play it on screen, what a brilliant idea! As the plots move on, we also got to sing along and use all the freaky stuff that people don't normally use in theater from the goody bag including a roll of "nice smelling" toilet paper, a colorfully shining whistle, a vintage piece of newspaper......and a Condom. Now I'm sure you are desperately to find out what are those stuff for, but I'm not gonna ruin the fun for all the Rocky Horror virgins out there and if you're not, you know what I'm talking about!LOL

Highlight number 2: Halloween on the 6th
Just as you thought it might be, the whole Austin was there! And the best part, it's not the Austin that you see in any other day of the year! The 6th street was an ocean of characters and fun! Almost everybody was pretending to be someone he/she is not, or is he/she? Anyways, it's really amazing to see so many great costumes crowding the town, especially from the roof of Maggie Mae's, the super Mario brothers from Super Mario, the wild things from Where The Wild Things Are, the Superman, the Superwoman, the Batman, the Catwoman, the Village People, family reunion of The Wizard of Oz, Luke Skywalker, high school football coach and his best player,slutty nurses, Joker dad with baby Elmo, and speaking of Joker, we saw at least 10 Jokers roaming down the street! Seriously guys, Why So Serious?

Breaking and Entering

2009-09-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

If you think this is the movie starring Jude Law and Juliette Binoche talking about reevaluation of life after a total stranger breaks into your world and stirs up a huge mess almost impossible to deal with, then you might be disappointed. It's not a movie and it didn't happen in London, it's this totally random thing that I ran into last night and basically there were me, my roommate and a black dude who I've never met before in my life.

It starts with me chilling in my room rapping along with Jin the Artist and talking to my girl when I heard somebody knocking on our door, so I thought it's AJ coming back from a quick bite or whatever, I went to the living room and opened the door and BAM a short black dude was there all wet(it's pouring outside) and looked kinda scared and intense. Before I even asked him anything, he goes "I need to use your phone, I need to use your phone!" and I goes "what's going on?" and just at that moment AJ came out of his room to see what's going on which proves me wrong when I thought he's out. Then AJ goes"How can we help you?" The black dude was still like "I need to use the phone, I need to use the phone!" and he just won't tell us what the emergency was. Clearly he's up to something which can't be known and while he's talking he just barged in our apartment which pretty much scared us! Then me and AJ both went up warning him to back off and get out of our apartment, he backed off a few steps and tried to come closer again, then AJ goes "Hey man, I work here and you need to leave right now!". Knowing that AJ is a staff here, the black dude immediately went out and before we knew it, he's totally gone, we even didn't notice which direction he took. So we followed out to see if he's still around, but he disappeared. When we were back in our apartment again, we felt so lucky that nothing terrible happened and I felt like a completely idiot for opening up the door for him in the first place, I think I just totally forgot the fact that the United States could be very dangerous at night, which is totally different from Singapore, in Singapore, you could just leave the door opened at night, it's the country with the lowest crime rate in the world. Now, think about it, if the black dude was really up to something evil and actually had a weapon with him, he could totally took control of us and even killed us for whatever reason and we would be dead by now! Man! That's really a close one!!!

If you think that was the end of the story, you're wrong again. So the more we thought about it, the more we felt we should do something about it, what if the man kept knocking on other people's door and attacked them. Because AJ is one of the staff at our property, he called the manager and asked her what to do now. Basically the manager told him to go to the club room at our property and ask people who hang out there to go back to their apartments asap in case the black dude showed up again, so me and AJ went to the club room with a knife! The moment we stepped out of our apartment we saw that black dude dashing down from the second floor. We stepped back in our apartment and asked him if he lives here, he said no, we asked him if he knows anyone here, he said no, we asked him what's he doing here, he didn't answer! Since this is already a breaking and entering to a private property, we told him we were gonna call 911. And the moment we said that, he ran away so fast and stormed out of the exit gate! Now, we knew he's bad and we called the cops and told them about everything that had just happened. After that, we headed up the club room and on our way there two trucks with more black dudes came right towards us! A black dude hopped out the truck and asked us if we had seen a black male with a white jersey and red shorts, that's exactly who that guy was, but we wasn't sure if we should tell them because it's likely that these people are his friends or gangs! So we asked them why and they told us that black dude was stealing their trucks and was spotted when trying to break the window. Finally, everything is clear! The black dude we ran into was actually looking for a place to hide, he didn't need a phone, he just wanted to come in so that these people wouldn't be able to find him! Still, close enough to make some real damages! Thank God!

