Heaven knows

My friends keep tellin me that if you really love her, you've gotta set her free
And if she returns in kind, I'll know she's mine
So tell me where do I start coz it breaking my heart...don't wanna let her go.

A Shopper's truimph @ Franklin Mill

The week started well and spluttered to the end. But thanks to shopping therapy at Franklin Mills, I will welcome the week with a big smile and new hope, along with a pair of new slick sneakers.


Spend a total of USD240++ after 5 hours of shopping. 2 pair of jeans, one from Levis and the other from Guess. A green tee from Guess again, one long sleeve shirt, one khaki berms with belt, one sweatshirt and a leather wallet. Not to forget 2 pair of shoes - Asics running shoes and the one and only one slick green sneakers! Best buy!


Close up of the sneakers - cost me USD60. But I simply cannot resist. I could start a collection here in States. U should see the number of shoes I have back in S'pore.Keke.


My commitment to running 3 times a wk.

One more thing I realise in States. Back home in S'pore, we will usually select the design and then pick the size. But here in States, you got to seleect the size and then pick the limited designs. How sad. To be able to find a pair of jeans that fit is like finding a needle in haystack. But with patience, nothing is impossible!

And to Franklin Mill, I will be back!

Some things never change

I was bored at office and decided to browse my old blog. And then I realise that some things still never change. This is still my dream house.







Without sounding too nostalgic, I miss the old me. He is much more ignorant and carefree.

A Walk to Remember

As I walk alone down Schuylkill River, I can't help but get absorbed by the setting sun.


Suddenly all my worries became insignificant; hardly worth thinking about...


Have you ever wonder if the sun gets sick of doing the same thing over and over again?


A quick distraction from the sun... squirrel trying to find its way home.


The bridge might look strong and sturdy now. Give it time and it shall become the dust in the wind. Just like me and you.


Give me a boat that can carry two... and both shall row, my love and I...


As I sat by the river, a familar feeling came back and hit me doubly hard. I miss home...


I wonder where the river ends. Does my pot of gold awaits me there? Or is someone too longing for home at the other end?



If I could fall into the sky...... and soar like the birds. Then I can fly anywhere and shit at anybody I want! >.<

Summer romances begin for all kinds of reasons, but when all is said and done, they have one thing in common. They're shooting stars, a spectacular moment of light in the heavens, fleeting glimpse of eternity, and in a flash they're gone.

I din know I have it in me...

Claustrophobia is an anxiety disorder that involves the fear of enclosed or confined spaces. Claustrophobes may suffer from panic attacks in situations such as being in elevators, trains or aircraft. Conversely, people who are prone to having panic attacks will often develop claustrophobia. If a panic attack occurs while they are in a confined space then they will be unable to escape the situation.

I din know I have it in me.

I was on my way home after an evening of Toastmasters. Taking the elevator from the 47th floor, I happily chatted with some new-found friends. And made an innocent comment "Din know they make the elevators slow for the senior citizens as well...How thoughtful of them. Imagine if it stops halfway" (laughs)

(Shortly) "Urm... why is the lift not moving?"

It was that moment we realize we are stuck!

At first, it was just nervous laughter.
Then mambo jambo sentences.
Followed by silent prayers.

"How long are we going to be stuck here?" I asked.

"I was stuck for 5 hrs last month... but don't worry they will get it fixed." a 60 over yr old residents replied.

"Let's try the emergency phone" another suggested.

It was a spark of hope which died as fast as it came. There was no phone in the emergency box.

I nearly fainted.

All of a sudden, I felt light-headed... like I was floating. Then I felt a pressure over my chest. Quick breaths.

"Please.... I don't want to die..." I muttered to myself.

And before I make any more embarrassment to myself, I thought I heard the sound of an angel.

"Is anyone inside? We are going to open the door."

Shortly, we were rescued.

Din they say NOC was a life changing experience. You bet! I don't think I am going to take any more elevators in a short while.

Quick question, how long does it take to climb 16 flights of stairs everyday? And 47 flight of stairs every alternate Wed? I might have to wake up a bit earlier. Damm.

Just Once, Baby!

What's love?

I have been eating at this small Japanese diner for 3 weeks. Almost 4 out of 5 times during lunch. They don't really sell very fancy food. Just the usual bentos, sushi and udon. But I just keep coming back. The lady boss (a korean) never fails to greet her customers the moment they step in and out of the diner. On Fridays, she will wish them a great weekend. After the third time I visited the diner, she remembers my order. No salad dressing. One extra bowl of rice and one cup of water. Even when I had udon, she would still give me an extra bowl of rice (for free)

Just the other day, I brought Dawn to have lunch and the lady gave us a free pot of green tea. And she gave me and Kevin a discount. Ever since, I have been bringing colleagues there for food. Then it dawns upon me the essence of doing a business. Sometimes it is not just about the quality of your product. What really impacts your customers is the experience they have using your product. It's in the experience that determines if your customer is going to come back for more. It's true, when it comes to doing a business, it is all about the customers.

