VINOAD

BRIDGE,Chicago & Madison and LUCKY's apt

2010-04-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Andrea,Sydney and I. Triangle of BRIDGE partners.

Carolina and I talking about something interesting.

Sydney helping me out

BRIDGE = no alcohol

awesome people

Spaniards and I

I'm a gentleman, as always

group squeeze

Sydney,Vinoad and Ashley

Vinoad & Alexandra

Alvin & I

My BRIDGE wife & I

Again

Sydney,Erika & Vinoad

Erika definitely taller than Andy and Vinoad

Lunch buddies

Food=religion

Erika again, taller

Dance lessons

Ginger and Erika

I don't like this dude getting close to Sydney

Cute Japanese girls

Ginger & Matt

Erika is awesome

Fernie was learning too : )

Syd & I

Alexandra & I (different one)

Ginger with blood rushing to her head

Great pose by BRIDGE mates

Lovely huh?

however, at the end of the day, no one wanted to dance with Sydney...aww...

First of all, there were a few events under BRIDGE that I did attend. The sad part of life was that I missed out on many BRIDGE events cuz most of them were held unfortunately for me, a day before my exams. Consistently, I had to skip BRIDGE events cuz of Psych exam. I did remember going to one of the BRIDGE events where they combined Valentine's day and Chinese New Year's celebration by doing some card making event.

In addition to that, I can't recall very well whether it was before that Valentine' CNY event or after where I sort of participated in the free lessons of Waltz given by Erika,Ginger and Matt.
It was my first time dancing like in a formal and civilized way and yeah, I had a good time.

A week before Spring break by the way, I went for a day trip to Chicago with the BRIDGE people and many more international students...We sort of spent the majority of our day in the Field Museum. An interesting fact that I gained was that the Chicago Field Museum is the 3rd largest in America. We couldn't do much outdoor activities cuz the weather was bad.We were attacked by heavy snow and wind.

Oh yeah, for those of you who don't know, I REPEAT, only for those of you who do not know, Chicago is known as the WINDY CITY. It definitely was/still is bloody windy.

Anyways, above were the pictures from the BRIDGE events including a few pics from the Waltz dancing lessons+ a few pics from the after party at Luis' house(after the outdoor hockey game at Camp Randall)

#pictures from the Chicago Trip, I shall post another time cuz right now its 3.28pm, and Aida finishes work at 3.30pm and we're gona go for lunch cuz I'm hungry. So, Chicago can wait : )

Cheeseballs IN BRAZIL & 7 languages of HAPPY BIRTHDAY

2010-04-18T23:10:00.000-07:00

This post is just part of my compensation for all the lack of post (again..)...
Once upon a time, Dimas (Brazilian awesomeness), A GREAT GUY who invited us to his place to celebrate his birthday and also make cheeseballs. He was a lucky guy cuz 'we' sang the 'happy birthday song' to him in 7 languages...English, German, Spanish, Greek, Japanese, Malay, and Mandarin, I think...
It was a great day cuz I met even more new people from different parts of the world..The beer was nasty for me, honestly...at that time, I was confused, thinking maybe the reason I don't want to drink beer is cuz I'm physically allergic to it...However, that wasn't true...don't worry... : )

PS: The Japanese failed to perform their version of the song but due to political reasons, I still had to mention it. ARIGATO.

Almost 40days since my last update....

2010-04-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

Its been almost 40days since my last blog update...Honestly, I don't really mind cuz I personally feel that its a great sign cuz it proves that I have been too busy with things and I had no time to update my blog, or it could also accurately mean that I'm too lazy to update anything...So, for the lack of update...I'm gonna try to put a few posts here...

First one as you can see above, the HOCKEY GAME...
There was an OUTDOOR hockey game organized in Camp Randall Stadium (actually a football stadium for those of you who do not know) on 02/06/2010.
As I have family ties in Michigan, it was so cool to watch the game cuz it was between the Badgers and Wolverines from Ann Arbor, Michigan, we won 3-2.
But, I won't hide the truth, everyone started leaving after the 2nd half cuz it was too cold...My legs were getting numb and we couldn't feel our fingers..We settled back home in Regents with awesomely delicious Hot Chocolate prepared by Clementine, our royal French Queen : )

outside Camp Randall

People heading to Camp Randall from Lucky's Bar & grill

So systematic and organized

Badgers

Lovely Cheeseheads

My moment of capturing the moment was captured

Thanks Ashley, most of the pictures are from your facebook : )

They built an ice skating rink in a freaking football stadium.Speechless.

