apsylus.com journal

2006-12-05T22:03:36-06:00

I love Melbourne, except for the fact that it feels it NEEDS to have four seasons in a day. It's been about a week now that the weather forecast says "MIN 10C, MAX 37C" or something similarly lacking in usefulness. How is one supposed to rely on the weather forecast for dressing? More importantly, how is one expected to dress, when the weather could quite literally switch from winter to summer and back again in a matter of a couple of hours?? (I am not kidding, this magical city's pulled that trick a couple of times on me)

2007-01-26T02:28:57-06:00

I watched the Australian Open 2007 Men's Singles semi-final match between Federer and Roddick tonight. It was the most incredible experience! The friend I went with was a big Roddick fan, and I was absolutely rooting for Mr. Perfect.

It so happens that Mr. Perfect wiped Roddick out of the tournament with barely any effort. It was a great, great match. I learned a lot from it, but the biggest thing is that it's cemented Federer's position as a definite near-perfect player in my mind. I don't think I've ever seen anybody play tennis so well, so flawlessly - it was definitely one of Federer's best games tonight, and I felt so privileged to have had the chance to witness it. I certainly didn't know that I would get to watch the world #1 annihilate such a terrific player when I bought the tickets! I do feel sorry for Roddick for getting his arse handed over to him on a plate like that, he had been playing so well and he just got absolutely beaten.

I look forward to the final, it will be fun with Gonzalez with his best-ever game in the radar, though it would have been terrific if it were another Nadal vs Federer match. Ah well - fun will still be had on Sunday night.

2007-02-13T22:13:44-06:00

I splashed out and bought a Wilson nTour Two racquet. I love the thing! It's such an improvement from my previous racquets (Prince Lob Ti100 -very cheap beginner's racquet- and Wilson Hammer Profile 4.3 -an over-powered racquet), both of which were picked for me before I even started playing tennis. The head size is a lot smaller than what I'm used to, but as it is such a lovely all-rounder racquet, it didn't take that much to get used to. It's so much easier to put topspin on the balls - I am able to put a lot more power into my shots and still have them landing in! The racquet is also very stable - there was absolutely none of the vibrations I got from my two previous racquets whenever I hit the balls.

I know the racquet doesn't make a great tennis player - I certainly believe that a good racquet is not the silver bullet that will make you Roger Federer - but I can tell you using a racquet that's not a good fit for you, or just plain not good enough, isn't going to help your game any. If anything, a bad racquet will get you into bad habits, and a good racquet can help unleash your better shots. Case in point is my years of using a Yonex Carbonex 9400 for badminton - for a long time I wonder why other people manage to generate so much power on their hits with so little effort. I wondered whether I was lacking in power, but I made the switch to a Yonex Muscle Power 66 and I found that my game, and the power of my shots, improved by threefold. People started asking what I did to so dramatically improve my game, and wouldn't believe me when I told them all I did was switch racquets. No silver bullet, but them sticks with strings don't come for $300+ for nothing either.

2007-02-18T22:41:36-06:00

If I had a week free in Melbourne, I would:
- Be cooking everyday. I would try out cake and cookie recipes. Must bake kaastengels and brownies.
- Go wine tasting over the weekend, and stay at a winery resort.
- Try out every single top-rated Melbourne restaurant and bar I hadn't gotten around to trying. There aren't many left that I know of, but there are more to discover!
- Play tennis every morning. Maybe every evening too, but depending on the weather I might play badminton in the evenings. Definitely see my tennis coach at least two or three times.
- Trade shares. Play in the ASX game. These things require more constant attention than I can give, but they intrigue me.
- Share every brunch, lunch, and dinner with my lovely friends, and my brother. Definitely see my friends everyday - more than I do now.
- Go to Borders, buy about 3 top-rated fiction novels, 3 top-rated, most interesting marketing/business books, and 1 self-improvement book.
- Read the aforementioned books.
- Use what time remaining to draw. Lots.

Of course, the most likely thing to happen if I had a free week would be for my family to get together, and we'd go off on a vacation - certainly just as terrific as all the items on the whole list above combined.

