Vegas baby!!

Made my first trip to Las Vegas this Christmas. I still remember back in university during our summer at Berkeley, my friends already went there. I unfortunately had to hurry home and take care of something. And as a result i waited 7 years until i have the chance to.. gosh that makes me feel old! Winter in LV is quite cold, with strong wind and super super dry. There isn't much to do in Vegas besides gambling (of course), but my goal was to check out the shows. The strip is nice at night time when all the lights are on. All the hotels are just humongous, and interestingly a lot of them have this tri-wing shape like the Mirage, Monte Carlo, Mandalay Bay, and even Bellagio is almost that shape but more curvy in front. I don't know if there is any reason to this, but my wild guess is perhaps related to either the wind or the view :)

Show #1: Le Reve at Wynn Las Vegas

Initially i wanted to see O by Cirque do Soleil but couldn't find tickets available on those dates. Le Reve seemed like a good second choice given that the production is done by the same guy, Franco Dagone, and it is a water-based show. The venue for this show is rather unique with a circular pool in the middle, giving somewhat a circus feeling. A lot of acrobatics, with performers either swimming, hanging, or falling into water. The storyline is about a girl in her dream, venturing into this magical journey (or something). I guess i didn't understand much, but it's also possible that there's nothing to really understand :P Important thing is, the show was great. Perhaps that's another way of telling myself it was worth the $$$ hehe.. but honestly i liked it a lot. Even liked it more than the second show by Cirque.


Show #2: KA at MGM Grand

This was the second on my Cirque list, and i had high expectations. From the poster it looked like a show with some fire demonstration right? Well in reality they only had some fire before the show began, and that was it. This one tells a story about the twins - one was kidnapped - and how they went through their journeys to find each other in the end. Again, more acrobatics and martial arts. Surprisingly i think all the casts were Asian. So imagine watching a กายกรรม show in China or something, it's quite like that hehe. Of course the set up and props they used were really grande, and the music score was good too. I guess it was the expectation i had that kinda spoiled it a bit.

Our third show was actually on the 'magical' side - David Copperfield. Heard of him but never knew he was like an icon back when he was at his peak. Partly due to his good looks maybe, which explains why he's not as hot anymore given his age :P Now i kinda regret not watching any of those 'vegas' shows with all those showgirls dressed up in fancy costumes like in Miss Congeniality. But most of all, i'm so sad i missed Celine Dion's. Hate to admit but i really like her singing. It was during her break so there were no performances. I'm sure it would have been awesome!

Puerto Rico

Enough of the snow, it's time for some sea and sun. Caribbean here we come! The reason we picked Puerto Rico is basically because it is still part of the US and thus no need for a visa, although I always think P.R. is a country and not a State. We flew via US Virgin Islands which is to the east of P.R., also another recommended getaway destination that you can probably explore in a few days. I heard it's really nice over there, with some top diving and snorkeling sites.The capital of P.R. is San Juan which is located north a bit towards the east side of the island. Old San Juan is on the tip west of San Juan, perhaps one of the must-go place for tourists. Some interesting attractions include the El Morro and Fort San Christobal which was built to protect the island from sea attack way back 3-400 years ago . I could tell they were really really old, with quite a number of tunnels and secret passages. From the top we got a great view of the ocean and the city. Old San Juan itself is not big, and what i like most is probably the colorful buildings and all the cool work they do with their doors, windows, balconies, etc. There are many restaurants, shops, and a couple of museums (we didn't get to :P) in addition to small parks and squares where both locals and tourists can just relax and chill. What i thought was really cute was where they had a local band performing in the park (sort of), and in front were a group of elders just enjoying themselves either just by relaxing and clapping along or dancing away. It was definitely something that strengthens the sense of community and how they live a joyful life in this country (or State, hehe).

The remaining parts of the island, we got to cover only a tiny bit. One was the Arecibo Observatory, the largest radiotelescope or i just call it 'dish' where they filmed James Bond's Goldeneye. If you could recall, it was when he was fighting the bad guy on the hanging tower and then slid down the dish itself. Not far away was the Camuy Caves and sinkholes. Inside the caves were those หินงอกหินย้อย basically, very difficult to capture some pictures given limited light. We also visited El Yunque national forest and checked out some trails and waterfalls. Quite a walk that day.

East of the main island, there are two smaller islands called Culebra and Vieques. We went to Vieques first by ferry (only $4 return fare!) which took about an hour each way, and so we decided to save time (and me avoid getting seasick) and take a 15-min flight to Culebra. No doubt Culebra is much nicer among the two - white sand and clear water. We were at Flamenco beach and it was just wonderful.

Unfortunately didn't get to do any diving this time around, but all-in-all it was really fun. One of the highlights however was the kayak tour to the bioluminescent bay and lagoon "Laguna Grande" near Fajardo. Basically it is like fireflies living in water - those micro organisms would produce light when something moves. As we paddled, water lit up. We dipped our hands in, they lit up. In the end we jumped into the water, and as we swam the whole body just lit up!! It was just awesome!

We didn't explore the west and south sides of the island. Apparently the island is much bigger than i thought :) Ponce is another recommended town to visit, and to the south there is another bio bay as well. Our kayak tour guide however claimed that it is not as nice compared to Laguna Grande. Then i guess the one on Culebra island is probably another option for this type of experience, again i don't know enough to compare.