I'm trying to lick Florian

Florian trying to lick himself

King Fernando

A small group picture cuz we lost some of the others to the cold weather

# First sporting event for me in Madison. Yeah, weather was a pain, but it was awesome to watch it with people you care and enjoy spending time with. Plus, to watch Wisconsin vs Michigan, woot!! It was awesome and I'm sure gonna pay more visits to Camp Randall in the future especially for football in fall when the weather will be much better : )

When a girl asked, HOW TO SURVIVE?? Vinoad said...

2010-03-10T23:23:00.000-08:00

ok, in order for u to survive, firstly, you must truly understand the fact that no matter how hard our situation is, be it life, be it studies, be it family stress, be it love, other people in this world have problems too, and it is much worse.

for eg: if a kid is sad that his parents fight, he should also realize that at least, he has parents, and some people dont have parents or their parents have already passed away.

you see dear Suting (the girl who popped up the question as her facebook status actually), my point is, whatever your situation, yeah, life can be hard and it sucks, but this hard and sucky times are the ones that will eventually teach u to appreciate life. without having bad times, u wudnt have good times to look forward to. get my point?

appreciate what we have in life, the chances, the people, loved ones (like Vinoad, the random sweet guy who pops out of nowhere)...everything...
challenges can b hard but it is part of life...
how u overcome ur obstacles will show ur value...
make urself proud and always never stop believing in urself,
that is the essence of surviving, sweetheart.

ps: i know i'm not ur closest friend, but it just takes one simple thing to make two people close, and i care about u and would love it if u do ur best to survive cuz u are a person worth having in this world.

love,
vinoad.

PS again: Goodluck in surviving Suting Lau
+ and everyone else

: )

BRIDGE

2010-02-05T18:26:00.000-08:00

To start it off, my classes went rolling on the 19th of January and I was doing well but the week before, during the International students orientation, i sort of followed Fernie in filling up every available forms for Student Organizations and anything else that looked like a chance for me to get free meals...THANK YOU FERNIE coz without her inspiring attitude, I would not have filled up the BRIDGE from...What is BRIDGE? you can go Wikipedia it and you'll probably get the wrong Bridge...BRIDGE is a Student Organization which stands for Building Relationships in Diverse Global Environments. It must have taken them quite long to match those 6 letters to such a phrase, hahahaha...

Well, in simple words, BRIDGE is a special program in UW Madison where they interview both American students and International students, then find out your hobbies, interests, they find how boring you are, what you like, what you don't like, and they pair you up with someone. Obviously they pair an American student with an International student. The Americans part is to smoothen the transition for the International students and we are supposed to learn each other's culture.
Well, I want to thank the BRIDGE coordinator, Erika and assistant coordinator Zhao (who again proves how small the world is cuz he is from Malaysia...lol).

Well, before getting into the program, we had to sign a contract in which we have to agree to meet our partner at least 7 times in the semester and bla3...
Well, FYI...I'm lazy to upload pictures separately so I'm gona upload one long strectch below..
Okay, back to the so called 'blog' of mine...
My partner is an American girl...yes, she has a name...
Sydney Junion...
And what can I tell you about her?
Well, I am definitely not a religious person, but the way things have been going in my life, I certainly am blessed to the max cuz she is the best partner I could ever wish for...
I don't want to talk too much bout her in this post coz then the title should just be Sydney Junion instead of BRIDGE...ohh wait! maybe I should do that! hahahahaha....

Anyways, today is exactly two weeks after the activation of our new BRIDGE generation and below are the pictures of the great people I have met either directly or indirectly through BRIDGE(most of them I met through Sydney)...Thank you God and I love BRIDGE....hehe....

Erika: The Coordinator who interviewed all of us

Zhao: The Malaysian dude
who makes the most delicious sandwich in planet Earth.
A very cool guy, very steady and a nice friend to have.
Plus, we can bitch about the girls in our own language.

Sydney(right): The coolest person I've met in America so far.
The rest of my sweet talk will be done in another post just for her.
We are suppose to meet at least 7 times a semester, I think we met more than that in the first week : )

Ashley: I call this one my pookey
(Malaysians will be bursting in laughter cuz
puki is a bad word back home but lets stick with the American one)
This is one cheerful human being
who can really make you stunned by her odd yet adorable behavior.
She learns Malays a bit too quick that its hard for me to talk bad about her.