More to the point, however - now do you see why I don't get to update this site often? I love doing too many things ;)

2007-05-17T01:20:11-06:00

European clay court season is on. That, in addition to the many May birthdays, mean that I'm going to bed later every day as Roland Garros draws near. I'm still rooting for Mr. Perfect to make history, unlikely as it may seem at the moment, what with his recent early-round losses. I enjoy the Federer game immensely when he is his usual self, but I try to not root for him too much nowadays. His recent struggles have been nothing short of heartbreaking. It's far less taxing to be enjoying a Gasquet or Kohlschreiber match. They're my two other favorite players at the moment - killer backhand on both, artistry by Gasquet and terrific big shots by the German. I remember watching Roland Garros last year, really hoping Federer to make history, only to see Nadal down him in four gruelling sets. This year, I will at least not have such a high expectation of the Fed Express - the main thing right now is to see if he can emerge from this "slump" unscathed.

On other news, I've got about 2 months left in Australia - that is if I'm lucky. 2 months before I go back to school, and begin a new life (ha ha) in Evanston, IL. Such big changes coming up in my life. Exciting times.

2007-05-21T23:15:29-06:00

So my last (for a long while anyway) birthday in Melbourne got off to a terrific start: Federer snapped Nadal's 81-match clay court winning streak in a thrilling 3-setter.

From then on it was a birthday as good as anybody could ask for - 5 cakes so far and counting! (I've already been promised at least another one) I truly do love the people I've been so lucky to be surrounded with here in Melbourne.

Just got home from a fantastic dinner at The Botanical - thought of to have the best steak in Melbourne, and boy my brother, my cousins and myself certainly agreed. Lovely place too.

Just feel so loved and fortunate right now <3 <3 Thanks for everything.

2007-06-22T20:08:02-06:00

OMG the last few weeks have just been pure grace.

To start off, my whole family was here for a full two weeks, and for the first time I actually had the whole two weeks off work to take them around. It was great being on holidays, but it was fantastic going fishing, BBQing, dining out, staying in, and generally frolicking about as a family. It's something that probably won't happen again as often in the future when I'm in the Americas and my bro stays in Australia and my sister is in Indonesia- it'd be a little bit tougher to get everyone together, but when it does happen again, it'll be every bit as sweet as the holiday I just had. I love my family.

Then, mere days after they left, my team won the finals of the Diamond Valley badminton Fall season. We fought hard to get to the finals as #2 in the ladder, but we fully realised that the #1 team is hella tough to beat. We gave it our all, and we came out the victors, even after losing the first 3 games! The victory was so much sweeter because of that. I had an amazing team for my only season there, and it was terrific to be able to walk away with the winner's trophy.

Today, I had lunch with a dear friend of mine. We looked around Swarovski after lunch, and I was admiring this gorgeous necklace, while my friend was wanting to get the matching bracelet. She ended up getting the pair, but I wanted to think about getting the necklace myself. Dear Friend paid up, then handed me a Swarovski bag - with the necklace in it. #()*#%@! So much love! I couldn't believe it. I'm beyond grateful.

There have been other little things happening, but it's come to a point where right now, I feel so loved <3 And lucky <3 <3 And sad to be leaving Melbourne in a month..

2007-09-16T17:48:39-06:00

I suppose it's time for me to write about my new life at Kellogg. It's been an absolute blast so far, and writing about it will surely take me days at least.

Here is an email I sent to my ex-workmates (slightly edited to make a little bit of sense):

I got to the US fine, and had a good, relaxing family roadtrip around a few northeast states. One of the highlights was going to Maine, where fresh lobster and wild blueberries are freely available at insanely low prices. After the roadtrip though, it was time for me to get into school mode... or so I thought.

I moved in with relative ease; my apartment here is school-owned and well fitted out for students. It's got computer/printer/scanner/fax/photocopier lab (even laser color printers are available free of charge), and a gorgeous student lounge with ping pong, pool, and foosbal tables. Since the units come furnished and with all the utilities (including internet) connected, it was a matter of dropping my bags in and unpacking. The downside is that the rooms are relatively small, but as you're about to find out, I don't spend that much time in my room so it doesn't even matter.

