Black Friday

Yesterday was Black Friday, which is a day after Thanks Giving Day. This day is special as people will wake up early for shopping.

Woke up at 2:45am yesterday, we took a 30 min walk to a shopping mart: Walmart. It is like those hypermarket back home, but more emphasizes on hardware than food. My friends and I went there planning to get a bike, and some of them want electronics stuff which are really cheaper back home.

We reach Walmart around 3:30am and there is already a long queue in front of the mart. Workers are distributing maps of the mart, hoping that people know where to head when the shop open. Those discounted products are not place as they were normally placed.

At 4am, the shop open, People running in the mall to get the stuff they want. Most of them want TVs and laptops. Some other devices like Wii, PSP, PS3, Guitar Hero are just like a fan, or a rice cooker for them, place on shelf. American's are really pampered with all these video games.

After getting a bike, we also plan to get a kettle. To boil water of course. Asking a senior shop assistance, around 60 years old man, where the kettles are located, he answered: " I had not seen an electrical kettle since this mart is established. Let me check, " Of course, we can't find one in the end.

Around 6am, we had to go back since I had to work around 11.30am on that day itself.

CRAZY SHOPPING

ps: Finish typing at 4:14pm 28 Nov in Falmouth

ThanksGiving

It is thanksgiving today, and my friends and I really learn the meaning of thanksgiving.



Early morning, we decided to move to a motel nearer to out working place. It took us few minutes to decide to move to the new place. Around 11am, we told our current motel owner that we want to move out and what we received from her is: @!%* f*ck



Reach our new motel and trying to settle down. Marcus gave a call, saying that the previous motel lady warned us that the place is not safe. We ignored that advice and we thought that it might be the lady tried to be nasty. Only then, two of our friends who reach later tell us something serious.



"Just now, we ask the taxi driver about the motel. The taxi driver thought for 5 sec and answered: it is not safe to stay there.



This place is full of drug addicts and the cops will come once in two day."



Looking around the room, realised that the door lock is spoilt. It seems that someone really tried to break in the room before. Thinking back, there are a lot of CCTV around the motel. If it is safe, why do they need that much of CCTV? My friends said that the street lights are off at night.



"So, shall we go back to the previous one?" said Marcus.



No one object.



Lesson of the story: Appreciate what we had



*********

Yesterday, in our restaurant, our boss treated us a thanksgiving dinner.

There are roast turkey, rice (for quite a long time i hadn't consume rice), squash soup, mash potatoes, stuffing, apple crumbler etc. Nice... Roast turkey is a bit dissapointing but the rice is nice and fragrant.


That's my first thanksgiving dinner.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

ps: Finish typing in 4:43pm 26 Nov 2009 in Falmouth

1 Week in USA

It had been a week I had arrived in USA, and everything is fine... so far

Upon arriving USA, we need to take a 20-hour flight, and it was a horrible experience. Of course, the 20-hours of flight does not include transit time to wait for the next flight. This time, different from Australia, I decided t have things light.

My baggage

Okay, I know, the baggage is still not light enough. But compare to others, mine i considered light edy. The first transit was to Singapore Changi Airport. It is a nice airport and well equipped with facilities. And the most important, it is FREE!!

Next transit is in Tokyo Japan Airport, Narita Airport. I like the airport, as the shops are interesting. Of course, there are some kawaai lenglui walking around!!

The shops in airport are full of interesting stuff. The shop that caught my interest the most is the paper folding art museum.Cute and colorful products

Next, we had a stop in Chicago, where Michael Jordan served for the basketball team there. He is a legend.

Stopped in Chicago Airport

And, we finally reach Boston. It was very cold there and made me reminded of australia weather

Marcus and I at Boston Airport

Since we reached boston pretty late, we spent one night in Boston before to Falmouth, the town that I suppose to go one the next day
The hotel we stayed in, Wyndham Chelsea. It is a nice hotel. It is money worth

Took a bus (Peter Pan Company) from Logan Airport in Boston to Falmouth the next day

And, we had our 1st lunch in USA. The pizza taste great!!

Steve Pizzarie which is just next door to the motel we are currently staying in

I had started working the passed few days, and I will talk about it in the next post. Currently, my friends and I are staying in a motel, and we tried our best to find some other place to stay. We hope to find a cosy house, which is nearer to our working place. (walking 20 min in the cold is driving me crazy currently). Hopefully we can get a nicer place to stay by next week.

