An odyssey to the west: November 2006

Crisis!!!

Jiahao is ill! The apparent cause of this illness is unknown, but the doctor diagnosed this to be a possible case of viral infection. Diarrhea, feeling feverish and vomitting were among the symptons of the viral infection that plagued Jiahao for the past two days. To make matters worse, we had a Fluids 2 quiz today (definitely a killer module in the Engineering department with a mortality rate of 30%). Like the poignant-tragic hero of a play, Jiahao had to brave this killer paper and casting off any discomfort brought about by his illness at the same time.

Visibly pale and thoroughly weaken by this illness, we accompanied Jiahao to the University's Hospital in the campus after our dinner (Jiahao survived on fruits mainly for the duration of this period). Although medication and diagnosis are free, the waiting time was atrociously long. The line formed for diagnosis and consultation was prioritized according to the seriousness of each individual cases. Obviously understaffed, I began to suspect that the entire hospital has only one doctor on duty to attend to this ever growing line of patients, miserably waiting for their turns. We were no exception, and the sight of Jiahao growing paler by the minute worried me and Allan quite a bit. After close to 3 hours of waiting, it was finally Jiahao's turn. He was put on an IV drip for 2 hours (grand total of 5 hours spent at that darned hospital), without any prescribtion of medicine.

By the time we reached our residence, it was close to 230 a.m!!! With a presentation at 0830 a.m tomorrow, I couldn't help but think that will the lack of sleep, stress from the presentation and the increasingly cold weather put me next in line of the 'falling ill list'? I hope not! Looking at how Jiahao heroically combat this illness, I doubt I can conjure the same effort. Before I'm off to make the final preparations for the presentation, I hope that you guys can wish him a speedy recovery. Afterall, Jiahao needs every bit of strength to lug the truckloads of souvenirs he bought to Singapore!

Ice Hockey: a 3 in 1 game

Arguably the most popular sports in Canada, ice hockey is really a combination of 3 other kinds of sports: American football, hockey (DUH....) and skating (I'm tempted to add in wrestling here as well; the players seem to be exuding too much testosterone during the entire match). In short, you have to be some kinda super athlete to play this sport. The Canadians have a professional league, the NHL (National Hockey League), but I've been told that it is IMPOSSIBLE to get the tickets by both physical or financial means even during the regular season. Which explains why we are reduced to watching the Western Mustang in their opening match against the Windsor Lancers for 8 bucks. Despite the fact that some of the players are just your average tertiary students, these athletes are really in a league of their own, and the popularity they enjoy in London is phenomenal.

John Labatt Stadium, home of the Western Mustang. There was scarcely a crowd that day.

The Mustangs warming up before the game in their trademark purple jerseys.

The opposing team: Windsor Lancers (their ass is gonna be kicked that night).

The Mustang's mascot.

With a resounding clash of the hockey sticks, the match began...

The entire game was fast paced. My eye balls was moving left and right so rapidly that I can swear it almost came right out of the sockets.

Nelly (French girl) won herself a Mustang jersey! The rest of us could only settle for the free towels given to us at the entrance....

The Western Mustangs beat the Windsor Lancers 7-2 in the final quarter. Needless to say, the crowd was ecstatic in the Mustang's first opening win. But for the French, Malaysian and Singaporean exchange students, it was little more than a trivial weekend alternative to the movies.

Post home coming party

There were parties all over the campus that night, plenty of booze and meat (the other kind of 'meat' as well) were passed around. Me and Jiahao went for one of these, and guess what, a snippet of video of Jiahao dancing was caught on camera! Thanks to Sappho, the French girl (she kinda reminds me of Sadako from certain angles, especially when her long flowing mane covers her face. Will upload her pictures soon for all to see), this video was made possible. Jiahao did NTU and Singapore proud! We can groove any time, any where!

Home coming

Do not ask me what 'home coming' means. When I asked, I was given the vague reply that it is an event where alumnis of UWO return to the campus for the event, beer/foam/BBQ parties (and plenty of fornication afterwards I bet) were held all day long, a parade and procession by the various faculties snakes from downtown to the campus to mark this event. The parties (and perhaps the fornication) and procession went on as scheduled despite a light drizzle that morning.

