Merger of Two Loves

So the Superbowl dropped a new Independence Day: Resurgence trailer. Let me confess that the original Independence Day film is super cheesy, but *gulp* it is one of my favorite movies. Not just because I'm born on Independence Day (happy birthday to both me and USA!), but well, it has all the elements of a fun, no-brainer summer blockbuster movie. And I still get *good feels* whenever I hear that famous president's speech:

"We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight. We're going to live on; we're going to survive. Today, we celebrate our In-de-pen-dence Day!"

If our presidential candidates spoke like that, I'll vote for him/ her, confirm. Well, except for Donald Trump. Donald Trump is irredeemable.

Anyway, so there is a new Independence Day: The Sequel trailer floating around, and *gasp* it features my beloved, beautiful Singapore!!! I could not believe that Singapore is in the new Independence Day film. Two of my loves merging...*squeal!!!*

That is, until it hit me that Singapore is being DESTROYED in the trailer. Like, you literally see this tableau

Picture taken from www.yoursingapore.com. You can see the iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel/casino on the left (the 3 buildings with a boat on top), and the CBD area on the right. 

Being taken d
                     o
                      w
                        n.

Here is the Superbowl Trailer. The destruction of Singapore is from 00:24-00:26.

Which caused me to reflect on how I should feel about this movie:
Should I be excited that Singapore is apparently a significant enough city-country to feature in a Hollywood film, similar to how London and Moscow were shown and destroyed in the first film?

OR should I be wary that once again, the United States is saving the world because smaller countries like Singapore are sure goners in the case of an alien invasion?

I have no idea.

You're probably thinking that I'm taking this issue way too seriously for a trailer. "Give the movie a chance," you say, "It's just the trailer. Watch the film before passing judgment." You're right, but sorry, my graduate-school-academic brain reads way too much into many ALL things now.

Whatever the case, I'm still excited to watch it, and will buy my tickets pronto!

Top 10 Memories for 2015

Once again, my annual list of top 10 memories for the previous year in no particular order:

1) I passed my candidacy examination! For those of you outside of academia (and count your blessing that you are), the candidacy exam is the last major exam you take as a PhD student before you can are allowed to write your dissertation. You can read more about my experience HERE and HERE.

2) Family trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia (again). I fall in love with Southeast Asia more each time I return. I promised a post on it and...it's coming. I know, I said that like months ago, but really, I'm finally going through my gazillion pictures and trying to select the best. A preview of things to come:

3) Family trip to Penang, Malaysia. The entire city/ state of Penang is a UNESCO Heritage Site, and I can see why. There is a rustic charm to it that I fear perpetuates Orientalism so I have mixed feelings whenever I visit "UNESCO Heritage Sites," but I still had a wonderful time. I will post about it once I get done with my post on Siem Reap. Not as many pictures but certainly just as many fun memories!

4) I received a huge national grant that will enable me to stay in Singapore until September 2016. Hooray! Counting my blessings. More food bwa ha ha ha ha!

5) I drove from Ohio to Utah alone (again). As I wrote in this post, NEVER AGAIN will I make this trip alone, and this time for realz. I'm dragging a sibling/ friend with me the next time I have to do it again. I was in Utah for a month to participate in the 50th Mormon History Association Conference, and do more archival research at the Church History Library. Oh yes, and I used Airbnb for the first time. Very satisfied transaction and will use it again in the future (this post is NOT sponsored).

6) I taught my first undergraduate class online: History 2610: History of Women and Gender in the United States. Teaching a class for the first time is time consuming. I heard teaching it online is 10x worse, and I can see why. I'm SO glad it is over. While I learned a lot, it wasn't the most pleasant experience. Maybe I will write about it in a few months time after I've healed from this hard, emotional journey.

7) SG50 -- Singapore's official "name" in celebration of its landmark 50th birthday. You don't see a country turn 50 years old everyday, much less one as prosperous and developed as Singapore. So many retail and food outlets gave discounts in honor of SG50; public transportation was free on National Day, and the National Day celebration parade was quirky and awesome! My tears welled up when the camera panned in on the empty seat of 国父 Lee Kuna Yew. In addition to being home for the celebrations, my friend randomly selected this weekend to visit Singapore! We had fun visiting the Botanical Gardens, eating, braving the crowds along the bayfront at Marina Bay, and Universal Studios Singapore.

