friday blues

everyone loves fridays.. went for the movies near smithaven mall today with a dude from BASIC.
The movie's entitled "The Kingdom" starring Jennifer Garner! (*yes!!!!)
When she first made her appearance, we sat up straight and smiled..

going to Long Island Picnic tomorrow in Queens. IVs from 3 Long Island varsities will be attending including Stony Brook. MMmmmmm BBQ, i can smell it know.. I'm getting hungry..

I've been spending most of my time thinking bout this and i can't wait for the Black Friday sales where prices are slashed mad crazy.

*ps: i miss my girl friend back home. but i'm gonna get her replaced.

new york city

The holidays are here! No classes from Thursday to Sunday due to the Jewish holidays of Yom Kippur.

I just came back from a chinese buffer (yin yang chinese buffet near stony brook), with my room mate who drove there. food was crazy, we ate like shrek (esp my room mate who tears and munches the alaskan crabs). Oh yes, alaskan crabs are HUGE! its shell is not brittle, but tough and flexible, we had to use a nut cracker to break into it.

The M'sian gang took the LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) to jamaica, queens. then bought a day pass and switched to the infamous new york subway. yes, it's dirty and humid at the bottom. despite it's infamous reputation, it is life line of new york city.
we went to the lower and midtown of manhattan isle.

places we visited:
little italy - ate in a fancy italian restaurant at mulbery street.
chinatown - oh yes, it does look like petaling street only bigger and much more diverse
battery park - seen liberty isle with the famous lady of liberty at a distance, we lie down on the grass and chilled for an hour
city hall - just the outside
rockefelle center - just seen it at a distance, it's close to MoMA (museum of modern art which i planed to visit even when i was still back in m'sia)
6th street - where we lined up for 1 hour just for the famous chicken and rice
1st street - where we ate at a friend's japanese restaurant
serendipity - an ice cream shop famous for its $1000 ice cream sprinkled with gold dust, this shop was featured in a scene from serendipity
world trade center site - pretty touching to see a site where once 2 buildings stood now destroyed, names of the perished now immortalized on a plaque

i was kinda blur throughout the whole trip, i didn't talked much, so kinda forgot where we actually went. but i enjoyed myself. i haven't got a dSLR yet :-( but i can share pictures from my friends' camera.

conclusion? returning to the city is definite. i can't wait to take pictures of balding trees, blanketing the ground with its yellow and red leaves.. what a picturesque sight it might be!

of B.A.S.I.C

Gene sharing the word and introducing the fellowship
From L to R: Lysha (m'sian), NZ girl, Irish girl ( i4got their names! sigh..)
Yared (guy in red,biomedical engineering grad, from Ethopia)

It's so refreshing to gather at the Union, room 236, 8pm and meet with fellow Christians on campus. I really felt relieved and felt a sense of belonging even though I haven't met all of them. B.A.S.I.C stands for Brothers and Sisters in Christ, a campus ministry by a local church: Full Gospel Christian Centre.

Met a lot of people, from a new zealand twin girls(4got their names!), a new zealand guy (ben-really friendly), an irish girl(4got her name), african americans (dominique-really funny, she's like whoopi goldberg!, andre, dell, lionel), an asian girl(esther), a filipino girl (shelly), an ethopian guy( yared who is doing biomedical engineering in grad school, looks like john legend though), mike (physics grad school, he's a Teaching Assistant for physics!, I could ask him to help me in physics) and loads more which 4got their names.

Met Gene a white guy who happens to be a parole officer cum youth worker on Stony campus for 17 years. I must say he looks like Steve Austin of WWE only much more friendly not violent!

I invited a local friend, Evan and a Junior year, M'sian friend Lysha to check out BASIC. We prayed and worshiped with a radio. Since the keyboardist (andre) has to attend a meeting. Really funny though, cos I haven't worshiped with a CD before.

