The Long Way Home

Another spike in the skin removed - after 2 months procrastinating, haggling, negotiating, weighting consequences, and considering pros and cons, my air ticket to France is finally settled, with a rather unreasonably expensive price.
The entire process started with a simple phone call. I placed my booking with MAS Taipei and was given a Auto Ticketing Timelimit (auto TTL) of April 30. However, my tickets were not the cheapest in town, as I placed my booking 'a little too late' according to the MAS staff. The price were not known at the time I placed my booking (early February).
Coming back to Taiwan, I called MAS every week to check and update my ticket details - a little change of date, a request for air-side hotel accommodation, an inquiry on ticketing rules etc. The following month was both torturing and exciting. I aim to quickly settle this matter and gather full speed for my studies and planning my trip; and excitement sparkles in every phone call to MAS Taipei - the clerk picking up the phone, me telling her my PNR (Passenger Name Record), and hearing her typing into her keyboard.
On one March morning I got very impatient. I decided instead of waiting for MAS, which is now very busy in buying aircrafts and planning to make more money, I can book other airlines and compare their prices as well. In 2 hours, I placed bookings with Singapore Airlines, China Airlines, EVA Air, Thai Airways, KLM and Air France, all through the convenience of a few clicks and phone calls on the net (Skype). Not all provided point-to-point flights, some will have me routed in Hong Kong or Amsterdam, and their prices ranges from approximately RM4000 to RM6000. My overwhelming enthusiasm and impatience scared a few airline customer service representatives, and of course, they weren't too happy somebody called them up and grilled them on airline business, which they assume they know so much about - the jargons and rules of playing passenger.
Days went by with intensified enquiries on fares, ticket conditions, and they repeatedly telling me 'we haven't confirm the fares yet'. Nevertheless, the MAS staff in both Kuala Lumpur and Taipei are very professional (yes, I even called up KL, to get first-hand information). Unlike tour operators and several European airlines, they always mechanically tell me how this 'fare procrastination' process work. They insisted should I want to have my ticket as soon as possible they would have to put me through a 'special lane' where they CEOs of MAS would held a meeting and discuss how much they would charge me on my ticket - very special treatment. Deciding I would not like Idris Jala to sacrifice more of his Transformation time, I'd wait then.
On a warm Friday two weeks ago, I called MAS for the n-th time. This time they excitedly tell me KL had finally given them the new list. After several minutes of banging on the keyboard, the price turned out to be NT$55000+ including tax (RM6000). Once again, MAS offered help. They said I could change my Taipei-Kuala Lumpur-Paris sector to a lower class (cheaper but more restrictive fare rule applies), which could save me NT$4000. I agreed, and that shortened my auto TTL to 31 March, less than one week.
I appointed a travel agent to assist me in completing my ticketing process as the time I would be in Taipei would never coincide with MAS' office hours. As they are good negotiators and also in the line of bullying customers, travel agents usually provide a little discount. A few hours after submitting my request they quoted me NT$51660, non-negotiable.
I swiped MasterCard that very evening, so as to ensure the speculated fuel price hike would not further chew away my dollars.
So, this is the schedule of my long way home this summer:
June 30 Taipei-Kuala Lumpur-Paris
July 30 Paris-Kuala Lumpur-Penang
August 31 Penang-Kuala Lumpur-Taipei
Long-long flight with MAS.