Thanksgiving day is coming, and I hope I dun miss anything interesting that Americans do.

ps: now is 7:30pm, 24 Nov 2009

Short Message

Bye bye Malaysia...

See you in 3 months ++ time

Next post will be in USA...

The Night Before My Flight

Tomorrow I will take a plane, heading to Singapore, then Tokyo, followed by Chicago, before reaching Boston. I will spend my first night in USA in there, and will take a bus to Falmouth where I will be working at.

I bought a new camera, and hopefully i can use the camera well enough and expressed what I wanted to share with everyone nice enough.

Hope I have a nice trip. As interesting as my Australia trip

Questionnaire

My W&T agent sent me this and want us to answer it before departure to USA. I made this in public so that you guys can help to supervise me. If i keep complaining something, please remind me the existence of this post. Of course, some changes are made to avoid bleach of copyright. And also, some questions are censored for privacy. Words in italic are the answers

1. What you hope to learn from this program? I hope to learn to adapt to new surrounding fast enough, handle people in a more mature way, and have an eye-opening chance to see the world.
2. How do you think you can achieve you aim? This beat me... I have no idea yet
3. What do you most looking forward to? Big cities and famous places
4. What difficulties you think you will encounter? Deal with problems and people maturely, which is my biggest weakness.
5. How do you think the culture will be different in US from Malaysia? (Food, language, social behavior, lifestyle, public system) Everything
6. What impression do you have about US? Canggih country
7. What do you think is cool about US? Lifestyle
8. What do you think is not cool about US? Food
9. What do you think is cool about Malaysia? Food =D
10. What do you think is not cool about Malaysia? Wah, dangerous to tell
11. Do you think you will miss home? After so many times leaving home, guess not that much
12. What do you think you will miss the most about home? Family and friends
13. What sort of emotional challenges do you think you will face in US? Humiliation
14. Do you have a planned budget for your trip? Of course, always!!
15. How do you plan to spend your holiday? Travel around, if $$ allows
16. How would you plan for your holiday? Discuss this later with friends

This is gonna be fun...

Nervous

3 more days and I will be on my way to USA

I feel very nervous now as this is very different from last time I went to Australia:

1. Last time, I went to Australia to study. This time, I am going USA to work. Work in McD
2. I have no idea what kind of place am I going. Unlike last time, I know I will be in around the university
3. This time, in a group of 4, we are going USA and that's it. Unlike last time, a much bigger group is going and I had friends (liping example) in Australia
4. I have no friend and family in USA
5. I had to arrange transportation and accomodation myself. Unlike last time, I still can stay in halls and Monash provide transportation for us to reach the campus
6. I never stay at a place that snow. Totally winter. Unlike Australia that just being cold and rainy during winter days.
7. My first time working as a cook/casher/order taker
8. H1N1 in USA.
9. I hope i understand their english ascent. I hope they understand my english too.
10. Hope my employer is a nice person

Of course, besides packing, I believe I need to prepare mentally as well. People who know me knew that I plan everything nicely before hand. I say no to excitement and accident. Hope this time, I can train myself to deal with a new surrounding well.

I believe, I am growing... To be a better man

DONE

Finally done with my last ever ever paper

The coming days, will start to pack my stuff to move out from hostel, and also prepare to go USA

Next, will get a new camera to replace my previously losed one

I also need to apply for graduation

Then will start to work and earn money to travel around US

At the same time travel around USA

Besides, try to find my first job after graduate

Then will come back to Malaysia to attend my convo

Ah~~ dun care. Lets chill first!!

2 More Papers

Busy with my last 2 papers in Monash, and everything goes fine (I hope so).

I will be back in JB in 13 November 2009 and will start packing my stuff to go to US on 17 November 2009. Time is flying and I hope to pack everything in 3 days. What so difficult?

I will be buying a new camera since my previous one is gone. Done some survey on it and hope i can get it after exam.

Ok. Time to study...

Visa

Finally, i got my visa for US...

If everything goes well, I will be leaving to US in 2 weeks time.

Exam...

Exam

It is now in exam period and I am stress with it

Yesterday met with doi and fee ling and they keep on telling me that i need to appreciate now to being a student. Yup, I know, and i am cherishing now. Doi, you are a good friend, except the part that u agree with fee ling too much.

Going for interview on wednesday for my US visa. Hopefully everything goes well.

Applied to be a tutor next semester when i can find a job during this period. wish me luck for that.

Hope my exam can be well prepared.