Worship was so good, songs were really familiar (Heart of Worship, This is my Desire, I could sing of Your love etc.). When we prayed I felt so relieved to hear the first prayer on campus. Finally am assured and secured that there are Christians on campus. Christians to pray with. Christians that I can relate to. Without Christians friends to hang out with I'll die spiritually. I thanked God continuously..

There's loads of other Christian groups to check out. Korean CF, Chinese CF, Chi Alpha CF, Inter Varsity CF, Graduate CF and many more. I can't wait to meet more Christians on campus for these CFs work together and sometimes have joined events. Things are looking up now. Rest assured, now that I know that they are other brothers and sisters I can relate to.. Thank You Lord...

of a new enviroment

My first few days of this week has been hectic for me. trying to get my classes right and getting an approval from the BME dept (which happens to be on the 18th floor of the university hospital, 20 mins walk from main campus). Dr.Frame (BME undergrad director) told me that I have to do well for this semester (esp. BME 100) in order to get into the BME dept.

And later, I found out that the my advisor on orientation day, gave me the wrong math class! Gosh! What's worse? the right class for me has been closed! Spent like 2 hours trying to find the AMS 210 instructor so that he could let me in.

Our M'sian gang lined up for nearly 2 hours just to get $5 tickets to Six Flags (One of the largest theme park in the New Jersey). It was all in vain after 2 hours, for the tickets are sold out. We opt for LIRR (long island railroad) $6 tickets to Jamaica. Yeah, we're checking out the city next wednesday..since it's a holiday. (hope that the trains aren't packed)

And then, I met Sharon's Brooklyn high school friend, from HK. Had lunch and she told me loads about campus and how Brooklyn's like. And then I met her friends. we later checked out the apartment she live in. Sweeeet, she has a large bathroom and a double room (2 inhabitants). And i met a Greek guy from the EST 325 class there. Really friendly dude.

Oh well, I kinda like my dorm (even though we're the only ones staying on the ground floor). Loads of amenities are in close proximity; kitchen, restroom, laundry eg. Suite mates are fine, but they get noisy night.. ( I don't really mind unless I'm studying). They're a funny bunch.

How am I lately? Again, I did not do well in my final semester in INTI. 1 B+ and 2 B-. Maybe it's my fault or is it the lecturer's fault? (1 guy allows cheating). At least I know I that I did it without cheating. But I can't take it as a bargaining chip with God to bless me cos' it's partly my fault too ( i guess).. Discouraged now, a song echoes from the depths of my mind..

All I can Say, David Crowder

Lord I'm tired
So tired from walking
And Lord I'm so alone
And Lord the dark
Is creeping in
Creeping up
To swallow me
I think I'll stop
Rest here a while

And didn't You see me cry'n?
And didn't You hear me call Your name?
Wasn't it You I gave my heart to?
I wish You'd remember
Where you sat it down

Chorus:
And this is all that I can say right now
And this is all that I can give

Bridge:
I didn't notice You were standing here
I didn't know that
That was You holding me
I didn't notice You were cry'n too
I didn't know that
That was You washing my feet

The Lord's been good to me ever since I got here. He's been granting me favor. I've got permission to get into the classes I want even though they're closed already. But He gave it to me. About BME 100 (Intro to Biomed Eng), there were problems with admin (i was initially not given permission by BME dept. but Dr. Frame can't do anything bout it now, but to give me the course) but He gave it to me anyway... There is light after walking through a long dark tunnel. There'll be light at the end of the tunnel. A glimpse of hope, worry not about the destination but the journey. Cliche statement, but profound. That's the word of God.

of campus life

it's been 2 days now since i moved into Kelly Quad. dorm mates are super friendly. my korean roommate is a christian and has a car!

he took me to wal-mart today to get some supplies 5 minutes drive away from stony brook.
to my amazement, i met a couple of m'sian students! it's so rare! but we're all happy to see each other and conversing in our accent comfortably with an american twist.

i met this malaysian guy who happens to be from Help college, and lives in kota kemuning too!! oh gosh! we laughed till we our stomachs hurt!!

tomorrow's the 1st day of classes and we're all sleeping early. i'm equally excited as them.