8) Church Assignments. I have mixed feelings about this because everyone naturally assumes that since I am "only" a graduate student, I have plenty of "free time." Right? NOT TRUE. Anyway, this year alone, I've been assigned to these various jobs, sometimes one at a time, other times simultaneously: ward missionary, my congregation's music chairwoman, temporary music leader for Primary (church session for children), substitute Sunday School teacher, and led my congregation in organizing part of a live Nativity put up by my church. My congregation was in charge of King Harod's room (cast and decoration). Considering that my assistants and I had never done this before, and limited resources, I have to say we did quite a remarkable job.

Pics courtesy of Zhang YC

As my congregation's music leader, I also put up my very first Christmas-Sacrament Meeting cantata. Lots of work and so grateful for the angels (earthly and heavenly) God sent to help.

9) My maternal grandmother passed away, and we held a Buddhist funeral procession for her. I wasn't close to her but she was amazing in the sense that she lived till a ripe old age of 97 despite being a life-long chain smoker and gambler. It's good that I was home to say my last goodbyes, and I saw LOTS of relatives.

10) Living back home for months in one long stretch... haven't done this in a loooooong time. It is tough to move back in with the parents for a long period of time. Not going to lie there. I desperately miss my apartment, roommate and INDEPENDENCE in Columbus. But life is full of trade-offs, and I guess I can tolerate being un-independent again for the next 8 months in exchange for instances of maternal pampering and THE FOOD. Oh my word, the food is worth everything.

Honorable mention: 3-day trip to Guangzhou, China in September. First time to China! I went with my friend and her colleague, and while the trip was too short, it was fun and there is A LOT of shopping to do there. Too bad the clothes weren't to my taste. We also toured a mausoleum of one of the ancient kings of Guangzhou-- super cool!

Happy 2016, and I hope I'm more consistent at blogging this year!

Facepalm Final

Wow it has been a loooooooong time since I last updated my blog, and caught up with other people's blogs. Oops! Sorry, the semester passed like a whirlwind, and I was (and still am) caught in it. I'm in the middle of grading the final examination essays that my students submitted, so I don't have time to do a long update, so FYI
1) I will update soon! Once the semester is over. So much to share!

2) I just had to share this. I almost posted this on Facebook, but felt it was too mean to do so. For one of the final examination questions, my students had to write an essay comparing and contrasting the First and Second Wave Feminist Movement. I've read quite a lot of bad (and a few good) essays, but this one... takes the cake.

"The First and Second Wave Feminist Movements were similar because they were both centered around women."

Please note that the student wrote this sentence to open a new paragraph, and in the next sentence, talked about something else. Well duh. How do you elaborate upon this inane, obvious sentence? Of course both movements centered around women. That's why they are called "feminist movements." 

Facepalm. 

Why can't students just READ instructions?!

I assigned my students to watch a documentary, and told them where they can access it on the syllabus. Last Friday, I wrote them a reminder email, and included the links and instructions on how to obtain the film again.

This morning, a student emailed me to ask where the film is and how she can access it.

*facepalm*

And we are only beginning Week 5. I'm pretty sure it's not my email server because I sent the email via the school's email portal, so it should get to all my students. Plus it's on the syllabus, which I told them to read. Yet, I've had a few of them email me similar questions regarding other assignments. Sometimes I just want to make a montage video of people asking "Why can't you just read instructions?! I just sent them to you!"

Okay, I won't. But it's tempting to do so. I'm sure other instructors will appreciate it ;)

His Perfect Atonement

I have sooooo much to blog about: Cambodia (again), the new semester, Guangzhou China...and those posts are coming, but for now, I hope you enjoy this poem by Kasey Hammer (Utah), published in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' Liahona September 2015 issue (link HERE). I testify that Christ's atonement is real and that He is able to make us whole again, no matter the sin/ mistake/ trial.

His Perfect Atonement

I used to believe

That there was a hole

In Christ’s Atonement—

That He could save everyone—

Except me.

But I was wrong.

There is not one hole,

But seven.

Two holes in

His Hands

Where they nailed Him

To a cross

At the behest of those

He would die

To save,

Two holes in

His wrists

Where they ensured

The weight of His body

Would not cause

His hands

To rip through

Before His penance

Was complete,

Two holes in

His feet

Where He stood

As a witness to all

Of God’s unyielding love

For each

Of His children,

And one hole in

His side

Where they pierced Him

To prove His work

Was done.

Seven.

Perfection.

Seven perfect holes

In earth’s only

Perfect Man.

