Entrance to Singapore

Dear Dr Lai

MASTER IN PUBLIC Administration (MPA) PROGRAMME 2007/2008
APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION

Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected for admission to our MPA 2007/2008 programme (full-time) leading to the degree of Master in Public Administration.

You have also been awarded a scholarship for study in the MPA programme contingent on your satisfactory progress during the course of study.
The full-time MPA 2007/2008 programme runs from 23 July 2007 to 14 July 2008. The academic calendar is available at http://www.lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/docs/MPA_2007_2008_Academic_Calendar.doc. However, you are required to undertake an English language training course in Singapore starting 11 June 2007. If you accept our offer of admission, please complete the enclosed forms and fax them to (65) 67795397 by 23 April 2007, and send the originals as soon as possible to: Ms Agnes Tan Swee Tin, Senior Programme Manager, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, 469C Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259772:
(a) Acceptance of Offer of Admission form
(b) Scholarship acknowledgement form
(c) Form 1: Acceptance Record (leave matriculation / registration number blank)
(d) Form 3: Authorisation for Medical Procedures for International Students (For detailed information on items (c) and (d), please refer to www.lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/docs/AcceptRecInfo.pdf)
You are scheduled to arrive in Singapore on Monday 11 June 2007. We will book your air ticket and assist with immigration matters such as student pass and entry visa. Further information on accommodation, student registration, programme schedules and other matters will be made available to you in due course.
A medical examination is needed for all foreigners who apply for employment and immigration passes (including student passes). A candidate who does not pass the medical examination will be required to return to his / her home country as the relevant pass cannot be issued by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) under such a circumstance. The ICA medical report form can be downloaded at: www.lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/docs/Medical_Exam_ICA.doc. All NUS graduate students will also have to undergo a compulsory pre-enrolment medical examination. Your pre-enrolment medical examination report form is enclosed. Both medical examinations can be conducted in your home country or in Singapore during your first week after arrival. Please ensure that the reports are completed in English on the prescribed forms.
Please do not hesitate to contact Ms Agnes Tan Swee Tin, our Senior Programme Manager, at Tel: (65) 65163724, Fax: (65) 67795397 or Email: spptana@nus.edu.sg if you have any queries.
Yours sincerely

Assoc Prof Hui Weng Tat
Vice-Dean (Academic Affairs)

Meeting at TaiPo, Chia Yi

Vincent and I took high speed railway train from Taipei to TaiPo, only 93 minutes. You could fall asleep easily on the train because it runs as smooth as silk. Though the seat space is smaller(we took economic seats), the entire setting is new and neat. We did not have time to see the 2007 Taiwan Lantern Festival, but I took a picture of the festival from the train station.

Our son and his beloved blanket

Lu is our son. No doubt.

He goes crazy when his grandfather arrives home. He now gets mad when I will take him home from his grandmom. One thing for sure is that he loves his mom most. Why? See how he loves the blanket I brought from Vancouver and takes a very good rest upon the tender but remote affection to his mom when he falls asleep in with the rich smell remnant from Ruby, his mom.

My favorite TV series

After back from Vancouver, I love the CSI ( Crime Scene Investigation ) and appreciate the way they shoot the series. It is sometimes incredible though it gives us some lessons that we should pay more attention to those trivial things and tiny articulation that could contribute the end of the game. Besides, I play the Vancouver real time radio station whenever I am in front of the PC. check www.live-radio.net, you may find any radio station you like in the internet service.

Reader's Digest 2007.1

Before I go to bed, I read some sentences from the Reader's Digest Jan.2007. "Consensus is something in which no one believes, but to which no one objects" quoted from previous British Premier Margaret Thatcher.

Leave for Taipei, I start to miss Ruby!

Everything needs a reason for its happening. The moment I will leave says so. I will, maybe you could guess, leave here in the same way I just arrived 8 days ago.
Today, Ruby and I talked about what kind of life we both want to live on our way to Richmond. Several examples before us show they do enjoy their lives.

Peter Liang is a good example. Divorced, remarriage and live for fun. Yes, life is short. We need to stop for a moment and think about our next step. We plan to have a baby while we both are in Singapore. Then Ruby will be 34 or something. What about life after that? I don't know. Get a job in Singapore? I will really think about that. Really!

The dinner at Wedgewood Hotel

Ruby and I celebrated her 33th birthday at Bacchus Restaurant (Hornby and Robson Street), just the first floor of the Wedgewood Hotel, which is famous for its french cuisine. We ordered Foie gras, duck breast(better than Nicolas'), risolto and rabbit loin.

RussiaFest at Orpheum theatre

Thanks to Prof. Nelly's tickets, Ruby and I have chances to appreciate the masterworks of RussiaFest, conducted by Bramwell Tovey with VSO, Piano by Freddy Kempf. Freddy, thirty years old, played the Rachmainoff Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor, Op.18. The VSO seemed not accordant with Freddy's tempo and the conductor could not "push" the whole orchestra. I kinda fell asleep at the second movement Adagio sostenuto. After the intermission, Tchaikovsky Op.58 was played.

SARS rescue, Taiwan,2003

Dear friends,

Enclosed is picture taken during SARS, Taiwan in 2003.

I have known there is God in our lives since then.

Nature around us. Part II

I like the trees overlapping, interwoving in the background of sky!
This is the view from the balcony behind. Depth of the scene is clearly demonstrated.
It is great to have such a good weather during my stay here. Trees in front of our house.
Bushes and the trees are around us. They are our friends in the world.

Nature around us. Part I

The Heather street and the Douglas Park! I like the jogging path around the park.
The color of winter here is purple, yellow, also green. Sky gives its blue when he is happy.
There is an infrastructure going on. Yes, you guess it right, the 2010 Winter Olympics.
The following two pictures are just practice of my close shot by different focus and depth with our alpha-100 Sony camera. I like the feeling of control by myself.

View of our house in winter!

Good morning, 639 W 21 Ave., Ruby likes old houses historically. Can you imgine the picture was taken at 8 degree celcius?


How about the roof? or we may call that shelter.

Notice that we have posted two red pieces of paper saying "the spring is coming" by an inversion of the word "spring" and the other says everything as you wish in the coming Chinese New Year !

Dinner with Soong, Kevin, Jordan.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Dinner with Clara!

Happy Birthday to Ruby!

Dear Ruby,

How special we celebrate your birthday in Vancouver! A bunch of roses could not express how much I love you, but the flowers could be a start. I know we will have endless birthdays to share in the future, I hope everyday in our lives will flourish as the blossoms as time goes by.

Happy Birthday!

Love,

Allen

Extension of Visa!

While waiting for Ruby, I took a picture of the flag of Canada and the organization where Ruby had her VISA extended. She stepped into the office at the last minute(before 4pm, Feb.16) when the official hours end. A close call!

Night View of East Vancouver

On our way to commercial drive, we were kinda lost. However, a night view of east Vancouver made me stop on our way and a picture was taken then. It is said that it's not safe to stay outside alone when you are in the east side of Vancouver. We just stopped for a while and found our way to buy cheaper daily necessities at commercial drive.

Happy Valentine's Day! Ruby.

The first day Allen arrived in Vancouver, on Feb. 14, 2007. Ruby cooked four quails and we drank a bottle of champagne which Ruby got from the Evaair as a present for her saving "life" of a passanger.

Ruby in front of UBC WCH

Learned how to use the Sony alpha-100, a new tool for me. The picture was taken in front of UBC women and children's hospital, W 26 Ave. the side door. The one in the middle is Ruby Huang. She just stepped out towards our car.

Blossom!

From now on, we step out and be part of the world.