More on Puerto Rico: Besides LP, you could check out the travel website or recommendations by Frommer's. Definitely good references, but while on the road i would say LP book saved the day. Not so much for the map, which we had to pick up the recent copies at the car rental, but pretty much all the 'getting around' info you need is in there. And btw, the food there was really good too. Very eclectic and has a variety of tastes. Got to try a lot of new things, and of course i choose to remember the yummy ones!

Vail recap

So since i wrote about going to Vail, i should at least write about how the trip went. It was again another fun trip during winter break, and i'm sure everyone looked forward to it. We left on Dec 9 and stayed on until Dec 15 - so basically about a week of exercise! Our group stayed at Monteneros resort, and we got some sweet 4-bedroom condo with fully-equipped kitchen, dining and living areas. So there were 10 of us total, and the fun part, besides skiing, was definitely cooking! With the help of condomates and designated head chef, we all enjoyed really yummy dinners.

The skiing part was exciting and, after a while, pretty tiring :P It's been exactly a year since i last did this, so took me a while to get used to it again. Vail is definitely much bigger than Steamboat, and therefore the trails are a bit more confusing. Sure i tried to stick to the greens, but sometimes you cut through the blues as well, and there's no other way but to go ahead. Of course my pro friends would go to blues and blacks and double diamonds whatever.. i'd rather enjoy my chill-chill ride, hehe. But the view up the peaks was just awesome, and i'm sure those who went down the back bowl would say even better. We were lucky to have gone during that week, cuz after we left the snow storm just hit Colorado pretty bad. This could be my last ski trip, at least for a long while, so next time i go skiing i guess i'll have to start from zero again.. Just thinking about that process tires me out already :P I hope i could just get used to it like riding a bike!!

Map of Vail

ski trip countdown

and it's time for Kellogg's ski trip again! we're heading to Vail, Colorado this year and i heard it's supposed to be awesome.. two more days and we're ready to get some action.. last year was super fun in Steamboat, and of course we're up for more this time around.. regardless of skill levels hehe.. i plan to stick with the green trails, but who knows blue might not be so bad.. the worst it can get is just falling (onto snow) anyway.. this was a good shot by Ten last year.. can't wait laew~

penguin can dance ^^ (and sing)

to celebrate the beginning of my winter break, i went to see Happy Feet today.. honestly when it started showing in theaters, i didn't know much about it nor was i keen to watch.. i thought it was just another animation film.. and also i was hypnotized by 007, so Casino Royale was my priority :) (must admit, the new mr.Bond is hot!) then after a while my friends started talking about this happy feet movie.. seemed like it's pretty interesting.. and so i went and actually enjoyed it.. penguins are cute, esp the little ones.. and of course this is a cartoon, so it's not as depressing and realistic as the March of the Penguins documentary.. anywho, i realized this was very much a musical film.. the animation is neat, but given these days' technology it's prolly nothing fancy compared to what you've seen before.. i would recommend if you enjoy some fun tunes and the idea of dancing/singing penguins amuses you ;) they actually did a pretty good job with the songs.. i recalled myself tapping my feet as i watched as well.. (the cinema was close to empty..)

on the note, last week Happy Feet was #1 on box office, ahead of #2 Casino Royale.. can't be that bad right? ^^ and as i go down the list, #3 was Deja Vu. i'm not sure about most people, but for me it was pretty bad. of course i had high expectations, and i totally blame the trailer which gave me the totally wrong idea.. so if you see the preview and think what you think, it won't be like that..hehe. next program for me, perhaps The Holiday.. something to go with the season! ^^

oh, and happy father's day too :)

let it snow

winter is officially here.. the beginning of the long, cold season where day is short and night is freezing.. not much comes to mind when i want to describe winter.. good thing about it, in addition to snowfall and how beautiful it is on the first day, is probably for skiing!! wonder how much it's snowing in colorado.. Vail, here we come!

more photos of winter in Evanston >>

caring

The week before we had a guest speaker, Tom Mollenhaur, from a non-profit organization called Big Brothers Big Sisters. They focus on helping children through personal relationships with mentors. It was a great perspective from someone who worked in the corporate side before making a transition into the non-profit sector. I'm sure at one point in life you might have learned enough and achieved enough that you actually stop and think about what good can you do to help others and lend out your hands, your experience, your guidance. Interestingly, Tom mentioned that working in a non-profit org is a further challenge to him, perhaps tougher than corporate america. Funding, resources, and all forms of support, although sometimes abundant, do not just come knocking at your door. They need to know where their help is of most benefit. His job is to find ways to communicate to those people how their involvement is making the difference to the children, the community, the society, and give them the reason why they should help through his organization and not others'.

One question was raised, whether he found it hard to work for and with these children. The response: it's always hard when you care. So little I am involved with non-profits, I think it is so true. Look at how you handle your everyday life - if you don't care much then life is all smooth and great. Once you begin to care about something or someone, perhaps starting with yourself and build up to many things and many people, you go through much more thinking, trying, wondering, and seeking answers or solutions. True, not caring is always easier on yourself. Yet I don't see the point in life without it. When you care, it becomes important.. it becomes valuable.. it 'matters.' When you don't, it's all empty.. blank.. meaningless.. Perhaps once in a while it's worth taking a pause to think about what it is you really value in life. Something worth caring for.. something that makes you feel appreciated.. embraced.. fulfilled..