"School" started with the pre-term trip to Mexico, which was an absolute blast. There were 25 people in my group, and they were all nice, down to earth, friendly people. The sleep deprivation started there though - we would either be up playing flip cup (a beer game whereas you empty a cup of beer and try to flip it upside down before your opposition on the other side of the table does so), dancing, generally partying, or even just talking, until 4-5AM in the morning every day. And we would have Mexican activities (ziplining/flying fox, tequila distillery tour) at 8-9AM the morning after. Suffice to say that by the end of the trip I was exhausted and in need of a 12-hour-long sleep!

Not that I got any, of course - the day after we got back from Mexico, orientation week started, and boy was that exhausting!! The class was divided up into sections, with about 70 people per section, and we would have section bonding activities as well as social events for a full 2-week period - including late nights, early mornings, and weekends - we literally spent 20 hours per day together. We had bonding activities such as the "Olympics day" where we would compete against other sections in dizzy bat, where you run up to a baseball bat, stick your forehead to its butt, stick the other end to the ground, and run 10 circles around the bat with your forehead in place, and then dizzily run back. We also had scavenger hunts and "Amazing Race"-style races around Evanston and Chicago to help us familiarise ourselves with the landmarks and popular spots - definitely more exciting than a tour!

Social events are definitely in the life and blood of Kellogg students. The one pub here (appropriately called "The Keg") that is worth visiting is always packed with Kellogg students, no matter what time of the night (or morning) you visit. Unlike the pubs in Melbourne though, it's got people from any kind of nationality and country imaginable - Cuban, Jamaican, Nigerian, Norwegian, you name it.

Classes started this week, and I've already gotten through 2 assignments without even realising it, because the topics are just so intriguing. Our next class discussion is about organisational culture and reward system.

They were not kidding when they said that these 2 years would mean chronic sleep deprivation. This has been the best decision I've made though - I've learned more and met more intriguing people in these few weeks than I did all through university.

2007-10-08T12:45:11-06:00

I went skydiving today.

There have been many crazy things that I did in my 3 weeks at Kellogg, but this has got to be the highlight. Jumping off a plane at 15,000 feet high = ABSOLUTE BLAST. And apart from that split second where I stood at the edge of the airplane, it wasn't scary at all.

2007-11-01T01:02:17-06:00

So I realize (notice how I'm using a "z") that no matter how long I stay off it, I'll always be a very proficient, and keen, web monkey.

B-school life in Kellogg has been so hectic that I don't get much time to pursue my creative endeavors (gosh I am spelling like an American now, wowzie). The few minutes per week that I get to spend on Photoshop/EditPlus/Illustrator, even if it is for school projects/conferences/etc., make me feel at home. It's nice to know that these skills that I picked up myself some 12 years ago are useful for countless things (everything has a website AND printed ads nowadays), but more than that, it's good to realize that doing these little things is actually good for my well-being. It's a win-win situation, really.

2007-11-11T02:36:59-06:00

Some days you just feel extremely vulnerable, and for me, today was one of those days. It's a strange feeling - I'm usually one of those people that don't really get swayed by the storms - but tonight it was as if I was seeing everyone else being wholly secure within themselves and be superstars, and I, as a friend put it, was banging my head against the wall.

I think I do miss having people I've known more than 2 months around me. As fantastic as my mates in Kellogg are, I do perhaps need to be a little bit less adventurous at times and gather strength from those I know very well. As it stands, everyone here is just discovering each other at the moment, and right at this point, I would be glad to be WITH the people who know me inside out, and vice versa.

Don't worry, I'm not depressed or anything like that - this is just an observation on the realms of vulnerability.

Oh, and it is Remembrance Day. I haven't seen any poppy pins around for me to wear, but at least I wanted to mention that. Lest we forget.

2007-11-25T22:55:51-06:00

My first Thanksgiving holiday was fun. Went out to Colorado - Bachelor Gulch Village to be exact, beautiful spot - and hung out with aunt and cousins and their 2 adorable (albeit hyperactive) boys. Spent exactly 4 days lounging beside the fireplace, sipping hot apple cider and living the dream American winter break. Thanksgiving meal was a crazily lavish buffet of pumpkin and black truffle soup, sweet potato gratin, espresso ganache-topped pecan pies, along with the usual meat dishes of turkey, roast beef, and honey glazed ham. Ate way too much.. which seems to be a recurring theme now that I'm in the US. Back in Melbourne, I'd be eating way too much because I'd have 4-5 meals a day - here I only need 1 meal a day to stuff myself silly, because the portions are unbelievable!