Fragments on Friday

Today is somewhat special, though in what ways I cannot specifically describe. Special is just in the air today - I felt particularly at peace, and also immeasurably tired. The fatigue caused by a cascade of events which is probably part of my fault as well, and the peace being the first out of 4 MCB (Molecular Cell Biology) exam is over.
I was crudely woken by my roommate, who think burning the midnight oil is a privilege on exam-eve. And it's not even a major exam, not yet. I grunted, rather annoyingly, and went on capsizing in bed. Crudely woken up for the second time less than 6 hours later, this time by my Nokia reminding me to book my train tickets two weeks later to attend my SCOPE National Meeting (NM) half way across Taiwan. Being barbaric, as with all other train commuters, I booked altogether 6 tickets to Taipei and Taichung respectively (the system allows for up to 6 holdings per individual). I was to know about the venue of the NM 15 hours later. It was at Taichung, a nightmarish 5 hour train ride away. And the date? On the weekend before my mid-terms.
At 9 I had Americano, hoping caffeine would fuel my sleep-deprived brain for my exams today. I usually take Cappuccino, but Special in the air today tempted me to tried for the former, which was a big mistake. Americano is much bitter in taste, and with no milk, it is literally drinking drain water. A few minutes later I was at the atrium doing more MCB. It took me two minutes this semester to decide I hate MCB - so much so for the name, the content itself is a massive, redundant and unnecessary torture. Where would things like 'long interspersed repeats' (some gene composition), 'open reading frames' (a continuous 100 codon region with no introns in between; forget about it if you have never seen the aforementioned terms before) fit into the job description of a doctor? MCB, in other words, is much so of a test of the medical student's memory, and regurgitating methods (on the answer sheet that is).
So, less than 2 hours later I regurgitated into my exam sheet. My answer dotted with terms requiring more definition, and examples requiring more examples to make clear. I wrote for 2 hours nonstop. That would be a tremendous success if I were to be a writer. From being enemies with Exams, I think I have came forward to ally with it, though Exams still induce diarrhea and restlessness in me from time to time. Instead of falling for Exams, I'm falling into exams, a never-ending spiral.
After collection of the exam papers and flabbergasting with the difficulty of the exams with my teacher, I set off to the hospital. Bullied and cheated into helping our exchange students to process their leaving paperwork. My partner in this job simply ignoring this matter and many more altogether, and turning a blind eye and deaf ear whenever a new job arrives. The time for anger and frustration is over as I am too easily fatigued by all the ignorance. I am to do what I am capable for the time being and balance myself again in between work, and more work.
Of course I ran into a lot of seniors in the hospital. The senior greeting and explaining that I'm not here to lecture them on MCB but to be cheap labor of the school is fun, especially to easily-surprised seniors. And I got compliments for being more good looking compared to last semester.


The Caressing of Oceans from 'Les Choristes'

Doing nothing in compensating for studying time of the previous week, I watched 'Les Choristes' up till a few moments ago. Children's choir always have much more market value than conventional choirs, since their voice is often regarded as 'pure', 'clean' and 'beautiful'; unlike adults which are 'matured' and 'complex'. Loved the choir and the spirit of singing, but not so much of the storyboard.
Les Choristes makes a good movie for choirs - togetherness, coherence, and harmony. And that's why I liked the choir too - the sense of being viewed as a whole.
An empty but busy weekend coming up. I must try to be invisible in order to avoid more work flowing into my uncapable hands.

To TCU

Be acknowledged, some might find the following post offensive.

The world has become a demanding place. We demand more from others, and others demand more from us. We request for the best price, best bargains, and VIP treatment even though at times we're paying only paying a mere minimal fare. Similarly, teachers with only 2 credits demands students to pay importance of 5 credits to their lessons. At the same time we students demand the school to invest more on hardware and teaching staff, while they demand us to wear uniforms color of elephant skins. Nowadays you need 120% of immersion in every single thing you do and unwavering concentration and passion on all subjects to be qualified as 'a good Tzu Chi student'. And don't forget to wear your elephant skins and tie your hair in plaits (for girls).

Anatomy (above) and Molecular Cell Biology (below) consuming most of my time. And you're supposed to be equally good in co-curricular activities, being a responsible Exchange Officer, have good rapport with officers in the Office of International Affairs, and constantly earn attention and good image from your ever-demanding anatomy professor.