Abracadabra

"Secrets, are my life.."

people have secrets. and people want to know other people's secrets because they ARE secret.. had it not been secret, it would lose that only mystery behind..

but what if somebody lives his whole life with secrets.. that even the people closest to him cannot see through him.. is it illusion.. is it reality.. how do you see the difference? how do you know the difference?

i have just watched "The Prestige" - a new film directed by christopher nolan of Memento and Batman Begins. do not confuse this with The Illusionist which was released a few weeks earlier.. (i haven't seen that one so i can't really compare.. but reading the synopsis gave me the idea that the stories are totally different) my reaction after i watched prestige was.. wow, i liked the movie a lot! attention grabbing, scenes after scenes you keep discovering something behind. and then you start putting all the puzzles together.. leaving you with that one missing piece.. of course i won't tell you and spoil this favorite movie of mine.. see 'til the end.. you might find it, you might not..

"Every great magic tricks consist of three acts:

The Pledge..
when a magician shows you something ordinary
but of course, it probably isn't

The Turn..
when he makes that ordinary something
into something extraordinary

Now you look into the secret, but you won't find it

That's why you have The Prestige..
where things twist and turn
and you'll see something shocking you've never seen before."

autumn in my 'evanston'

took a walk around campus with the gang the other day.. here are some of the shots of evanston in the fall.. the leaves are not as colorful as it should yet, maybe have to wait a bit.. it is part of our plan to go photo taking every now and then, just to capture our last 'seasons' here.. once we go back, seasons don't change much anymore.. jing ma? ^^

good to great

"All companies have a culture, some companies have discipline, but few companies have a culture of discipline.
When you have disciplined people, you don't need hierarchy.
When you have disciplined thought, you don't need bureaucracy.
When you have disciplined acion, you don't need excessive controls."

from "Good to Great" by Jim Collins

Interesting quote from the book I'm reading for my leadership class. The book basically tries to compare good companies with great companies, and how you can become great instead of just good. I kinda like this discipline idea, and I really think ideally it would improve the health of organization.. thought some of you might find it interesting and thought provoking as well :)

my moomKafae

"ten years ago, i didn't know what a frappucino was.." let alone having heard of coffee brands like starbucks, seattle's best, second cup, etc. i still recall drinking iced coffee from McDonald's at Sogo.. probably my first coffee ever.. (which i would never go back to liking again).. over the past ten years we've seen coffee places mushroomed - so quickly we simply lost track of which one is the latest branch.. sometimes two of them located right opposite each other, so people don't even have to cross the street.. that's just a repetition of what happened in the States maybe some ten years earlier.. the coffee culture has gone under major revolution.. in the old days, people made coffee at home.. something the wife would prepare for their hubbies.. the idea of going out for coffee didn't exist before.. and then along came howard schultz, the masterbrain behind starbucks, who after visiting espresso bars in Milan saw potential to bring it back to the States.. first, Seattle, then nationwide, now global.. people today go to coffee places not just for coffee but to read, to hang out, to socialize.. the ambiance, the experience, everything is beyond just selling drinks to customers.. i don't know about you, but i enjoy being there.. alone, with friends, with family.. either way.. แค่กลิ่นกาแฟหอมๆ กับโซฟานุ่มๆ นั่งเฉยๆก็แฮปปี้แล้ว :) ว่าแล้วก็อยากได้ซักแก้วเหมือนกันนะนี่..

drops...

"เพียงวันละเล็ก ละน้อย ให้มันเป็นไปอย่างนี้ทุกวัน
ให้เหมือน หยดน้ำที่มันหยดลงที่เดิม
เสมอ รักน้อยๆแต่มาคงที่เถอะเธอ ก็พอชื่นใจ
ให้เป็นแค่น้ำ หยดน้อย หยดลงเบาๆที่พื้นหัวใจ
ให้รัก ซึมซับลงไปประจำทุกวัน
เสมอ รู้ว่ารักแต่อย่าใจร้อนเลย นะเธอ
..ให้วันพรุ่งนี้ ช่วยพิสูจน์ความรัก
..ให้วันเวลารวบรวมรักที่ได้จากเธอ
..ทางอีกแสนไกลที่เราต้องเจอะเจอ
..ค่อยๆไปเถอะ จะดีไหม
ทำทีละนิด ละน้อย และคอยดูแลให้รักงดงาม
หยดน้ำ ไม่นานจะเป็นดังธารน้ำเย็น
สดใส และให้รู้ว่าเป็นความรักจากใจ
เพียงไม่ช้าไม่นาน"

เคยฟังมั้ย ฟังแล้วชอบ สบายๆ เหมาะกับวันฝนคกแบบนี้เลย..

new funeral

so fall quarter has started, and honestly this fall kinda feels different from last year.. perhaps we all have got used to everything around us - the school, the people, the system, everything.. last year everything was brand new.. and during this time it was the CIM recovery period, cuz we all had CIM SARS back then.. and all those 8.30am accounting classes, my gosh.. i'm so glad i won't have to do that again.. well, there's always the first time for everything right? some of which we hope would also be last :P

anyways, i was sitting in my service marketing class the other night, listening to dean honack talking about branding, marketing, etc. at one point he mentioned that these days, in some states, the new business is drive-thru funeral service.. took me a while to visualize.. but people actually have so little time they only drive through to pay respect to their friends or loved ones.. what has become of today's society? that sounds so sad doesn't it? sad enough it is a funeral, but even worse when you add the 'drive-thru' to it.. guess some people don't really care much now.. i pity the one lying in the cascet..