Ginger: Probably the cutest and I was so lucky
to be taught how to do the chacha by her.
She was scolding me cuz I kept looking at my feet.

Fernando: The Spanish master of
alcohol consumption and he probably defines Macho.
Such a cool guy.

Sam: She is so cool and loves to giggle.
Its very nice to have her emotional support
and to watch her play beer pong.

Carly: Too pretty that I was stunned the first time I saw her.
After listening and hanging out at her house,
yeapp, she's so DAMN cool.

Charlie: He defines cool. (back hand!!)

Doug: Kicks ass in beer pong (back hand again!!!)

Anna Banana Richardson: She rocks cuz
she plays soccer and she is freaking good at it.
In addition, soccer means the world to her. Awww...

Fumika(Aishiteru): Cutest Japanese in America.
Reminds me of all the anime.

Alexandra (Peru): If you guys watch FRIENDS,
well this is Phoebe's twin sister.
She is so damn random and funny.
She sneezes out of nowhere so you gota
be alert when your close to her.
She is DAMN caring.

Dimas (Brazil): He makes the most interesting cheeseballs
in the world. hahaha...You would never want to know the ingredient.
Trust me!

Andrea: The Genius in Chemistry who happens
to be Sydney's ex-BRIDGE partner.
I used to be scared of her cuz
she has a serious face but she is like the sweetest girl I know.
Btw, she's Spanish and she rocks in soccer
and she is so DAMN humble. She makes me love Spain to the highest level.

Ruben (Spain): He is a person worth being
your case study in a research paper.
The ironic part is that he probably
has made a clear research on you.
Why? Ruben is known to be a great planner
and comes up with organized ideas for all of us to have fun, get drunk and have safe sex. Lol.

Carolina (Spain): Very adorable girl who loves to smile
and randomly comes and will tell friends to shut up in the library.

Felix & Anne (Denmark): The Great Dane filled with informations.
Felix and Anne are a very sweet couple who I enjoy talking to.

Clementine (France) & Florian (Germany):

Clementine and Florian are both friendly and FREAKIN awesome.
FYI, I met most of the internationals in a party that
Sydney brought me to right after I met her.

Andy (USA) & Boon Lee (Malaysia):
Andy can dance well and is so friendly,
Boon Lee is one of the people I always hang out with although,
I'm worried about her addiction to bubble tea.

Wouter: He comes from Holland/The Netherlands.
We had our BRIDGE interview together and
we both ended up with hot babes as our partners.

Monika (Sweden/Poland) : Beautiful girl who is
so friendly and invited me to her birthday party
but I didn't go cuz I'm underage.

Zack: He will remember Fernie & I for tricking him in
one of the ice breaking games we played in BRIDGE.
He's a cool guy. Probably, the coolest looking American guy in BRIDGE for me.

Ke (China) : This is one guy who I suspect might be smarter than the Greatest Chinese Student in Malaysia, Sandy Liu, my ex-housemate and forever brother.
These two should meet and do some Maths competition. I am curious to see who is smarter.
Both have almost the same ego which makes me miss Sandy so much.

#In conclusion, a lot of students will go to a new place to study and for most of my friends, America is our destination. A lot of people assume that we will struggle with homesickness and social life. I personally believe that if you dump me anywhere, I can make friends and survive. All my Malaysian buddies seem to be surviving and I know I would have survived no matter what.
But honestly, BRIDGE is a concept that many of us in UW Madison take for granted cuz its so great that we can make so many friends and extend our social network to an unbelievable level. Obviously if you do not open your mouth, you won't go anywhere but my point is, BRIDGE has made my life so much easier and for that, I thank the idealogist behind it and all the people in it.
Thank you for bringing new friends into my life and through this single post, I will, at least remember all of you. Most of us might not be here by the end of the semester, Exchange students going back home and Americans doing Exchange programs. So, in advance, goodluck and thank you for making my life worth living : )
Lets all go to the Biblioteca (library) to study and on weekends, lets get drunk & party like locos.#

PS: sorry for spelling mistakes, grammar. vocab and whatever,...I still love u if you wana make jokes about any of my mistakes.
: )

Arif & The Beautiful Locations On Campus

2010-02-05T17:36:00.000-08:00

First of all, apologies to those who have been bugging me to update my blog...I always thought that keeping a blog updated is easy. But I have a good reason behind it. I'm having a great time in Madison, Wisconsin that I can't seem to find time to update my blog. The last post, American Survival Kit was written when I was still in Ann Arbor, about a month ago. I don't feel bad coz I've been having an awesome time but yeah, time flies huh?