Sure, sometimes they argue it's for the discipline and equity (for the uniforms), and a good basic is foundation to every sophisticated field. But, share our shoes just this once - you're a little university with a population smaller than CLHS, and you have crap administration who couldn't even confirm when school starts when the next term is less than 6 months away, or, after receiving complaints about the dying LCD projector who switches color every 3 seconds, you decided it's more worthy to change the curtains (darker rooms means brighter contrast) instead of investing in a new projector; you demanded us to obey school rules, pay utmost attention in everything we do, and immerse ourselves 120% in schoolwork, co-curricular activities and school uniforms, but you yourself cannot fulfill our demands, is this equity in the first place?
The fact that the university has a respectable population of international students adds to your glory (or maybe, shame). The school is very generous when it comes to monetary and superficial fulfillments - MP3 players, vouchers and even cash to give away on the start-of-term gathering of the International Students' Club, but when you're in dire help of getting things done - confirming the date term starts so that you can book your air tickets home, or obtaining information on school subsidies, most staff transmogrify into the blind-deafs - 'I'm sorry, we could do nothing to help,' 'We'll try, but please don't give us any pressure. It's not our fault you know, it's the upper administration!' 'I SAID WE CAN DO NOTHING!'
I hope the day will come when we students have the power to fail schools and teachers, just like how teachers have the right to fail students. And I would, under the comments column, indicate 'insufficient immersion in things academic, low input-to-return rates for students, though after trimming away all the unnecessary flip-flops, there is chance to soar.'
Call me ignorant or a deteriorative complaint-only student, but I'm tired with immersion. For once I just hoped we could emphasize the University and not Tzu Chi. And we are here for the knowledge and not how to express superficial thankfulness. To TCU, know that lots of foreign students hold high expectations to you, just like me 2 years back. However, you've proved to be more or less a beautiful shell with the littlest contents, though still useful. Should you not evolute yourself the downward spiral will accelerate into a free fall. And it will be all-for-nothing then.
There is still hope, I pray. And next time try turning your demands inwards towards yourselves instead of directing it to us students. I wish you luck.

On This Canvas We Call Life

Just felt this song particularly attached to STPMers who got their results last Tuesday. Whether it was a perfect or a slight flaw I just want to express how I admire the courage, togetherness, and experience you guys went through. Life starts anew after this, and whether or not we meet again does not matter, but how we lived our lives and how we remembered each other determines how we will succeed in later life. So, go for what drives you forward till now. For the time being set aside all negative thoughts and dismal assumptions and just try this very once. And ask yourself what you really wanted from the very beginning. Good luck STPMers!

I Hope You Dance by Ronan Keating
Lyrics:
I hope you never lose your sense of wonder
Get your fill to eat
But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance

I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell-bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
(Time is a real and constant motion always)
I hope you dance
(Rolling us along)
I hope you dance
(Tell me who)
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
I hope you dance
(Where those years have gone)

(Tell me who)
I hope you dance
(Wants to look back on their youth and wonder)
(Where those years have gone)