then again, quoted from my other prof kreamer, there are at least two sides to a story.. maybe those families cannot afford a full-service funeral.. maybe this option makes economic sense for them.. of course those who passed away wouldn't want the living to bear too much burden.. and come to think of it, the funeral is more for the living not the dead, don't you think? i'm not supporting drive-thru funerals of course, but i can't really oppose them either.. everyday you hear about new things/ideas sometimes you just can't keep up..

siam muang yim

i haven't been following much of the politics situation in thailand, or perhaps i should say i don't normally do anyway.. several days back i received a phonecall from home with updates on-the-spot about the coup.. initially no idea of how bad the situation was or would become.. tried to look up some news but there wasn't much detail at that hour.. i guess so many people tried to access media websites, which should explain why i could not seem to access any of them.. but now i heard it has turned out peaceful which is most important.. i'm sure you have seen pictures of kids and pedestrians posing with smiling soldiers (who seems to enjoy photo-taking as well) with big tanks in the background.. this is siam muang-yim jing jing..


i thought this was a good shot of how the situation is going at ease (from manager.co.th).. but then i found a more interesting shot below.. if i didn't read the caption i would have thought the girl is pretty weird hehe.. turned out she was a model on a fashion shoot.. how creative..


and then.. another interesting shot.. no need to describe.. the picture says it all :)

source: mumbai mirror (don't ask me why i went there.. i just googled it!)

back from the dead

let's say i went on a very busy break.. glad to be back and hopefully will be another fun year ahead.. it feels so long ago last time i wrote something and now i don't know where to start hehe.. it'll take some time to recap on my summer.. plus, it's old stories anyway.. but well, i'm not a big writer.. not that much energy to keep posting stuff.. maybe i'll have to 'ha-kin' with old stories in the end :P

can you not laugh?

even though i don't understand the dialogue in japanese, i still find this so funny!

(to those who know, maybe you can add the subtitle for me? hehe..)

'til we meet again

dedicated to my beloved second years plus one, technically::

time passes by so quickly.. it's been almost a year and i can't believe we have to say goodbye already.. it's been a great year and i'm glad i've got to know you all.. you've made the first year at kellogg such a memorable experience.. thanks for all the advice and guidance.. for the fun activities, trips, get-togethers.. for all the good times we shared.. wish you all the best in everything you do na ka.. (personal messages below ka..)



p'A:: glad to have met you na ka, our featured lead vocal :) very impressed with your singing (and plus dancing sometimes).. first person i've done "mork lae kwan" with, unbelievable! and i think you're an awesome story-teller too! p'Danai:: got to talk to you more during the spring quarter.. thanks for sharing your personal TCEs on diff courses na ka.. hope to see you when you visit thailand some time :) p'Fluke:: mr. banker, movie maniac, tennis pro, and guess i can go on and on ^^ thanks for calling me up for the movies na ka.. and i will never forget how you always have a special way of calling things like remote "eed eed".. super cute! heehee.. hope you enjoy singapore na ka.. p'Onn:: my mentor for organising asian food fest! so happy for you and CC ka.. congratulations and look forward to your wedding this summer na ka.. p'Ty:: aka the inspiration behind "the dayinti code" hehe.. you should be the teacher i think.. i very much appreciate all your advice na ka.. not only those related to academics but everything.. and if i have any ta-leung clips i'll make sure you're on the forward list ieie.. btw, wasn't your fault i sprained my ankle when we played squash na.. (but your case with the tennis racquet is another story hehe) all the best at siam cement ka! Earth:: aka chud-jane or PP.. my oldest friend here! i honestly feel i've got to know you much more at kellogg than back in triam haha.. again, to me (and i think almost everyone here), you always associate with the lovey dovey stuff.. my msg.. everyone you meet will help you understand more about yourself, so hope you find that person you're looking for na ja.. and i'm so sad i missed your well-renowned tennis match! didn't get to see your "soi-tao" move leuy.. btw, sorry you're not in the pictures.. where were you anyway?!?! and lastly, Ten:: i still prefer tempy ^^ haven't called you by that name for a while.. first thai person i met after i arrived in evanston.. mr.mckinsey and so-i've-heard mr.big boss too ieie.. you're awesome! thanks for keeping me company when i got here, even let me borrow your marlock key.. otherwise i'd have died with no internet access hehe.. i have to give you credits for all the events and activities, and full score on your enthusiasm.. glad you're here with us na ja.. oh, and congrats on beta gamma sigma too! super duper leuy! ^^

final finals

no time to update.. i'm having 4 finals next week! and then, the first year will officially end.. time really flies..

feelin' weak

been a while since i felt like writing something.. perhaps one reason was i came down with a cold, and the coughing is still bad.. i don't know why i get sick so often while i'm here.. is it the weather? is it the diet? or just mental? hehe.. guess i really need to rest up and get myself back on the healthy version during the break :) maybe i'm born to live in a hot climate.. hehe..

just watched the da vinci code last nite.. i'm sure most of you have already seen as well.. not sure what to comment about it actually.. seems like the movie has been going through a lot of issues worldwide.. i personally think of it as fiction.. but of course those who are religious would feel it is necessary to take action against such story.. for me it was entertaining enough.. i read the book quite some time ago, and given the goldfish memory i have, the movie kept me interested.. hehe. i didn't really expect much out of it anyway.. like everyone would say, the book is usually better than film.. come to think of it, you could probably make a good film out of a good book.. but it should be really tough to make an even greater film out of a really great book.. people would criticise of course.. critics have nothing better to do than that! haha.. oh well, i guess i just hope they won't make angels and demons into a movie too.. cuz i like that book even more.. would like to keep it the imaginated version.. it's much better that way!