Anyways, to share something with all of you especially my new American friends and International buddies, I'm from Malaysia. Specifically, I come from a place called Selayang which is in the state of Selangor which is in the country of Malaysia, hahahaha...
I have been friends with this one guy since kindergarden and just to show you how small the world is, we are both in UW Madison right now...
He's name is Arif Johari.. When I first arrived in Madison from Ann Arbor thanks to 7hours driving combo from my uncle and aunty...(Thank you and I love you sooo much), I spent the weekend with them in a hotel. The day they left, I was sad cuz I knew I was gona miss them so much but yeah, I went looking for my Malaysian neighborhood childhood buddy, Arif.
It was a bad day cuz I didn't cover myself well and I did not know how to read the street signs cuz its different and it was beyond my technical capabilities.
I was almost frozen...I seriously had tears running down my eyes cuz it was so cold that my tear ducts were trying to provide warmth..." Its too early for me to die!"...that's what I told myself while the pain receptors in my hand and feet were screaming. I found Arif, and the next day...we walked around...I took pictures..WE EVEN WALKED ON THE FROZEN LAKE MENDOTA...lets see those pictures okay, its my blog so you don't have a choice..hahaha...

This is Arif trying to be a Muslim snow angel whatever that means...

The frozen lake, Lake Mendota

The UW Madison has its own police force

State Capitol, one of the most beautiful and historical building in Madison.
(It contains the 4th largest dome after
3 of the largest in Africa, Italy and England.
Its the picture of the Sisteen Chapels)

A lot of people studying business and actuarial science
dream of entering this Business School

If you go into this building, you'll be happy
to know that it is one of the buildings with
the most beautiful decorations

Science Hall

Red Gym. Its the Home for International students
and also home for many events.
It is a castle and its so huge that
I had to go far back to snap a whole picture of it.

Camp Randall is very close to my apartment.
It has Camp Randall Stadium which is
the football stadium (American that is).
Many people jog around this area
as it is both awesome and like some battlefield sort of place.

Memorial Union.
Where our memory unites? Lame huh? hahaha...

This is the street where many important buildings
are located and it is also where Arif stays.

This is one of the most awesome looking notebooks available and its what I use.
I feel like I'm in Hogwarts when I use them. (That's from Harry Potter for those specimens who do not know Hogwarts)

Frozen Lake Mendota again. When I was walking on it,
it was frozen 11 inches which is safe.

Camp Randall Memorial. I've only seen this place from outside,
I should check it out.

Finally, I end this post with a picture of Arif Johari, my neighbor from Selayang, my kindergarden mate, my primary school mate, and now, we are both proudly known as Badgers in UW Madison.

I just feel like saying that, yes, we're lucky that at least we're here together. Although Arif is busy with his life and I am with mine, we do check up on each other frequently and its nice to know that two boys from Selayang are kicking ass in Wisconsin.
No matter how far you go, however HUGE the world seems to be, FRIENDSHIP MAKES IT SMALLER AND EASIER FOR US TO GO THRU EVERYTHING.

American Survival Kit for my friends...LONG POST

2010-01-07T00:43:00.000-08:00

well, this post is dedicated to a few people...lets proudly write down their names..
Amos , Zjen Thak, Tomyam, Kiet, Aaron, Sandy, Elic, Ryan, Charles, Carissa, Sie Hui, Qisti, Vanessa...and all others who simply want to read this...but its meant for those planning to leave to America soon, or next fall, or just an fyi...
THIS IS BASED ON MY THEORETICAL POINT OF VIEW, so all ur criticism can go into the rubbish bin or the garbage can as the Americans say...
American Survival Kit is provided sincerely by Vinoad for loved ones with professional consultations with the Faculty of Uni of Michigan Ann Arbor and many kwailows who are the warmest people in the world...
ATTENTION@@@
~most are things meant for u to get here but if u can bring it, cool...~