The Very Near Future

Malaysia Decides
The immediate future back home is, of course, regarding the 2008 General Elections. The voices of all Malaysians were heard on the 8th of March, and this time, democracy was fully utilized to vent past dissatisfactions. The national coalition, dominant for over 50 years, faces their first major setback with the Chinese (MCA) and Indian (MIC) parties crumbling rapidly. Without sufficient paramount leaders voted into parliament these two parties, and the parliament, faces their steepest climb yet - election of Chinese and Indian ministers.
It is a relief to see how Malaysians, and particularly the minorities, spoke loud and clear while they still have the ability to do so. A few years more of protectionism and nepotism will doom these minorities and our voices might not be heard in the very near future. The People made a wise decision, and for Barisan Nasional (BN) it is time for reflection but not condemnation nor grief. I would not say democracy had always been present in Malaysia, but for once there is hope that it will conceive in the hearts of all Malaysians.
Nevertheless, the road for Malaysia to realize its Vision 2020 is still long and hard, with diverse culture, people and globalization closing behind, it will demand not only the right leaders but also integration and cooperation from all citizens of Malaysia. Reading CNN revealed a few no-confidence comments on Malaysia, past, present and future. However, I personally believe with significant effort from everyone, regardless of race, gender and social background, Malaysia will once again soar the skies of Asia. There is hope.
Of yesterday I am particularly proud of all Penangnites, whose voices were the loudest and actions the most united in the nation. Penangnites has once again reminded the government that the wealthy island-city deserves no meddling around, and the voices were harsh and clear, with no faces spared - the ex-CM was dethroned with a majority of 9000+ votes, while all 3 speculated CM-to be conceded losses. Penang was the first state to fall into the Opposition, with an unprecedented landslide victory. This is OUR Penang, we don't like it, we change it! (No second chances of reinvention).
And for the whole of Malaysia, it's good to know that for the next 5 years we have in our hands the power of denial - denial of any further political dominance, denial of racial imbalance, and denial of ruthless MPs. Well done Malaysia!
Back To The Ground
Malaysia has decided, and start Monday it's back to work for everyone. The rakyat of Malaysia has gave the Opposition more than 1/3 of the parliament, and for the next five years we, the people, observes.
We know it won't be a bed of roses for all of us for years to come - rising fuel prices, crime, influx of foreign workers, the brain drain, and the messy racial issues. 5 years seem smallish on the scale of solving something as universal as this, but we, the people, will always keep an eye on OUR MPs. We had started the small step of refurbishing the parliament. That means in the very near future we will have the courage to whirlwind the entire country. So, start working my MPs and ADUNs!
Back Being Personal
In the very near future (less than 4 months) I will be in France for a student exchange program. This time it's with a branch of IFMSA (International Federation of Medical Students' Association) named SCORE (Standing Committee On Research Exchange). Confused with all the names and acronyms? Me too.
Basically SCORE organizes laboratory exchange programs - students go to a host university and participate in their lab research for one month. The choice of university and laboratory lies with the student, but the country you go lies with Lady Luck. You are allowed a priority request, but it depends at the end of the day. France was my first choice.
Why France? Nothing exceptional really, just that I've been to Italy and would like a new country. And they offer cancer research, which I find rather fascinating (at the time when I submitted my application), of course the language and elegance influenced in my decision, but basically it's other European countries participating in SCORE are not that tempting (Germany excluded, and Italy having being there). The other reason would be I'd like to 'do something' before starting endless days and nights with anatomy, and spending one month in the City of Lights seem adventurous, though the money factor was not screwed in at that time.
Money? Superficially it's affordable, on my scholarship surplus, but when you put everything in the basket - air ticket, accommodation outside exchange period, domestic traveling, and food, they can mount up to a dangerously crippling sum. For the time being I'm training myself to have only 2 meals on weekends so that I can cut costs on food there (just kidding Mum). Nevertheless, for the second time in my life, I would like to say an exchange is a worthy way of gaining knowledge, making friends, and widening your horizons. Of course, to do that with the least possible amount of money is the icing of the cake.
I will provide you with more information from time to time about the trip, and would of course blog about France the first chance I have, given a computer and internet connection, when I am there.
Some Catchy Verses
That I came across lately, nothing related to the very near future, except, perhaps you will find a chance to use them in the very near future.
1. to gain liberation, we have to sacrifice freedom - The History Boys by Alan Bennett
Ex: "I'm worried lah, what if I vote DAP and they knew. I won't get a promotion!"
"To gain liberation, we have to sacrifice freedom."
2. don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars - Brief Encounter (1945)
Ex: "Ah, it's a pity that (censored) Hisham and Khairy are in, but good people like Mei Fun doesn't get in,"
"H'm, don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars. At least we sent a clear message across."
That's all folks!