Does the same principle apply in relationships too?

What if loving someone is not about possession?
What if loving someone is not about engagement or marriage?
What if loving someone is not about "Me and You, Forever"?

What if all that matters is the experience of being in love with that special someone?

Then it doesn't matter if you possess him or her.
Engagement and marriage will merely be a formal procedure.
And forever becomes a non-issue.

I want that.

They eat almost everything...

An innocent conversation we had at dinner last night.

Neeraj(N): So I heard that people in China eats almost everything. Tell us what u have eaten?

Eric(E): (interject) Maybe it would be easier if u tell us what you have not eaten...
(Some laughter)

Ram(R): So have u eaten a snake?

Ziliang a.k.a China-man(Z): Yea

N: Cow?
Z: Yea
E: Deer?
Z: Yea
N: Rabbit?
Z: Yea
R: Pigeon?
Z: Yea
E: Dog?
Z: Yea
N: Pussy?
Z: Yea

Silence...

Chill out @ Hard Rock Cafe, Philadelphia

To sum it up, here's what I have been up to... 0_o


Here's the coolest BVians ever! We rock BIG time! (Guess who's the b'day boy/gal? No brainer right!)


Posing in front of Hard Rock Cafe


My housemates. We are the E411s! Everything for the price of $11.


And that's me with the infamous Beatles of coz! I really got to put on more weight!!!


Plan A - Eat ALL I can! *Gobble burger* while eyeing on Phebe's chicken - yum yum!


Neeraj (my room mate) trying to be chinese. C'mon!


Revisit the Times Square - really gotta watch the broadway soon. And ...


Visit the one and only COLDSTONE! They should have a franchise here in S'pore! Not only do you get to choose the flavor of ice-cream, you get to choose 2 toppings like marshmallows, cookies, hot fudge, fruits etc, and they will mix it up for you.


By the really cool dudes in Cold Stone.


That should really be part of my daily diet if I want to put on some serious weight here.


We definitely love the ice-cream! One more plz!


Visited this catherdral that was built hundred of years ago. Very serene. Very authentic.


Also went to Ground Zero when the bombing took place - the fateful Sept 11. It could really bring tears when you read about the actual happenings on that day. It was said that the cross was what remains during the aftermath - not sure how true it was.

Ok I am really sleepy... if u want to see more pics, click the links below. U know what, I have yet to take a single pic. My frens are photo fanatics. They diligently bring their cameras everywhere they go and they snap pictures every step of the way. Saves us 10 seconds of time per picture if I don't bring my camera.

A (to stranger): Can you help us take a photo? (smiles sweetly while the rest nod earnestly)
Stranger: Sure!
B (Upon hearing "Sure!"): Here's my camera - can you help me too?
C: And me...
D: Here's mine!
E: Wait a sec, I have one too...
Stranger: Erm, this could take a while..............

A-E and more: Act blur and pose... *CHeeezzzzzz*

Repeat above procedure for every single building. Multiply that by min. 5 cameras. Now you can see why I could save us all quite a lot of time by not bringing my camera.


I was on the phone with mum while Julia snap it. *grin* See you guys soon! More pics coming up I assure you. Meanwhile, chill!

More Hard Rock Cafe pics courtesy of Julia. http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8CYuHDhw3bMgk

I am feeling really high!

I am super high today! Oh boy, head rush!!!

1. Extremely fruitful day at work

I was actually busy, all the way till 5.30pm. Started to flow with the Americans at my workplace. Learnt to make causal chats with my colleagues and skilfully retrieve vital information or get "helps" from them. Geneva, a manager from QA Dept is my angel at work. She brought me around meeting "key" people that would be able to assist me in my projects and just 15 mins, I got all that I need. Key people to get input from, nuggets of info to manuvere my way around, special grants to allow me access to some of the systems and even a possibility for me to move my desk to another side of the company. That's efficiency baby!

2. Visited a Toastmasters (TM) Club this evening

Definitely an act of courage for me. Imagine an Asian Chinese visiting a club he doesn't know of, interacting with a group of people who are already proficient in speaking (with a cool Amercian accent) and doing it ALL BY MYSELF... But I did. Without getting lost. One brownie point for myself!

And boy, it was definitely an eye opener for me. The club was held in a hotel, 45th floor overlooking the entire Philadelphia City. They are fairly friendly (not as warm as some clubs I visit in S'pore) and I got to meet a nurse, a stand up comedian, an artist, two TV producers and a few IT professionals (whom I am starting to respect ever since I work at StarCite) I would definitely come back again next Wed and probably sign up as a member. I have a wild aspiration. To take part in the Evaluation and Speech Contest. And the fun thing is I will be competing with Americans. Who knows, I might be lucky. But then again it would be a super duper great experience to rub shoulders with some of the top speakers.