six flags

ในที่สุด ทัวร์จีนของเราก็ได้ไปเยือนสวนสนุก six flags หลังจากที่รอคอยมานานแสนนาน.. ยกโขยงกันไปสี่ซ้าห้าคันรถได้ เหมือนเคลื่อนทัพไปเลยทีเดียว อยากไปมานานแล้ว ตอนหน้าหนาวมันก็ปิด นี่เพิ่งเปิดมาได้ซักอาทิตย์นึง โชคดีว่าอากาศวันนี้เป็นใจ แดดจ้าฟ้าใส ให้เราถ่ายรูปกันหนุกหนาน



เปิดตัวกันด้วยเครื่อง superman ซึ่งเจ๋งมาก ขึ้นไปนั่งเสร็จ รัดเข็มขัดอะไรเสร็จ มันก็ยกเราให้กลายเป็นท่านอนคว่ำ ยื่นมืออกไปก็เหินฟ้าเป็น superman ได้เลย แค่นั่นก็กรี๊ดแล้ว.. แต่เค้าออกแบบดีมาก เพราะเหาะตั้งนานก็นิ่มตลอด smooth as silk จริงๆละ ประทับใจ และไม่เมา (อันนี้สำคัญนะ)




ไปต่อกันด้วยมนุษย์ค้างคาว อันนี้เป็นนั่งๆ รางไม่ใหญ่ไม่ยาว แ่ต่คดเคี้ยวเป็นบ้า ตีลังกาหลายตลบอยู่ ลงมาก็เลยแอบเซ มีมึนเล็กน้อย หลายคนต้องเริ่มพึ่งยาดมกันละตอนนี้..



พอเริ่มมึนงง ก็คิดว่าคงต้องพักหายใจซักหน่อย เดินๆไปกัน เจอเครื่อง v2: vertical velocity แค่เห็นก็อ้าปากค้าง มันเป็นแบบตัวยู แล้วก็วิ่งไปข้างหน้า เสร็จก็ถอยหลังเหวี่ยงเต็มที่ ยืนดูแล้วก็คาดว่าไม่เล่นดีกว่า เกรงจะไม่ไหวนะ แต่เค้าก็ไปเล่นกันเพียบเลย ทำเราโดนกัด แหม..เห็นทำคุย เอาเข้าจริงก็ไม่กล้าเล่น อ่ะน้า.. ก็ต้องประมาณตัวเองนิ๊ดนึงจิ พอพวกที่เล่นเสร็จลงมา บอกว่ามันมาก ไม่เล่นไม่ได้ หลังจากยืนคิดทบทวนอยู่ซักพัก ก็ตัดสินใจ เอาละ ไหนๆก็มาแล้ว ต้องลุย.. เค้าว่าไม่เมาก็คงไม่เมาหรอก.. ขึ้นไปนั่ง ทำใจได้แป๊บนึง พอมันออกเครื่องเท่านั่นละ ไอ้ที่ว่าจะเตรียมกรี๊ดมันหายเข้าไปในคอหมดเลย เร็วมาก.. กรี๊ดไม่ออก.. สุดยอดค่ะ แล้วก็ไม่เมาจริงๆด้วย เย้ๆ



ได้เวลาพักกลางวัน แต่ทานไม่ลง กลัวเดี๋ยวไปเล่นอะไรซีเรียสแล้วจะออกมาหมด อิอิ.. ระหว่างเดินย่อยอาหารกันก็แวะเล่นเกม โยนนู่น ปานี่ ไอ้เราเป็นคนดูแอบงก ไม่มีตังค์เล่น.. ช่วงนี้เป็นช่วงหนุ่มๆทำคะแนน เล่นเอาตุ๊กตาให้สาวๆกันหย่ายยยย ใครไม่มีถือนี่แหม.. อายมั้ยนั่น (พูดถึงตัวเองแหละ)

เจอ free fall ซะทีในที่สุด เดินมาถึงตรงนี้แล้วแปลกใจ เพราะไม่มีใครจะเล่นเลย เป็นไปได้ไงเนี่ย?!?! เหลืออยู่ไม่กี่คน ก็ลุยกัน อันนี้เคยเล่นหลายทีแล้ว ก็ไม่กลัวมาก ขึ้นไปอยู่ข้างบนนะวิวสวยมากๆๆๆ ตอนมันตกก็เร็วเกิน เล่นทีไรก็นึกถึงทีวีแชมเปี้ยนทุกที ตอนที่เค้าให้กินน้ำตอนที่ปล่อยให้ตกเนี่ย น้ำลอยขึ้นฟ้าหมดเรยยย..



