AlwaySane Is In Da House

The trooth about studying overseas

(Sentosa and JB not counted)

You know how some people say that studying overseas makes one more focused on books and intented on bettering onself by indulging in the sea of resources and research opportunities available to them in the academic field?

Dead. Wrong.

Well, before any of those profs in my school get to see this and decide to cancel the assistantship they give me, I just want to say that I really am studying and thou shall stop reading and go back to more important tasks like grading papers and improving the standards of education, increasing the variety of snacks available in the snack machine, so on and so forth.

For the rest, please continue to scroll...













One thing I must say is that studying abroad increases one's instinct for survival, prudence and boldness. As you can see, there are many proofs to my above claim that can be explained, based on the discovery by the Sane One.

1. The Discovery of Cheap Way of Communicating
Gone are the days of speaking quickly in one minute (remember the ad where the mother strings together a whole sentence while speaking to her son who is supposed to be studying in a far-away kingdom so as to save on telcom cost? "Dian hua fei hen gui ah!! aka Telephone charges very high ah!!" And she went on to plunge onto a couch and breathed almost hyperventilating). Well, those days are over with the discovery of the CWC: Cheap Way Communication.

You see, not only are there cheap ways of communicating to your friends or family back home cheaply, there are also free ways! Let the Sane One tell you how.

First there is the conventional phone cards. You know, those calling cards that allow you to call a 1800 number and then dial a pin and you can call wherever? There is a company that has a variety of phone cards that has different rates for calling different countries. And guess what is the cost for calling Singapore from US?

Two freaking cents for a minute nia!!!

Bloody cheap!!! Cheaper than if I call a US number! Serious! If I call a US (local meaning from the same small town as me or even next door) number from my handphone it costs me a stupidified 25 cents a minute. And if the person never pick up, I STILL HAVE TO PAY 25 BLOODY CENTS! And the phone card? NO charge!

I hereby declare myself the humble slave to the office of international program here who introduced me to this card which led me to half and hour or an hour phone calls with my family. Just to give you a breakdown, a $20 card allows me to call Singapore for a frothing 1000 minutes! WHERE TO FIND!


*** Not advertising but the card belongs to Zaptel and 2 cents a minute applies to Singapore. Rates to other countries vary. Don't come and scold me which will lead me to ignore you and you being angry and complain to zaptel which doesn't make sense at all.
(Zaptel logo retrieved September 15, 2005 from Zaptel web site: www.zaptel.com) Must follow APA mah... eh, but they should be paying me instead for advertising for them! But it's ok. I'm kuan hong da liang.


And for those of you who has computers and whose families and friends have computers (with internet connection of course), lagi better. Instead of CWC, you now have FWC which translates into Free Way Communication. OK lah not exactly free cos you have to pay for electricity and internet and what-not, but don't be so niao ok? Talking to family how can be stingy?

So, you have the FWC that requires minimum set-up:
Microphone
Speakers or headphones
Internet connection (Cable or DSL recommended)
Internet browser

With these you can go right ahead to download skype (thanks to Cecile Bugnet) or msn which allows you to have web conversation absolutely free! Macam like talking on the phone. Super steady, super clear, like the 2nd link.



MSN logo Retrived on September 15, 2005 from MSN website: http://www.msn.com/




Skype logo Restrieved on September 15, 2005 from Skype website: www.skype.com



2. Phantom of Overpriced Books
Serious. If you think books in Singapore are expensive, one has to just drill a hole in the ground directly across to the United States of Bush-es. Here a lifeless, backboneless, paperskinned book at a school bookstore costs an amazing amount of US$78.00

You say: Siao ah? Think our parents run a country is it? So ex for what? Recycled tree trunks nia... I also think so. No wonder the authors all day do nothing and write books. I also want to do that. One day just invent some ingenious idea and write a whole book, or better, series about it. And then go and whack all the students' parents' bank account and bribe some teachers into making it a compulsory text. Then I just whole day shop in Bangkok and think of another ingenious idea to write about. Wouldn't it be nice? *Piak piak* Awoken by a slap on the head by a walking textbook in my dream.