The Immediate Past

Oh, a fancy title, but I have nothing much to write about. School's fine, choir is interesting, with more people returning, and our school didn't get through the third TMAC (Taiwan Medical education Assessment Committee) evaluation, which made us the last medical school in Taiwan yet to be credited.
Anatomy - Geography of the Human Body
Anatomy, I find, is very much like geography - explore, define, tag. It is a highly logical subject, which has its own grandeur and massive amounts of Latin and Greek names to be memorized (though many are replaced by English nowadays). Everything has its format, and studying it is something like learning to fill in different forms from different departments - for component of bones the names go according to the shape and surface area, for muscles the origins and insertions, or its fiber direction etc. Distilling all the last-minute brain squashing Anatomy should be a relatively rewarding subject to study, that is, of course, if you do not have to complete the whole thing in one semester.
Until this week we completed bones and muscles of the trunk. The imaginative Jun Yi finds studying bones like doing architecture and engineering, and muscles like flight routes and railways. He wonders if other medical students felt this in their course, which in a way is highly impossible, as medical students are nowadays are expected to be God's akin, which brings us to the following.
Health Communication - Future Doctors Should...
Health Communication - an innovation in the timetable since last year. Public health researchers had been criticizing the medical field professionals for being too 'passive' - they only provide medical care when patients present themselves in front of them. Hence, to 'lessen the burden of health care personnels' and 'to improve health levels in general', they suggest an active approach - campaigns, talks, camps and all the sort, which not only triggered more work for the doctors (now they even have to give talks on how to feed your baby the correct milk formula but breast milk is still the best if you can manage, or talk hard-headed old folks to get rid of the habit of consuming lard) but also forced them to be part-time clown (who would listen to a old bespectacled robe-wearing nerd nagging in front about stop smoking?). This, they say, is what doctors should do in the 21st century - educate the public and eradicate disease sources.
So, our honorable don, together with a wicked associate professor from the Mass Communication College torture us for 2 hours every week on Wednesday morning. Drawing mind maps, reading a lousy textbook, and sipping coffee to stay awake, the prof. always delays lessons - today she let us off only at 12.30 when the bell goes off at 12, and as a result I missed the limited-edition NT$55 lunch a restaurant opposite our school provides.
Worse, the nightmare begins after her lessons, which she usually does not give any homework. Come afternoon, and the teaching assistant (TA) will come in and unceremoniously announce a pile of compulsory reading materials and reports due next week. Occasionally you confuse medicine with journalism or even creative writing.
Airline Tickets 101
Once upon a time, airlines are truly airlines - you pay a fixed fare, they fly you there. Period. Then one day, a genius decide to invent something called 'fare basis' and 'fare class'. Instead of selling tickets at one fixed price at any given time, they decided to trade airline tickets like shares, and different 'fare class' have different prices and different 'carriage conditions'. Generally, they will sell the lowest fare class first (up to one year before actual flight date), and gradually proceed to the highest and most expensive fare class. The cheapest class gives you no room for mistakes - no name change, no date change, no destination change. So, in this way, airlines can charge you more because you spelled your name incorrectly or you plan to stay a few days more in your destination because of the election even if you buy a solid cheap ticket. And if you're undecided about when to travel, you end up buying the most expensive ticket, even though all of you sit in zoo class.
Of course the airlines made big money out of this brilliant system - with over 250 million fare combinations on a single flight who doesn't? Passenger 1A's ticket is so cheap, but the money actually comes from Passenger 1B, who bought his ticket 2 hours before the flight, and Passenger 1C amended his ticket to accommodate for a special function, so he paid a 'levy', which is used instead to cover the cheap ticket bought buy Passenger 1D.
Then, another genius decided it will be a profitable move if airlines study other airlines' fares first before publishing their own fares. For the same route, they hire spies to scan the fares of other airlines, collect data, and send to the statistics department, located in the deepest, safest part of the airline office. The statisticians determine a set of fares that will reap the most profits but will not scare passengers away, as well as being competitive with other airlines, and start selling their tickets.
Slowly, other airlines learned the trick, and they began the ultimate journey of procrastination. Wait and see, why be the first? Wait and see. So, poor Jun Yi is supposed to travel to France for an exchange program this June (if you don't know this, I will tell you more next time). His ticket is booked on June 30, and returns on September 3. The date today is March 6. With a little more than 3.5 months to go, the airline's statisticians aren't quite satisfied with their fares yet, and poor Jun Yi is forced to wait, while scanning other airlines for gradually increasing fares (or gradually diminishing seats).
Summary
It will be an interesting semester - muscles, nerves, arteries and veins, choir, airline tickets, money and speaking to unhealthy old folks and undernourished young children. After all, I should really enjoy my last pre-med semester.