here's a song of praise to Him which i find has a very refreshing tune:

Open Skies by David Crowder

Praise Him under open skies
Everything breathing praising God
In the company of all who love the King
I will dance, I will sing
It could be heavenly
Turn the music loud, life my voice and shout
From where I am
From where I've been
He's been there with me
He's built a monument
His very people
So let his people
Sing, sing, sing

And it's so wonderful
Just to be here now

CHORUS:
Praise Him under open skies
Everything breathing praising God
In the company
Of all who love the King

Praise Him under open skies
Everything breathing praising God
In the company of all who love the King
Let us dance, let us sing
It could be heavenly
Turn the music loud and sing

Lift your voice to heaven
Lift up your head and sing
To the One who gave his love
This is our offering
Lift your voice to heaven
Lift up your head and sing
To the One who gave His son
Here our lives we bring

From wherever you are
Wherever you've been
He's been there
So let his people sing

And it's so wonderful to be here now
Wherever you are wherever you've been
He's been there

look at the blueness of sky, ponder on the greatness of Him..

things are looking up now...

it's been a week since i got here. settling down was relatively simple (i guess) thanks to the Lees for making transition easy for me. they have been such great hosts, making me feel welcome and getting used to the lifestyle here.

today we went to white castle for breakfast. famous for its small rectangular burgers (and cheap too, 56cents per piece). you could have it in just one go. and for lunch, the Lees brought me to Flushing, Queens. Chinatown to be exact. ate in a malaysian restaurant. to my amusement satay, char kuey teow and hokkien noodles tastes 85% authentic. and in the restaurant i can here, m'sian cantonese dialogs going around, and a wall painted map of m'sia. it really felt like home, since the owner hails from ipoh.

on the way back in the car, i listened to this song called "Blessed be Your name" over a Christian channel. it's lyrics made me remember of how God has been faithful to me. He has brought me this far... and He'll continue His work in me until my very last breath.

Blessed be your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name

Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be your name

Stony gave me permission to take BME 100: an introductory course for Biomedical Engineering. which is good, if i do well in it, it'll be a ticket for me to get into the Biomed Dept. (since i'm give a conditional offer. i'm actually in college of arts and science instead of college of engineering). looks like the Lord's been good to me. He has always been. It's just that i fail to see it at times. hard to imagine, all the hard times i've been through were actually molding times for me. and i thank Him for that. i read a scripture yesterday which really shot me. so relevant to me that i need to share it:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1 : 2-4

I took up biomedical engineering because I like to contribute to saving lifes like what a doctor does, but I like machines too. Hence biomedical engineering, the machinery part of medicine. It's like saving people's lifes not with a knife but with machines... Now that's my passion...

How can I not thank You??

I've got the credits!!

Oh yeah! They gave me full transfer of all my core subjects! (Physics, Calculus, Chemistry, Differential Equations). Pheeewww, what a relieve! I need not take any of these courses again and need not take the pesky math placement exam and the writing one too!

Thank you Daddy!

Sutherland was like looking at my calculus course description; he goes, "uhuh, yeah, good good. that'll do".. awww thank you so much!

Guess I'm a Junior now (3rd year student) which means I have 2 years more to graduation!

Thank you all for your prayers. Thank you Daddy for hearing me..

Thank you Daddy....

I've got the credits!!

of orientation day

*Charles B. Wang Center

*staller center of the arts (trains performances and organizes on campus shows)

*yawns, boring speeches

*replica chariot

*neat architecture (Wang Ctr)

*Jasmine (for those who are homesick)

*where's the water from those fountain heads?