1. FAMILY & FRIENDS.
this can definitely help u...i feel so blessed to have relatives here who are taking great care of me...people, if ur goin sumwhere, checkout for host family programs, make sure u contact seniors there who are from inti or any sort of friends who can lend u a hand...their experience and assistance can be extremely important for u...if u dont have family here, its ok, for those of u goin august, convince any of ur relatives to move to US now...hahaha...
but u get my point rite?
make sure u have contacts here...if u guys dont, then land in Detroit, and i'll pick u up... (I PREFER GIRLS)

2.Shoes
- its advisable to have a nice pair of sports shoes..(I PREFER NIKE)
zjen thak and friends, the most dangerous thing in America is ice, especially when it rains on snow or the sun shines on snow coz the snow melts into ice which is f**kin dangerous... my aunty said her friend once slipped and cracked his head...be careful k???
-this is why guys and girls, u need a pair of Boots...
suggestion?? yes...TIMBERLAND...
well known here...its good coz its water proof, u can step on snow or watever, ur legs wont get wet, and its more steady, lesser chance of slipping and cracking ur head...

3.Socks
- its advisable to get or bring thick ones...good quality ones... the thin ones u can wear during summer, but thick ones can keep u warm..its important that ur legs feel warm...I wear socks almost the whole day coz cold feet isnt pleasant my friends...

4.for your legs..
-bring a few pair of good jeans...
-u'll prolly need to wear long johns here, go google, image, long johns...
-track bottoms can help...
-normally, 2 layers for legs will keep u warm excluding boxers/underwear which u shud bring as many as u want up to u... (dont bring ugly ones just in case customs detain ur bag and open it in public, hahaha)

5.for your body..
-TSHIRTS...bring as many as u want...even the crap ones also u can bring coz its not important how it looks like, it'll be the innermost layer...everyday, u will need a tshirt deep inside, so bring some, the thicker, the better...but if u go to class, dont wear ugly shitty ones, coz unis here spend lots of money on heating system, u might feel warm and only be wearing tshirt in class...be wise...
-u will need to get fleece (google image pls), hoodies, jackets, coats...
-brands that i suggest: Nautica and Northface...tips: Americans wear Northface so it'll be a good way to fit in if u know what i mean...if u dont know, ur dumb then..
-sweaters in malaysia ends up as 2nd layer only u know...the outermost jackets must be of good quality...for u to know, when u wana buy it, ask the guy whether u can go out and try it in the cold wind, they'll let u do it...test it, see whether u feel warm enuf..then only buy it...dont waste ur money...have two if u can so that u dont appear in the same color the whole sem, i'm gona be RED till summer...lol

6. Gloves
-important coz fingers can get cold very fast...most Americans walk with hands in their pocket coz its too cold...the blood circulations slows down very fast due to the cold that gloves will help, but it has to be good quality...my other uncle who is an ex-airforce army gave me the gloves he wore in Bosnia, but my aunty here said its too thin..wth?? i'm wearing Nike gloves : )

7. Scarfs...
its very important to keep ur neck warm...
head, ears, nose, neck, hands as in fingers & legs are important parts to be kept warm...
ur neck represents the respiratory tract..keep it warm or not u'll feel like ur taking in frozen air straight into ur lungs..any type pf scarf will do...

8. Snowcap and ears...
-up to u what style u want...but yeah, its important to keep ur heads warm and ur ears warm...

9. Chapsticks...

THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR UR LIPS...
dont take these precious things for granted..
the cold weather can make ur lips too dry and u can have ugly cracked lips, some people even suffer from infection on their lips due to overdriedness...
these things are cheap..u can ge them in any grocery store...
please get them, especially girls..how la to kiss u then?? hehe...
guys , dont act all macho...get CHAPSTICKS...