University of Western Ontario's marching band, with their riduculously puffy attires.

The procession making its way into the campus from downtown.

The university's very own radio station. Honestly, I've never tuned in to the station before.

Trucks in Canada are HUMONGOUS, you get run over by one of these, chances are you can be made into fillings for wanton (chinese dumplings).

The decorated float from my residence. Go MED-SYD!

Soft toys are not just for girls...

Material and Mechanical Engineering's buggy made from scrap metals.

Tough luck to the Electrical engineers. Weather forecast for that day: Overcast with light rain.

You guys can start by not spending so much money on this procession.

An unexpected, yet predictable news from home

The title for this entry is conspicuosly oxymoronic. No doubt about that. But when it comes to innocuous sounding words like 'revision' or 'upward adjustment' of the GST, it does make sense to most Singaporean readers. It was a week ago when I learnt that the GST will be 'revised' from the current 5% to 7% from next year onwards. The implication here would be simple: by applying simple economic theories, the price of all luxury items will be significantly more expensive, while purchasing price elastic goods, the impact of the 'revised' GST could be felt when it compounds in the long term. If you ask me, the year end sales will be a good time for the ladies to grab their LVs and the guys, their PS 3 or Wii, before the 'revision' kicks off in 2007.

Moving the focus to Canada, they have a GST of 6%, and a PST of 8% (PST = Provincial Sales Tax), adding up to 14% in total to the amount taxable on any goods or services. In terms of the GST, Singapore has surpassed that of Canada. Not something to be proud of, of course. Bearing this in mind, I can only tighten my belt further when I return to Singapore should the amiable auntie selling the lor mee at my favourite hawker center say, "Lor mee, big bowl one, S$3.07." There is one nagging question that has not cease to disturb my otherwise enjoyable trip in Canada: when was the last time the 'revision' of GST was made before an election? If memory did not fail me, was it never?

Toronto (part 5)---> The long walk to CN tower

Walking for close to 8 hours around the city of Toronto was no easy feat. We journeyed to CN tower (the pin-like structure in part 1 of the Toronto entries) to rendevouz with the rest of the international students to catch the bus back to our residence. I guess I was glad to be finally taking the bus ride home, and finally get to rest my feet again.

London Royal Museum

I'm pretty sure this stone lion wasn't made in Canada. Talk about globalization.

Just some unusual architectures and monuments that stirred the interest our camera guys.

CN tower, the most prominent building in the urban landscape in Toronto and perhaps the structure represents Toronto as the Merlion is to Singapore.

Toronto (part4)---> Casa Loma

An ancient castle in a bustling modern city is a queer sight indeed. Casa Loma is a historical site rich in both heritage and significance to the Canadians, capturing tourists with its magnificence and majesty. Nestled on a hill-top, the castle conjured up all kinds of imagination possible for a fantasy novel fanatic. Needless to say, the shutters were clicking away furiously the moment we arrived at this monumental piece of architecture.

A long flight of steps leading up the hill top. The toll of capturing the beauty of Casa Loma is to obviously perspire heavily and feel short of breath. Small price I guess?

Sharp observations will tell you that the pictures we took only captured the compounds and exterior of the castle. This is because by the time we reached Casa Loma, it was already closed for public admission. Agonies of agony!

Without even realising that we might miss the bus back home, we have spent nearly all our time in Toronto taking several megabytes' worth of pictures. Not wanting to be stranded in Toronto for the night, we immediately got packing and began the long trek back to rendezvous with the rest of the exchange students.

Toronto (part3)---> Trekking to Casa Loma

Essential items for backpackers? Map, checked. A water bottle filled to the brim, checked. A comfy pair of walking shoes, hmmmm, checked. The willingness to walk that extra mile, remain to be seen. Our next stop in the list of 'must see' sights is Casa Loma, an Edwardian era castle in Toronto. On the map, Casa Loma seemed to be just a stone throw's distance away. I guess we should have checked the scale on the map. To sum it up, we did plenty of walking. But as the pictures below tell us, the walking was worth it.

Memorials and sculptures were erected on road dividers; a brilliant use of space in the city of Toronto which is increasingly threatened by overcrowding.