Yesterday:
Stony Brook is indisputably one of the most diverse campus in the States. Yesterday was orientation day for undergraduates. Met a lot of people (but we left for different paths after campus tour). Here's a tiny scoop of diversity I've tasted:

1) A Korean girl - freshman, very friendly, gave me her contact, biology major
2) A German girl - blonde, 10 month exchange student, music major (classical piano), from bavaria (to be exact), transfer
3) A Brazilian Korean guy - speaks portuguese, freshman, economics major, had snacks together
4) A Canadian girl - approached me first and asked, "Where are you from?", toronto, freshman
5) An Indian guy - didn't talked much, computer science major, exchanged a few words and then left
6) A Filipino guy - freshman, business major, migrated to NY
7) A Japanese girl - my orientation leader, got excited when I told her I'm Malaysian (cause she knows another Malaysian guy who happens to be funny too), gave her my email, sophomore, politics major (i guess), really really friendly

After campus tour, I get to wander around campus and I came upon the Charles B. Wang Center (motto: "Sharing Asian and American Cultures"). Went inside and took a look around. Pretty neat. It boasts a chapel, lecture halls, theaters, Jasmine (restaurant that serves Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean food). Sometimes, there'll be cultural performances held in the Wang Center and it has a replica of a bronze chariot on display too! Neat!


Today:
Was up since 4am to study for my math placement test later this day. It's called the "Crammer" by the locals. You cram and stuff all you can into your head before and exam. Spent bout 11 hours revising (breakfast, lunch and nap in between) before I left for Stony. And when I'm there, I met this Japanese guy who followed me to the Math Dept for the placement test. They gave us iMacs to do our tests. Cool. While waiting, I logged into my yahoo mail and then...

"RE: ENQUIRY"
Dear Kevin,
I don't think the placement exam is necessary for you. I will formally evaluate your courses on thursday, at your orientation (it would help if you have a description and can bring it with you, even if it isn't in English). If it turns out that the placement exam is indeed necessary, you can take it later.

Prof Sutherland.


What??!! I was up since 4am to study and now you're telling me that I'm exempted?!! I emailed him yesterday evening, and I just got a reply this afternoon. Aww man..
I told the person in charge that I've gotta leave. He told me to talk to the guy in black which happens to be Sutherland. Seems to be a really friendly guy. He remembered my email and that he'll see me tomorrow to evaluate my math courses. Oh well, I'm relieved I need not take this test, but I've wasted time travelling here and preparing for the test. I called Prof Lee to take me home. Sorry....

of churches

The basement cum dining area

Tina sharing about Harvard CF

Long Island Alliance Church

It's Sunday now. Followed The Lees to their Chinese Church in Dix Hills, probably 10 minutes drive from home. Name's Long Island Alliance Church. The congregation consists of mostly Chinese but has a White pastor and some Blacks too. Some Hispanics too. First, Sunday Schools (kinda like bible study ones for all ages up to college students, not just for kids. ) and the Chinese Service run simultaneously (Mandarin and Cantonese). Then it'll be snack time. Tried the classic New Yorker's breakfast; bagel. They look like donuts, only less sweeter and tastes like bread. They slice it into half and spread cheese all over it.

After that, the English service commence. I would say it's pretty conservative and much quiet but it's fine. Oh yeah, I made a few friends today; (Kevin, computer scientist; Egel, Indonesian computer scientist; Tina Tang, Harvard grad currently serving in Harvard-Radcliffe CF; Don, Stony Brook freshman). Kevin (getting married next year) told me loads about dorm tips, the dos and don'ts. It appears Tina knows a Harvard friend of mine (Hoong Ern). "Oh yeah, he's a good kid, he helps out alot and plays the piano".. says Tina. Oh yes, I met another
guy, Alex who plays the guitar (owns a $900 ovation semi acoustic) and drums.

After service lunch is served at the basement. Most Chinese churches provide meals but it ain't free. Well, since I'm a guest, I had buffet down there for FREE. hehe.

After that we went to "Bed Bath and Beyond" to get some pillows and towels. Paid $58.62 for; 2 pillows, clothe hanger, 1 towel and 6 hand towels. Gosh, why am I writing this??

Next door is Circuit City (electronic chain store). PSPs are cheap here, it costs $159 (approximately RM500) and I checked out the PS3 (*whistling tone; sweeeeeeeet graphics!!!).

Oh well, that's it for now. Ever since I'm here, I don't know what to write. Seems my writing style has changed though.