Well, there is no way one can escape these phantom books (which may result in pulling your hair when you attempt to sell them back to the bookstore at book buy backs and end up getting a measly $15 for the above-mentioned $78 book). BUT, alternatives do exist. Ta-dah!

When one is desperate, one gets creative. And by creative I mean fervently searching every online auction or online bookstore for cheaper alternatives. Miracles do happen. Buying used books happens to be a very good way of getting your hands onto a textbook that costs way loads cheaper than those at the bookstore. It can be half the price. One has to pray that the book arrives but for me, it works 5 out of 6 times so kudos to used book sellers at......




Amazon.com logo Retrived on September 15, 2005 from Amazon website: www.amazon.com


3. Tastes of Home
You never know how tasty home-cooked food can be until you are truly studying abroad (I mean you going overseas alone, not when some of you lucky ones who has parents who can travel everywhere with you. And going to Pulau Tekong does not count, nor does going to camp at St John's Island or excursions to Sentosa. Heck, JB and Bangkok also not counted.)

And when you are homesick, the first thing you want to have is homecooked food. Be it fried rice, chicken soup, stir fry kailan, steamed fish, or well, even home-cooked maggi mee tasted different. So when you are abroad, what to do? One musters up the elusive domesticated self and tries to re-create the tastes of home.

Mind you, not easy ok? You think can find Lee Kum Kee oyster sauce of Maggi sesame oil everywhere meh? Here not like Jurong, where you have at least 5 NTUCs in a postal code area. Here in order to go to a decent supermarket must bloody travel almost 40 minutes, on a BUS! And since we don't own a car, we cannot buy too much because no strength to carry 6 full bags back home. Bo bian, have to go there like twice a week.

So, after much hunting, asking and pleading, the Sane One managed to find these things and apparently made quite an improvement in cooking! No more spoilt pots (must be careful cos using landlady's possessions). And she even commented my fried rice (complete with egg, tofu, chicken, ham, carrots and brocolli) tasted good. Wah, kiasu, add so many things for what??!! Eh, must be innovative ok? The problem with buying so many food is that one does not have enough mouths nor stomach to finish them within the time frame. So before the food goes bad, must hurry up finish them. Therefore, I told my landlady to please help finish the vegetables if not I'll have a hard time trying to finish them and may end up throwing them away. *Cries.

But, two pats on the back for innovative cooking methods! *pat pat


4. Entertainment Hunter
Oh yeah, the Sane One also spent an amazing amount of time trying to find salsa clubs, dance opportunities (I learnt swing!) as well as movies to de-stress. Apparently, I can rent movies, even the God of Gamblers series, from Cornell library. Damn sud sud! Of course, I also ask around for people to lend me dvds lah. And to-date, I have 2046 and Tian Xia Wu Zei available. Thank God for international students.

Also, thanks to Kos and Serkan, I had bubble tea, complete with the pearls and entertained by .................. MTVs!!! Chinese ones ok? A bit old lah, but mai hiam right? No fish, shrimps also ok. Got Sun Yanzi, K-one, Karen Mok, Wilber (???) Pan etc. Hiak Hiak Hiak...

And this Saturday I'm going to a Mooncake Festival celebration at Cornell. There's going to be karaoke, 2 movies and lots of food. Don't know anyone there except for those who I'm going with but heck lah, thick skin a bit. Got ktv leh! Sure outdated but still can sing!


Just in case my parents see this, the Sane One hereby places a memory charm on you. You will have no memory of the entire post except for this:

Sane is studying very hard, always stays at home and not spending money. And she is studying very hard.





Out.

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The Sane wishes everybody "月饼节快乐!"

Sane reflects @ this location permanently