The perfect Atonement

To patch the holes in our lives.

His holes make us

Whole.

I was wrong.

There is a

Whole

In Christ’s Atonement

For me

After all.

Review of Universal Studios Singapore

When my friend visited Singapore, we went to Universal Studios Singapore (U.S.S). It was our first time there, and we had no idea what to expect. Thank goodness the day wasn't too hot (it even rained a little!), and we had packed food and water bottles.

Me, excited to be there, except that I forgot that I can take pictures in portrait mode, and so all my pictures with the iconic "Universal Studios" globe are cut off. #misskeeshfail. Don't ask me how I forgot to change modes... 

We arrived about a half-hour after the park opened, and immediately headed for the U.S.S.-only  "Battleship Galactica" twin roller-coasters. SUPER FUN! It was also the first time I sat an entire roller coaster ride with my hands up in the air-- woo hoo!!! As someone who has a deep phobia of heights, I loved that the rides relied on more on speed than height to provide the thrills. My friend doesn't suffer from the same fear as me, but she too enjoyed it. I recommend doing this first, because the line at the end of the day was unbelievable. 

Next up: The Mummy Roller Coaster. I LOVED THIS RIDE! It's a roller-coaster in semi-darkness, and man! Sooooo good. The line also moved fast, and at the end of the day, we sat the ride two more times and in the front row. Highly recommended! 

Other rides:

• Transformers 3D-simulator ride: Maybe I sat this at the wrong time (I had a small headache), so the ride was jerky, too long, and FAKE. After a minute, I was like, "Okay, I'm ready for this to be done. Is this really the best 3D effects they could come up with? Seriously?" But the little boys next to me loved it, so like I said, maybe it's just me. 
• Puss-in-Boots mini-roller coaster: This is a good family ride, even for children. A bit jerky. It goes pretty high up though, so make sure your kids don't sit at the edge.
• Jurassic Park water ride: Enjoyed it a lot! Bring a poncho because you WILL get wet. 
• Madagascar river boat ride: Sooooo cute and a good family ride.
• Shrek 4-D Adventure: BLAH. I was excited for this ride because, hello, 4-D, but it was terrible. Thank goodness we didn't wait long for the show.   

We also caught the 30 minute water stunt show in between rides. Discounting the LOUD cannons and gun fire, it was a great way to cool down with all that water splashed on us!

I got to pet a baby triceratops! *heart melt*

My sweetheart and I

The park isn't very big, and you can most likely squeeze everything into one day if you go during the non-peak season. The park is very well-done and clean, and I was most impressed by the attention to detail, such as signs like this:

Sign at Jurassic Park section. *adorbs*

And I loved that they provided FREE lockers for the more adult roller-coaster rides, so I didn't have to worry about storing my belongings. I've never been to a theme park that provided free lockers, so this was a pleasant surprise. 

Overall it was a blast, and I recommend it to any of my friends who are in Singapore! 

TIPS: 

- Be sure to pack a lunch because the food in there is super expensive!

- Make use of the drinking fountains to refill your water bottles.

- Go with friends who don't mind splitting up. I'm so glad it was just the two of us, and we are both pretty independent, so we stood in the "Single Rider" line. BEST SHORT-CUT EVER! Saved us a ton of time, and we only had to wait for each other a few minutes every time.  

Happy 50th Birthday Singapore!

First, this picture. YES.

Wish I knew who drew this so that I can give credit, but at least now my readers can get a glimpse of why the #1 craving of Singaporeans living overseas is FOOD. 

August 9, 2015-- Singapore celebrated its 50th birthday. YEAH!!! I'm thrilled that I was able to be home to celebrate this milestone. In honor of "SG50", the government declared a 4-day public holiday weekend. Many companies and government agencies also gave away huge discounts, and our entire public transportation system was free on August 9 itself (first time ever!). 

I was delighted that a friend visited Singapore over National Day weekend, even though we had not planned it. She seriously has great timing. We took long bus rides, MRT rides, went to the Singapore Botanic Gardens--which just became a UNESCO Heritage Site!-- and braved the massive crowds at Marina Bay where the parade was held at the Padang. 

Stunning picture by Sheng Long Lua

But you know what makes me proud? Is knowing that deep in our hearts, we are proud of how far we have come, and what we have accomplished. We will work together when push comes to shove, and though we complain like crazy about our politics/ policies/ the weather, there isn't another place we rather be. This is home, truly. 

Majulah Singapura! ("Onward Singapore")