พอถึงตอนนี้เริ่มสลายตัว แตกเป็นกลุ่มย่อยๆ เดินกันทั่ว หากันไม่ค่อยเจอละ กลุ่มมินิของเราก็มุ่งหน้าไปหารถบั๊มพ์ มาเมืองนอกก็ตั้งไกล ก็ยังอยากจะขับรถชนกันเล่นอยู่ดี อิอิ แบ่งเป็นทีมสาวกับทีมหนุ่ม ตอนแรกหนุ่มๆมั่นใจสุดๆว่ามีเป้าให้ชนเยอะ ต้องชนะแน่ๆ ที่ไหนได้ สาวๆทึมนี้ตั้งหน้าตั้งตาพุ่งเข้าใส่อย่างเดียว สนุกดีเหมือนกัน เดินออกมาคอเคล็ดเล็กน้อย โดนชนหน้าหลังพร้อมกัน เกือบคอหลุดน่ะ



หลังจากนั้นก็ไปเล่น grand canyon กัน อืม.. ไอ้ชื่อเครื่องเล่นบ้านเรามันก็พูดจนติดปาก ของเค้าชื่ออะไรไม่ค่อยรู้หรอก เรียกตามที่เราคุ้น นั่งกันเต็มเรือ กรี๊ดกร๊าดกันใหญ่ เล่นรอบแรกแล้วชอบใจ เอาอีกรอบ สรุปว่า เปียกกันถ้วนหน้า อาจจจะมีใครเปียกมากกว่าคนอื่นหน่อย แต่ก็หนุกหนานเท่าๆกันละน้อ..




ก่อนกลับก็ขอไปเล่นอีกอัน มันชื่อ iron wolf เป็น coaster ที่ให้ยืนเอา เดินผ่านตั้งกะบ่าย แต่ไม่มีคนอยากเล่น เลยต้องขอวนกลับมาอีกรอบ จำได้ว่าเคยเล่นครั้งนึงนะ ที่ยืนๆเนี่ย แต่ก็จำไม่ค่อยได้ อาจจะเป็น universal ละมั้ง อันนี้เดินลงมาแอบมึน ไม่รู้เพราะว่าเล่นมาเยอะแล้ว หรือเพราะมันเมาจริงๆ แต่อย่างน้อยก็ mission accomplished ได้เล่นสมใจ ไม่ต้องกลับไปนั่งเสียดาย อิอิ

ทิ้งท้าย ถ่ายรูปกันตรงหน้า gate เหมือนกับว่า six flags ทุกที่ต้องมีสระน้ำข้างหน้า แล้วก็ม้าหมุนอันหย่ายยย จำได้ว่าที่ CA ก็แบบนนี้นะ ถึงตอนนี้ก็หมดเรี่ยวหมดแรงกันแล้ว เตรียมตัวกลับ สมองไม่คิดถึงอะไร หิว หิว หิว อย่างเดียวเลย.. ก็กลางวันไม่ได้หม่ำนี่นา



ก่อนจะลา อ่ะอีกซักช็อตนึง ให้สมชื่อว่าสวนสนุกหกธง ไม่รู้ทำไมต้องหกธงเนอะ ใครรู้ช่วยบอกหน่อยละกัน ได้เวลาไปหม่ำอาหารญี่ปุ่นแล้ววว itadakimas.. (สะกดยังไงไม่มั่นใจแฮะ)



อ้อ ลืมไป ต้องขอบคุณเพื่อนๆตากล้องทั้งหลาย ให้ยืมรูปมา ความจริงก็ไม่ได้ขอแบบเป็นทางการ แต่คงไม่ว่ากันหรอกน้อ.. ^^

good day!

not for me, but for my sweet roomie! not only a bday occasion but good news is p'nut got the internship in calif! woo~ big congrats ka.. guess this is one of the best bday presents too :) gotta celebrate sa laew~

home & sick

they say you're homesick when you miss home.. i do miss home, but i wouldn't call it homesick yet.. then again, when i fell sick earlier this week, i did miss home a lot :) i guess it's because when you're home, you feel safer and you know your way around and how things work.. it's not quite like that around here.. even though i know eventually i'll recover, going through it can be quite torturing.. and then with the doc's list of what i should not eat, gosh, it seems like everything! fried, spicy, dairy, fruits, vegie, blah blah.. i followed that for a day or two.. now still taking those bland stuff but adding a bit of tasty snacks (assuming it shouldn't be too bad).. :P i'm pretty sure it's not that bad.. well at least i'm still alive and kickin' so guess i'm fine~~

dream

ฝัน.. ทำไมคนเราถึงหลับแล้วฝันนะ จะมีใครที่ไม่เคยฝันเลยตั้งแต่เกิดมามั่งมั้ย เค้าบอกว่าคนเราฝันเพราะหลับไม่สนิืืท สมองยังทำงาน แต่เหมือนจำได้ลางๆว่า จะฝันตอนใกล้ตื่นเท่านั้น ก็แปลกดี บางทีเหมือนฝันทั้งคืน เรื่องก็ออกจะยาว แต่ความจริง ช่วงเวลาที่ฝันแค่ไม่กี่นาทีก่อนจะรู้สึกตัว บ่อยครั้งไปที่จำได้แค่ว่าฝัน แต่ฝันเรื่องอะไรก็ไม่รู้ ตื่นปุ๊บลืมปั๊บ อาจจะจำได้แค่ความรู้สึก สนุก เศร้า น่ากลัว หรือขำ แต่จำเรื่องไม่ได้ พยายามนึกไปก็เท่านั้น เสียดายความฝัน ถ้าเอามาเล่าสู่กันฟังคงได้หัวเราะบ่อยๆ.. อะไรๆก็เกิดได้ในความฝันไม่ใช่รือ ถึงเราจะบังคับฝันไม่ได้ แต่นั่นอาจจะเป็นเสน่ห์ของความฝันก็ได้นะ ถ้ารู้เรื่องก่อน ถ้าบอกสมองได้ว่าอยากฝันเรื่องอะไร ตอนฝันก็อาจจะดี แต่ก็รู้เรื่องก่อนแล้วนี่นา.. จะสนุกได้ยังไง ลองให้สมองว่างๆของเราสุ่มชีวิตในฝันให้ดีกว่า ก็เหมือนเวลาตื่น แต่ละวันฟ้าก็สุ่มเรื่องราวมาให้เราทั้งนั้น อ่ะ..ไม่ใช่ฟ้าก็ได้ แต่ใครก็ไม่รู้น่ะสุ่มให้ ต่างคนก็เจอเรื่องราวที่ต่างกัน ผ่านไปทุกวัน ไม่มีใครมีชีวิตเหมือนกันเลย เอาทั้งหมดไปเขียนหนังสือ.. คงมีหนังสือล้นโลก ถ้าเขียนความฝันเข้าไปอีกยิ่งล้นไปถึงดาวไหนๆ เราก็เอาแค่พอหอมปากหอมคอ ลองขีดๆเขียนๆแบบย่อ เผื่ออยากไว้อ่านเล่นตอนแก่.. (ขนาดนี่เขียนไร้สาระ ยังมีคนอ่านเลย อิอิ) แต่ก็เอาแค่เรื่องตอนตื่นก็ละกัน เรื่องฝัน..ขอเก็บไว้ฝันคนเดียวนะ.. (^^)