10.REMAINDER (this is coz i'm lazy and its gettin too long)
-alarm clock
-toiletteries (deodrant, toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo,soap,Qtips to clean ur ears and bla2 according to u and what u like)
-US Dollars
-remember: layer the clothes u wear
-food (cereals, bars, noodles, pizzas)
-lotion & face wash
(dont shower too much coz it takes away the moisture, but yeah in US, its advisable that u apply lotion on urself after u shower to prevent ur skin from dehydrating) - huiyin will be happy!
-get sanitizers (its America, global germs are here)

11.Things to prepare and settle!!!
-Sleeping: make sure ur bed is thick layered...ask people in America, friends or family of host family watever...2 or 3 layers, comforters all can help keep u warm..
-settle ur accommodation, find out whether u have heater, microwave, fridge, internet, and hows the toilet access.
-have enough cash for daily and monthly expenditure (budget urself)
-settle ideas on how to wash ur clothes
-buy hangers to hang clothes

12. USE INTERNET WISELY
my suggestion for now
amazon.com : you can order anything at amazon.com and they'll deliver in 2-3 days..i ordered my timberland boots thru them...seriously, their efficient and u dont have to waste time...find out all these website, for now, i suggest amazon.com !!

***Finally, remember that ur going/coming to America to study and enjoy a new experience...
whatever u do, u can do it, as long as u never forget the reason ur parents are paying sooooo much for u...TO STUDY AND DO WELL AND GET A GOOD SOLID DEGREE, NOT AN AVERAGE DEGREE ONLY...
and this is a pinch of sarcasm...
if u wana stick with Malaysians most of the time, then what the f**k is the point of u coming here, better stay in Malaysia, dont waste time...
i'm not saying u shouldnt be friends with Malaysians, i'm just saying u should break out of our cultural shell...

FOR THOSE COMING SOON..either for this coming spring intake, fall, or next spring, ANYTHING U NEED, call me/message me/facebook me/
i know my post is long, but its my damn blog, what'd u expect?!!
it makes me feel good helping u all : )
take care.
THOSE OF U WHO DONT LIKE MY POST COZ ITS TOO LONG CAN KISS VINOAD AND AMOS'S BUTT DOWN HERE.. : )

love,
Vinoad.

Pictures from Bangkok to places in Michigan,USA

2010-01-04T13:58:00.000-08:00

This was actually in Bangkok's airport...
The bracelet was given by Natalie, thank you Lim fei Theng...love u.
Then, this place, Thomas & Tonini (hopefully when i finish my blog this shit still appears properly coz i'm not sure what i'm doin rite now)...I had 7hours to wait(10pm-5am) for my next flight so i was extremely bored in Bangkok...
imagine me, with no one to talk to?!! Aaaarrrrggghh!!!! i slept on a bench in front of this shop coz it looked safe, and everytime some idiot made a noise, i woke up and saw this same view...i couldnt sleep in peace coz i was afraid i might oversleep...those who know my sleeping habit would understand : ) anyways, yeah, when i got up, i played some futsal..made few Thai friends...haha..typical me, Futsaller for life...

Ladies and gentlemen, the first thing you have to do when u land in an American International Airport is this...LINE UP!!!

This is when u'll need ur patience...When i was lining up, there were 70 people ahead of me in the line, and after all the waiting, when it was my turn, i ended up being brought into another room for interrogation...f**k rite? haha...well. this picture ws secretly taken by myself to give u guys a picture of the waiting moments..(no cameras allowed in that zone btw,hahaha) now, SKIP to...

This is the sweet view from inside my uncle's house

The kitchen where my aunty produces the most delicious food together with where the secret recipe for the Nair's Family Tea is stored. And this is the hall where we chill.

Victor & Merek's...on our way to Frankenmuth, we had a pit stop here..we ate a few slices of pizza...TRUST ME GUYS, THE PIZZA HERE IS A MILLION TIMES BETTER THAN THE PIZZAS IN MALAYSIA...

This is for now, the biggest Nike outlet i've been to in my life, and i'm sure it is not close to the biggest one in America, but i had a great time, i felt like a girl when i was shopping here, and thank God my family has the Nike blood, i bought lota things from Nike : )

The first Starbucks i saw in America so far...made me thing of Rezza, Hadi, KC, Debbie & Kaibing, all part of the Starbucks family... the picture on the right is the far view of the place we went for shopping...every outlet or brand has its own huge section... eg: Nautica, NorthFace, Under Armour, Edie sumtin, Nike, Reebok, Tommy Hilfieger, Al-Bidayah, Darussalam, and many more...

nice view otw back from shopping

the highway we took: ann arbor-frankenmuth

Well, shopping was fun and I had a good time...Although I should never ever ever forget my winter jacket next time coz my nipples were like stones when the wind blew on me..hahaha..
anyways, yeapp, lets end my 3rd post with this picture..
The beautiful view of the sunset on my way back to Ann Arbor : )