So now I'm back in Evanston, and finals are in 2 weeks. Uh oh. Doesn't help that accounting (i.e. the bane of my existence) is taught by a professor who's WAY too smart for my non-traditional background. Catching up with work = bad. Procrastinating for the whole day, THEN trying to catch up with work in half the time = double bad.

On exams

2007-12-10T01:32:33-06:00

One thing that I'm finding here at Kellogg is that there is no such thing as cramming, in the undergraduate terms anyway. I guess when you have 1200 overachievers pooled into one, the only sensible thing to do during exam time is to follow the herd, because you know everyone else is likely to be as concerned about their exam performances you are, and is likely to know what they are doing, as you'd hope you do. As the herd starts studying one week before the exam, that's what I'm finding myself doing.. and guess what, it equates to a lot less stress prior to the actual exam day, and amazingly standard amounts of sleep. Compare that to the 24-hour-straight studying we used to do in undergrad one (or even one half) day before the exam. Hah.

Note, however, that I didn't lay any predictions about my actual performance on the exam; for all I know all this extra sleep and rest/fun time I have during this study period might lead to my ending up at the bottom half of the class. After all, everyone here was in the top echelons of his/her class in undergrad - that's how you get into Kellogg - so it's a given that some of us have got to end up being below average here for the average to happen. Ah well. At least I'm getting plenty of sleep, and the winter break is now 3.5 days away.

2008-01-18T09:29:10-06:00

So in May last year, I wrote about how I really liked watching Kohschreiber play. He was some number down the rankings and was winning his first ATP title then. Following him through the rest of the year was easy - he had his wins and losses but he always played well.. and he was getting better as the year went by.

His first few rounds at the 2008 Australian Open were simply endearing, but this is perhaps his biggest win yet. Those backhands and daring shots on the big points are indeed signs of a champion in the making.

Wow, a blog entry.

2008-04-13T20:46:23-06:00

So I've managed to make it safely through to my third quarter at Kellogg, a.k.a. the last quarter of my first year as a Kellogg MBA candidate. It's freaky - I swear I was still a happy camper back in Melbourne just yesterday.

So far, Kellogg has been a rigorous exercise in sleep deprivation. A lot of people did warn me about it, but it is not until this weekend that it struck me how much I was craving for a good 72-hour stretch with absolutely nothing to do but whatever I feel like doing.

Case in point: I'm writing this from the Denver airport, because after an exhausting 2-week trip in Turkey and Dubai over spring break which involved a lot of meetings and socialising / having fun crammed together, I decided it was a brilliant idea to go on a weekend trip to Breckenridge which involved a lot of snowboarding and socialising / having fun crammed together. I hadn't even gotten my jet lag yet! The trip also meant I had to somehow be snowboarding, socialising / having fun, AND doing work over the weekend, which, of course, equated to little sleep.

Having said that, the trip has been a blast. Company was good - I stayed with 3 Koreans who did not stop speaking Korean despite the amusement (and sometimes annoyance) of one other roommate and myself. Even though it is the last week of the ski season, the snow was incredible - I don't think I'd boarded in better conditions before.

The trip also brought up a lot of thoughts and questions to the surface - those of the reflective sort. As we were really exhausted most of the time due to the ridiculous amounts of snowboarding or skiing we were doing, I did have a lot of time to ponder about my current state of life. I'd say I've definitely gotten into the American (and Kellogg) life. I've found great company whom I could count upon when I feel lost - this was not the case some 4-5 months back. I still do miss the companionship and personalities of those back home, but I think I've reached a stage where my two lives, past and present, could coexist peacefully now. I've landed a terrific summer internship that I'm very excited about (details to follow), and I will in the Bay Area for the summer! Life is in a happy state.

That's all from me now. I should write more often, and I should update this website! I'll get around to it at some point - Kellogg can't be ALL work and fun and snowboarding, right?