What News Thou Brought Forth?

Some recent updates:
1. Microsoft will cease production of Windows XP in the near future, and updates of Windows XP will also cease thereafter.
Friend A: and running on Vista is like trying to melt wax in water - I have Vista, and I liked the busybody and over-protective features, but not when I'm in a hurry or when I have a presentation to do and everyone is staring at 'you are about to enter an unsecured network' message.
2. Cold weather - massive amounts of fishes freezing to death in Penghu Island of Taiwan; Toronto temperature at -17, and I got a one-day flu.
Location: central atrium of school; event: open day. I was sitting behind the desk for TCU Choir, my face white as sheet and I'm feeling completely out-of-way. It might be the virus my vice-president is carrying for the past week, causing him to lose his voice, or the traumatic and arduously heavy cargo I carried from my Choir office to the exhibition venue earlier this morning (but how many people fell sick because they carried something overweight?). I retired at 4pm, woke up at 7 to find my camera malfunctioning (details below) had dinner, forced myself some anatomy till 12 before collapsing back to bed.
The following day I felt fine except for some occasional shoulder and back pain. Studied more anatomy, held a funeral for my digital camera (details below), browse for digital cameras, and went to this two stones' throw place which serves very spicy noodles, which I assume might cure my cold completely. The TV at the noodle store was blaring an exclusive report of the frozen fishes floating on the sea (spans 3 football fields). I thought they would be nice for sashimi.
3. My HP Photosmart R707 gracefully retires.
HP Photosmart R707 announced its retirement at around 3pm yesterday, marking the end of its 3-year service with the Sim family. The R707 has in its lifetime shot approximately 5000 photos and had been traveling extensively - Malaysia, Italy and Taiwan. The Sim family had come to rely on its crisp photo quality, helpful picture advice device and intelligent auto-shoot mode. The R707 first came into service in 2004, and the Sim family officially employed it in early 2005 using Maybank Visa credit card points. Though bulky compared to contemporary models, the extensive battery life and protective design had proved useful in the past 3 years. May God rest HP Photosmart R707 in peace and the Sim family acknowledges its faithful service for the past 3 years.
Actually its only the LCD screen which became nonfunctional. It's cracked - which downgraded it into a traditional film camera - aim and shoot, and get over it. Due to the economic downfall and currency inflation it's only wise to observe and procrastinate a little longer before I decide and buy the right heir for the R707.
4. I became a digicam expert in one day.
For the sake of quickly finding an heir for my R707, I became a self-learned digicam expert in one day - ISO, shutter speed, optical zoom, digital zoom, white balance, scene models etc. My primary concern, as a student, is of course the price. Initially planning to invest on an iPod shuffle this semester, the passing of my camera means channeling the money away for the time being. In the long run, this rather exorbitant expense, plus some ruthless monetary exploits from time to time, means I might not have money for my school fees when in 2 more semesters to come (though for the n-th time Mum and Dad would say don't worry too much about the dollar sign, as long as you don't go to a casino or don't start dumping money everywhere they can still manage to pay through my studies).
Quite a number of people recommend Panasonic, but I fell straight in love with Kodak by its looks, though for old times' sake I'm still looking for HP. I do not really like the huge cylindrical lenses of Panasonics, and I hate the geometrical design of Canon. I like the HP R742, but my roommate told me RM600 for 7MP is not worth it. Being cool in personality I prefer black, and pink is definitely a no-no, except in the circumstance when they give it to me for free. I just wished there would be a software where you could key in all these requirements and they'll make a decision for you straightaway without you procrastinating and considering all options.
5. The future is bleak.
Believe it guys, the more you study people-related fields and literature, the more you feel the world is heading right off a cliff. Politics, industry, intelligence copyright, and the words that come out of people's mouth everyday. And the amount of things everyone has to do everyday.

Just to end this post, I noticed American camera manufacturers dislike the rotate-by-mode device found primarily on Japanese cameras. Guess that sleek device is too fragile for giant sized Americans. I personally prefer buttons though.