3. Met this really talented stand up comedian, his name is Avish.

This is one of the main motivation for joining the club. He is also a member for an Improv Club in Temple Uni. (think Who's Line is it Anyway?) And I was thinking of joining to brush up my wit and probably have a fighting chance to be a stand up comedian in S'pore. Or probably be one in States. Ooh, the Asian Boy with a Singlish Accent or something like that. Ok, I am dreaming.. but isnt that what I do best. Except I am gonna make this one come true.

4. Have a social life (finally) - kind of, I think

As I was walking home, I was thrilled coz I am not at home slacking. I am out there making friends, learning & growing. I know it is nothing great. Just a club. But hey it is a start! Hopefully I would get to meet more locals here and start clubbing too. Or stay over at a friend's place or something. That would be so fun! But I got to keep myself in check. I have the tendency to fill up my schedule and life here would be no different from the one I have in S'pore. Bleah!

5. Rented three funny comedies

Haha. For the kick of it. Monty Python's Flying Circus (keep hearing it in ECI community), Chris Rock Comedy and Deuce Bigalow, Male Gigolo (to prepare me for the part 2 in Europe!)

6. Know this sweet chinese girl, Jasmine

Finally a chinese not from my NOC gang. *grin* And she majors in IS too - how cool is that!

7. Got a few more recommendations of places to visit this weekend

A few museums to visit and we would probably be cycling down Kelli Drive too. It's along the river. And I heard it has pretty good sceneries. Will take pics if I am going there this weekend.

8. I am really hungry now and we r going to throw a surprise b'day party for Jaron who stays upstairs. So I would have chocolate hot fudge for supper. Gonna have TWO big slices - yum yum!

9. Outing at Hard Rock Cafe tomorrow evening. Picnic Friday evening. And then weekend. It just gets better!

10. And finally during the impromptu session in TM, I left my audience with a fairly good impression... Nothing fancy but still, good... So proud of myself.

"It's not the big things you do that made you an angel... It's the small things you do for people that made you their angel..."

What a day! *yawns*

Can we have some efficiency plsssssssss?

Americans may be able to spell the word "efficiency" but they have no idea what it means to be efficient. But then again I may be wrong.

If efficiency means putting me on hold for 20 mins, then they are efficient.
If efficiency means transferring me around the calling centre, first to the phone dept then to the DSL dept then to the billing dept then to God knows where. Yes, they are efficient.
If efficiency means asking me repeatedly for my first name, last name, full address and how they may help me for every god damm transfer, oh boy they are sooooo efficient.
If efficiency means spending one hour on the phone with 6 callers and getting no where in solving my problem, yes, they are FUCKING efficient.

And all I wanted was to change my billing account...

I miss Singapore.

From Philly with Love

A few days ago, I called T-mobile. Wanted to change my billing address. FYI, the calling centre is run by a voice recognition system. So this female bot picked up my phone. Below is our conversation.

Bot: Hi! Welcome to T Mobile, how may I help you?
Me: Fuck you!
Bot: Sure! Let me get you an operator.
Me: Wow!

Time passes real fast over here. It's already 2 wks plus and I would be getting my first paid check in a week's time. Woohoo! Just yesterday we (all 10 of us) went for a day tour in New York and boy, it was definitely an eye opener for all of us. It was huge fun albeit tiring from all the walking. My room mates and myself plan to watch a Broadway (maybe Beauty & the Beast) and a stand up comedy the next time we visit NY. Can't wait...

Some of the highlights - Dim Sum @ NY Chinatown, quick glance of Statue of Liberty (the ferry queue was way too long), Wall Street Tour, Time Square Shopping, Ice cream at Cold Stone, Ground Zero (Sept 11 bombing ground) and New Jersey! All in one day.. so u can imagine how exhausting we were.

Nothing much happen really. We just miss a station and end up in Coney Island (10 miles from Ellis Island where Statue of Liberty stands), got lost again while heading back from New Jersey to Philly at 2am, speeding at 140 MILES per hour...

There's just so much going on right now here in Philly. It's not all exciting everyday. A lot of times it is just mundane and plain boring but we all make the best of it. And even crack some jokes out of the boring situation we r in. I think that is what makes life here fun. Just like today, we woke up like 1pm and wanted to throw some trash in the basement. Took an elevator down and guess what, we were presented with a whole assortment of furniture - low table, dining table, 2 leaning chairs, one kitchen dustbin with kitchen assessories. All FREE! Just last wk, we picked up a shelf and two brand new tables. I wonder what we will have next wk. We need sofa!!!

And then later at 5pm, we went down to the basement to pick up our laundry and we saw some more furniture!!! Our eyes lit up for a second! Then we saw two puzzled guys near the pick up point. Apparently, those were their furniture. We were like "Oh oh... did they just lost some chairs and tables???!!!" And we walked away innocently. We r planning to go down later to see if they left anything behind. I am eyeing on their nice carpets and CD closet! Keke... What a day!


The raging bull in Wall Street! (Check out my frens' pics: http://photos.yahoo.com/neerajkumar84/)


Here's my room! =)