what it takes to lead

isn't it always the issue of how one should be a leader? every so often i hear about leadership and how that will help you accomplish great things, well mostly work-wise.. and definitely it's a big thing around b-schools.. recall those essays about how you have developed and demonstrated leadership skills and how you planned to use that during and after your mba.. sometimes i wonder how all leaders can be together - who's going to follow if everyone wants to take the lead?

well, leave that for the moment, and i want to share a quote which i got from a movie.. i don't suppose you have seen it, judging from the number of my friends here who showed interest (which was none hehe).. but here, lead is in the context of dancing.. the instructor simply said to a guy, who tried to learn how to lead his partner.. "Do not dominate her, but take her on a journey." somehow i like how that sounds, and not just in the dance context but in other aspects of life.. do not dominate, for doing so will not help but rather lead you to step on each other's toes.. make it a journey, and you both will enjoy the experience together and cherish the memorable moments.. i think there is no need to define who the leader and the follower is.. like when the guy steps forward first, it doesn't have to mean he is dominant.. what's important is for the two to move together in coordination.. i do not claim to know how ballroom dancing works, but i sure believe what is in the mind of those who dance will be reflected in their movements.. imagine how graceful the couple would be when the man creates a journey and earns the woman's trust.. she can then dance with confidence in her partner and can fully express herself..

and now that i have gone on and on relating dance to life, i think i want to end with that.. leadership and mba, nah.. might be too boring for you guys :) let's just say, in all the good leaders there is an element of a follower.. and that is through opening up and listening to others.. think about the experience and the result.. if you want things done the way you do alone, then you might as well dance by yourself..

fake chemist

this is just to reflect on an old friend's blog entry i read earlier.. it wasn't the main idea of the post, but part of the metaphor used.. but let's go back to really basic chemistry.. we all know water and oil do not mix (btw i just learned a new word 'miscible' which is basically, to me, mix+able hehe).. and even if you try to shake it, it'll separate in the end.. some people try to do that in life.. to put things together and try to blend.. you get a whole lot of new stuff if you succeed, of course.. yet we all know certain things don't blend, like water and oil here.. and perhaps the only way to make it 'seem' like it is blended together is to keep shaking forever.. (i strongly believe human eye can fool human).. but who, and more interestingly why, would you want to keep forcing, knowing you cannot sustain such state.. perhaps you might want to ask yourself, what's wrong with leaving it separate? leave the oil up there and the water down here.. let it be.. and here i agree with the ending of my friend's post.. sometimes if you step back and look at it, you might realize it is perfectly fine to not blend and coexist.. now, what if you disagree with me and insist on trying.. maybe you can find the so-called emulsifier which can stabilize the two immiscible substances.. like soap! sure, put the soap in, shake it again, and voila! they mix! but you know what, now you get some cloudy merky liquid.. not water nor oil.. just something.. so i guess if people are happy with that, then keep on looking for that 'mixer'.. but if i were to be that water, i might try to find something, or someone, else that will naturally blend with me.. still that will involve stirring and shaking, but at least eventually it lasts..

ps. for the oil, it might be better to set it aside.. in another nice little bottle by the window.. so when the sun shines through, i could enjoy the beauty of the golden reflection from afar..

under height?

despite the guilt of having done some serious grocery shopping today (and not much should be considered 'groceries'), i took pleasure in cooking, eating, and continuously drawing down my supplies.. blame it on the spring break - it made me felt like i needed everything.. and therefore impulse buying took charge.. later i realized i have eaten too much.. and yes, it's always later, never before.. guess it would be nice if we don't have to worry about gaining weight.. then i found this in wikiquote:

"i am not over weight; i am under tall."