Within the next five minutes, cops were here and they started to search the neighborhood for that guy based on our description. So lessons learnt from this vivid safety lecture are: 1 Never ever open your door for some strangers before you ask them who they are and what they need! 2. Always keep something sharp reachable so that you could protect yourself when necessary! 3. Don't hesitate to call 911, they are always ready to help! 4. It might not be safe when you think he's gone and you are safe! 5. It's such a bless to have a good roommate!! AJ is a criminal law majored at ACC and he's gonna be a policeman when he graduates!!(Dude, you ROCK!!!)

Peace!

Bat Watch

2009-09-24T11:54:00.000-07:00

Love you just the way you are!

Look at the sweet couple! I miss my girl!

Does it remind you that famous BATMAN sign?

Jars opened, bats everywhere!

Can you see them hanging upside down?

I wonder if the bats are also looking at us...

Yes! It's Bat Watch! Not Bay Watch! But it's just as hot as Bay Watch!

So we'd been planning to watch the bats since last trip to San Antonio and last week we finally did it! We arrived at the meadow area under the south end of the Congress Bridge around 6:30 on Saturday and started to get ready for the big moment while picnicking. As time went by, the place was gradually filled with people and it seemed pretty clear that we were the only people that didn't come with mommy and daddy! But anyway, it's always nice to be surrounded by kids, makes me feel young again! Meanwhile, Martin and Hana made their way to join us, you should know how hard it is to try to get out of the campus area on a game day! So we chatted, talked and ate, but still, no bats!Though I could clearly smell them in the air! People were getting a little bit of fuzzy as it's almost dark, so did we!

Finally, the hidden bats were tired of watching people and decided to roll! Not as what I'd expected, they didn't just rush out at once! A few pioneers was sent out first, then here came the best part, hundreds of thousands of bats flooded out forming a bat net in the sky. Jessica told me that they are about 1.7 million bats live under the bridge, but what I saw could easily top that number, I don't know, there were just so many of them! The bats just circled around the bridge and it lasted about half an hour! If you think about it, it's really amazing that so many little "blind" flying things could congregated in such a limited space and never hit one another! That could be one of the most organized performance in the natural world and the Olympics opening ceremony just looks like childish play compared to them!

Pics up again!

2009-09-17T20:56:00.001-07:00

The Mary Bridge

Look closer! There might be your ancestors!

River Theater!

An old church!

This is my favorite! Imagine the winter time with a cup of hot tea behind those windows!

Soaring to the sky!

Best bar on the River Walk to me!

Jason's power nap could be everywhere!

While I was gone...

Feel it

The "Red House"

Super Fun Jessica!

I see a senorita at the fair,haha

"Knock knock!"

San Antonio BABY!!!

2009-09-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

So let's go back to the start! As clearly as I recall, I set the alarm clock to 6:30AM when I hit bed the night before my adventurous trip to San Antonio, but when I woke up saturating in morning light, I knew something was not right. There's no way that Austin could be this bright at this hour of the day, so subconsciously I took a glance at the alarm clock, it was 8:12. The bus to San Antonio was scheduled to depart on 8:30, so, 18 minutes left, for crying out loud!

Time to multitask! I turned on my laptop and started to look for any number I could find to reach anybody at the International Office. I explained what's going on while pack my stuff and put on my shirt. I brushed my teeth while knocking on my roommate's door asking him this crazy favor to drive me to school. We rushed to the car both without a proper shave or any shoes and socks on...Finally I was there to see the bus, it was 8:37! I just wanna apologize to everyone here for me being late that day, I understand that it's a 7 minute cut off from that day of fun!

The first stop in San Antonio was the Institute of Texan Cultures. It was a fabulous place with rich, diversified and interesting cultural exhibitions. Lots of precious historical legacies were there to show the Texas today what it looks like a hundred years ago. It's amazing to get to know all the people from all over the world who once made their ways to this land, which just makes me appreciate the Texas that know even more. The best part of the guided tour was to see the old lady who dressed authentically old-fashioned fabricating cotton cloth using a shuttle. People don't get to see this kind of practices nowadays as everything is mass produced by corporate machines. It was such a memorable experience to see that warm sweet scene, it was simple and peaceful, really makes me wonder about the old days of Texas.