Shopping in Frankenmuth, Michigan

2010-01-04T13:08:00.000-08:00

hello!!! Well its actually my 5th day here in Ann Arbor, Michigan...
The past few days have been filled with delicious meals cooked by my lovely aunt...
A lot of cereal..watchin Trueblood on HBO with my cousins... table tennis, gym..
Yesterday, my cousin sister went to Charlotte, NC...
After that, my uncle, aunty, cousin and I went to this place called Frankenmuth which is in Michigan.
Just to make u feel clear, I'm currently in Ann Arbor, Michigan but the journey by wheels to Frankenmuth, despite being in the same state took us soo damn long, like an hour plus just for shopping purposes... like KL-Seremban or watever...
Frankenmuth has some German connections so it is a little Germany in Michigan but don't worry, no signs of Nazis or Hitler anywhere...
Apparently, this place is known for being a great spot of shopping due to the crazy deals being offered...my aunty brought me there to get my winter clothing and stuffs...

The joke of the day was when my uncle's family assumed that I brought my winter jacket with me in the jeep, but i FORGOT!!
hahaha!! quote my aunty "thats your first serious mistake (with a smile)"...the shops are so big and nice, one whole minor building for one brand...
my highlight??
Nike Factory Store...without a doubt..
HUGE!! all season..all those things that u can't get anymore in Malaysia, well, u can get it here, coz they sort off store everything...well, it was a pleasant day filled with the 'ice box' feeling everytime we were exposed to the wind...
ironically, my uncle's jeep has heating system which almost cooked my legs yesterday...
WELL, THE PICTURES ARE OBVIOUSLY MEANT TO CAPTURE SOME OF THE THINGS I BOUGHT... heads up to those leaving to US soon, especially Amos, Zjen Thak, Tomyam, Sandy, Kiet, Aaron(would know by now),Ryan,Chew...get this type of clothes to survive...
ps: zjen thak, in the area of Wisconsin, the brand NorthFace is what you should get to fit in among the locals...
thats my 2nd post...3rd one on the way...tips for Surviving In America...

United States of America

2010-01-01T03:35:00.000-08:00

HEY people...I finally have my own blog...
hahaha...well, fyi, its gona be 7am and its
January 1st right now..
for those of you who know me, you should expect a lot of nice crap on my blog..
so, let me begin the 'crap' with my journey all the way to America...

My flight was on the 30th December, 9pm..
A special thank u goes to Uncle Mo, kak G, aaron see, amos, kiet, zjen thak, sandy, kee, qisti, natalie (thanks for the bracelet), sie hui, carissa (thanks for the letter), vanessa, alexie, shaza, nad, hafizah, benjamin tan, mairul,tariq,huiyin and li na for sending me off at KLIA.

Everyone was laughing when i was checkin in..why? two reasons.. one, sandy thought that i was at the counter and he creeped from behind about to scare me except the fact that it was some other indian dude with his family...hahaha..second, i thought i lost my wallet or i believed it was stolen until my uncle finally gave it back to me..he said he wanted to teach me a lesson coz i was so careless which is very UNLIKE me..

The whole process was fun but i wana focus my first post on the journey to america, all the farewell things i can post tmrw la..saying goodbye at the airport, my cousin said she wanted me to cry..but i didnt..hihi..ok...after the claps from everyone and my final goodbye...this is when my independent journey started.. you see, i've travelled many times befoe but i was only less than 4years old so i dont have any memory of it, so this was my first flight...and stuff..

THIS IS WHAT U DONT KNOW. the first thing, u gota scan ur passport, all ok, then immigrations..after putting everything..all was okay..but when i went past the metal detector to collect my items..MY 1500 BAHT IN AN ENVELOPE WAS MISSING...
my flight is KLIA-bangkok-tokyo-detroit. So, my uncle gave me 1500 (rm150) baht to spend in bangkok...i was like..WTF?! guys...u must collect your things ASAP coz the person behind or in front of u can snatch it u know so be careful..well, for my envelope..guess what? while putting it into my puuch, i accidentally put it between my jeans and my Renoma underwear..when i was in the train to my gate, i realised a sensation of 'discomfort'..and when i peaked, i saw an envelope...hahahaha..1500 baht in between underwear and jeans...cool rite?
then yeah..go to the gate..wait for 15minutes, enter the plane..it was AirThai..short journey, 1 h 50 mins...my seat was next to the window but no one next to me so i was able to stretch..everything was good till the plane was reducing altitude to land, the left side of my head was in so much cracking pain that tears started droppin out of ONLY my left eye...i guess it was coz the plane was going down a bit too fast and i was not used to the pressure...