interesting view.. although i want to change tall to height.. supposedly it was quoted from garfield.. i can imagine his grinning face when saying this hehe.. but at the end of the day, we need to fight the weight factor cuz we cannot do anything with our height.. too bad.. i guess the point of sharing this is for those who, once in a while, need an excuse to go beyond the limit, just think you're under height and maybe you won't feel so bad after all ^^

and finally its over

the spring break, i mean.. holiday is always too short! it's almost one week through the spring quarter already.. life is back to normal again.. only now i so look forward to the beautiful spring weather around here ^^ it's 19C outside right now, and let me tell ya, it is just perfect! heard its super hot back home.. not to my surprise cuz songkran is coming up already.. how i wish i could have more days off.. hehe.. anywho, recent updates: a big warm welcome to all sasin exchanges! now we have maybe as many thais as japanese ieie.. haven't met everyone, and will certainly need some time to remember everyone's name.. but it sure looks like another fun quarter here at the cereal bschool :P

finally, spring break

off to london~ it was snowing hard when i was still at o'hare.. was kinda afraid the plane would be canceled since we were supposed to have a snowstorm later.. but in the end it was about an hour delay since the visibility was bad and taking off was difficult i guess.. so much for spring! haha.. anywho, arrived in london an hour late as well.. and immigration is, as always, terrible.. 10-km long queue and took forever.. to make matters worse, cingular doesn't work in UK.. yah the americans don't like to conform with the rest of the world hehe.. so it was not possible to get in touch wt hui and tell her about my delay.. 1.5 hrs later i got through and went straight to the payphone.. man it's expensive.. 50p would last like half a minute or less.. coin-sucking machine haha.. well, turned out hui was already waiting at south ken.. feel so bad i made her walk back and forth.. the tube ride took about 40 mins.. by then i felt really sleepy already.. and so we arrived at hui's place.. she had to rush something out.. chat chat a bit.. then whoops, off i go (to nap).. heehee

corp finance poetry

"equity is soft; debt hard.
equity is forgiving; debt insistent.
equity is a pillow; debt a sword."

i quote this from my finance II lecture notes* it is claimed that this is the only known example of corporate finance poetry.. i didn't know such kind of poetry exists till today, hehe. but it really helped me loosen up a bit while intensely going through all the materials.. man, it is tough! anyways, from the poem, sounds like equity is the good guy here huh.. but debt can be good too - the tax shield and all.. gosh i can't write about this! here's my thought (i decided to play with it a bit):

"love is soft, yet hard.
love is forgiving, yet insistent.
love is a pillow, yet can become a sword."

no one's the good/bad guy here.. you can never tell when it will hurt or heal.. try it, and you will see both sides of the coin.. learn it, and you will understand the balance in life.. at the end of the day, you will realise the bad exists so you can fully appreciate the good :)

ps. i think finance made me gone crazy! hehe..
__________
(*)Stewart, G Bennett III, and David M Glassman, "the motives and methods of corporate restructuring: part II," 1988

Bulls vs Nets

ไปดูบาสมาจ้า จะสอบอยู่อาทิตย์หน้าแต่ก็ยัง spirit แรงกล้า ทิ้งหนังสือหนังหาไปดูกัน ความจริงเรียกได้ว่าเสียตังค์ไปแล้วเลยเสียดาย อิอิ.. ครั้งแรกที่ได้ไปดู แอบตื่นเต้นนิดนึง ที่นั่งก็ไกลสะใจอย่างที่คาด.. แต่ก็เอาเนอะ สมราคา$20 ไปสายอดดูตอน kellogg แข่งกะ gsb เลยอ่ะ เพื่อนคงแอบด่าในใจ หนอยแน่ไม่ยอมมา support โรงเรียนเรา.. ก็รถมันติดอ่ะทำไง แต่อย่างน้อยก็รู้ว่าเราชนะ เย้ๆ.. นั่งดูๆไป เหมือนจะบันเทิงกับเวลา time-out หรือไม่ก็ break มากกว่าตอนเค้าวิ่งโยนบอลกันซะอีก เหมือนไปดูโชว์ แถมมี promotion แจกนู่นนี่ มีเกมเล่น ก็บ้าตามเค้าไป เอาให้ได้บรรยากาศ ขนาดเค้าเล่นเวฟกันยังเอาด้วยเรยยย อินจริงๆ.. พอได้มีโอกาสไปนั่งใน stadium ก็พอจะเข้าใจทำไมอเมริกันถึงได้บ้ากีฬากันนัก เป็น culture ของเค้าเลย แล้วทุกอย่างก็ลงทุนทำซะดี เงินอัดฉีดสุดๆ อ่ะ..ต้องพูดถึงเกมมั่ง ไม่ได้ดูนานแล้ว ใครเป็นใครก็ไม่รู้จัก ก็ลุ้นๆตามเค้าไป สุดท้ายชนะก็เย้ๆๆกะเค้าด้วย แต่ชอบตัว benny จัง เดินวนไปวนมาแกล้งคนดู เอาหัวโขกๆ หรือไม่ก็กระโดดให้ตกใจ ขำขำดี.. หลังจากเกมนี้ ตั้งใจจะหาโอกาสไปดูอย่างอื่นด้วย ทั้งฟุตบอล เบสบอล อะไรๆที่เค้าบ้าๆกัน มาอยู่ถึงนี่ต้องเอาซะหน่อยเนาัะ.. anyway ถ่ายรูปบรรยากาศ(จากแสนไกล)มาฝากค่่าาา..

inside united center

คนดู ไม่เต็มแต่ก็เยอะมากแล้ว stadium เค้าตั้งเบ้อเริ่ม

flying benny

สามสาวขอแชะหน่อย ^^

gloomy sunday

"seasons come,
seasons go
the sun shines,
the wind blows
people laugh,
people cry
no matter where,
no matter why
life is joy,
life is pain
so learn to fall,
and walk again..."