Leaving the institute, we headed up El Mercado, the Mexican Market. Just not as what I'd expected, it was not a very big place. You know how people always say about the culture at those markets, but what really attracted us was the food! Anyway, food "eats up" a huge portion of the culture, isn't it:) I definitely enjoyed the tacos and sausages over there, 100% Mexican! I like the bean sauce in the taco which is not found at Taco Bell. After lunch(we didn't sit down in restaurants, just some food from carts, but that's what the market all about!), we browsed through the market of Mexican arts which is really impressive. Then we crossed a few blocks to the Spanish Governor's Palace. It's really a small piece of Spain there, cozy, comfy and fancy! There's also a beautiful church and the county court house, which by the way is also known as the "Red House", across the street. Of course, we wouldn't miss the Alamo, the shrine of Texas independence from Mexico. We listened to the story of all the battling and defending, sacrificing and winning! It's such a beautiful place with such a sad but glory history!So, hats off to the heroes!

Now, comes the best part of the day! The San Antonio River Walk. Totally awesome!! It's not just good, it's SONIC good!(Man,! can't get it out of my mind recently!) The boat ride was truly breath taking! As we cruised along the river, it's literally like floating down the history of San Antonio with all the rise and fall of the past century! The narration from the captain taught us so much about the historical facts of the architectures on both sides of the river. Tons of shops and cafes and restaurants caught our eyes while we were on the boat. As we proceeded, modern gradually replaces classic, at the end they just melts together and forms such an unbelievable yet coherent combination. I'm pretty sure that I'll go back to San Antonio in Fall just to ride the boat again, it's gonna be all golden and bright with the falling leaves and amazing autumn breeze. Can't wait to have that!

Almost everyone fell asleep on the way back, then before we knew it, it's home sweet home Austin again! I took a power nap when I reached home and went down to the 6th around 11 with AJ and Brizida, we hit a couple of clubs and bars and had a very reasonable amount of drinks. It was such a great day. As we were walking down the 6th, I found the night wasn't just getting darker, but nicer, cooler and tender!

Pics are up!

2009-08-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

Who's absent-minded:) LOL

Everybody, my roommate, AJ!

Look at that! Good energy!

Stairway to the CS basement, it's a lot darker if I didn't have the flash on!

Just like what I've pictured!

Being a CS student in the Red McCombs, it's kinda overwhelming!

My favorite building on the campus so far!

This is where I live! The village at riverside! Not bad at all!

This is the kite which I was talking about! Beautiful! Isn't it?

Cool breeze at LAX makes my hands shaaaaking!

Week 1

2009-08-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

Alright, so it's been a week since I got here in Austin, the capital of the lone star state! You know how people say that first impression is everything, when I landed at Bergstrom Airport last Saturday, I was amazed by the kites hanging over the baggage belt because they look authentically Asian! Then there are a couple of guitar-shape sculptures standing right under the kites, which were like saying, Hey, dude, wake up! You are in Austin, the world's capital of live music! So diverse is pretty much my first impression about Austin!

It might be weird if I tell you that I had a girl who I've never met before picking me up at the airport! But it's true!So Liz was, without doubt, the first Austinist I met!And just like every Austinist I met later, she's just so nice!You can easily melt in her beautiful smile! She drove me to my apartment and one of the staff over there AJ, again with irresistible Texan hospitality,checked me in!And guess what, he's now my roomy! He's from Houston and went college here in Austin, speaks perfect Spanish and English of course! We get along very well and I'm pretty sure he's gonna appear in my blog A LOT!

Alright! Now let's talk about school! Compared to what we have in Singapore, the UT campus is huge! But fortunately, not complicated, so it takes a while to get completely lost! And the stadium is just simply awesome! It's beautiful and it's GIGANTIC!Man I wish we had one of those at NUS too!People here are really into sports and it feels good to be on such an energetic campus! So we had a couple of orientations these days and I met guys from every part of the globe! And since I was trying to get permission for taking graduate classes, I talked to some UT professors today. They are all very nice people and perfectly familiar with their syllabus and potential students!

Seems like I haven't had a chance to hit bed before 2AM for the past week, so I'm gonna catch up with some sleep now! But I've got to recommend this great place for you guys to hang out! It's called the Pluckers! It's on west campus, a few blocks away from the 24th.I went down there to have dinner and beer with AJ last night and it's pretty awesome! Their chicken wings are absolutely delicious! And there are tons of UT students there, so it's a nice place to make friends and have fun! Just remember to bring your passport with you coz you'll need that for beer and stuff! Alright! I'm off to bed!!