yeap,then Bangkok..7hours of nothing...coz fyi, bangkok is an hour behind MYS...10pm till 5.50am (my next flight to Narita) was filled with boredom..counters all closed..gota wait till 3am to check in..first thing i did, went to an internet service place and paid 200 baht to use facebook..haha...100 baht per 20minutes..which is f**kin expensive...then walk around, i thought i'll chill first and then eat later at Burger King..slept at different places...Friends, as they always say, dont leave ur bag unattended...stay away from any unattended bags..i couldnt sleep peacefully so it was shitty for me..when i got hungry and headed to Burger King..IT WAS SHUT..almost all places, the kitchen was closed...thank God aaron gave a miny futsal ball so i was entertaining myself and i made many Thai guys smile (coz of football ok! no gay shit) and a few even joined me..then, MISTAKE NUMBER TWO..mr.vinoad forgot to check in...but somehow in God's name, i managed to walk around and end up at Gate 3 which is where i'm supposed to board..then i asked this America dude, "sir, where can i check-in??" then he said "wait a minute, u dont have ur boarding pass?" then i relied "no i dont" then he said "HOW IN THE WORLD DID U MANAGE TO ENTER HERE WITHOUT UR BOARDING PASS?".. cool rite...?? ahaha...then, i patah balik, head back and found the counter...Checked in..
(THEY CHECKED MY I-20)...THEN WENT TO THE GATE...ok the security in bangkok was tight...we had to take off our shoes...and they check every inch of ur hand luggage, they found my futsal ball, and they all started starring at me as if it was a bomb..one guy gave it to another and he went away..after that, h came back with a needle, (i got scared)..but yeah, he deflated the ball for security purposes...haha..then i boarded the plane to Narita..

Northwest Airlines, NW 340 from bangkok to narita was a beauty..comfortable and mostly coz i sat next to an American girl for 6hours...I was tellin her stories about my 'deflated ball' without clarifying that it was a futsal ball, and she laughed like hell...she was so sweet..she gave me her email and facebook details when we landed in Narita...In Narita, the situation was risky coz i only had 45 minutes to board my plane to Detroit. Jessica (the American girl, hehe) accompanied me thru immigrations and customs and all the way till the gates where we had to hug and say goodbyes coz we were headed separate ways...(like some love story)...i will c her again, thats for sure...ok..so yeah, i made it to my NARITA-DETROIT flight...
security there was polite and useless, they didnt check properly so yeah, thats not good la coz anyone can bring anything la like that..stupid man..

NARITA-detroit was 11hours +..it was okay, food was delicious...
dont forget to fill up the immigration forms guys n gurls...dont worry, they'll keep asking everyone whether u need it..one white form and another blue form..(i was sitting next to an old American guy so he was quiet and i was missing Jessica : )

yeah, then i finally landed in Detroit...it was 12 noon (31/12/09), (1am and just past New Year in Malaysia). The line at customs/immigration whatever was soooooo damn looong...i was behind almost 70 people... then my turn came and after a few questions, the officer said " SIR, I'M GONA NEED U TO FOLLOW ME TO SEE SOME PEOPLE"..like wth?! sounded so scary.. indeed i was detained or basically brought into a small office room and interrigated.. Apparently, i was in some sort of trouble just coz i was born n UK..they suspected me of having two different passports and they wanted me to tell them whether i have a British passport or not..when i said, "no,i dont have one"...he asked "are u sure?"...
the way they ask questions was scary...finally after almost 2hours filled with questions, great answers from me and waiting so long, they let me go and collect my check-in luggage.
(TIPS: bring ur malaysian cards eg: IC, bank card?? inti student id...coz they asked me for more proof of identifications and they finally kept quiet when i gave that...cant believe the student ID helped me..)

Then, finally, got my luggage, registered, walked to one big door, opened it, and there was my dad-looking guy who i recognized and he was so glad to c me..it was my uncle who was all alone waiting for me..he said he got damn worried and everyone weren't sure whether i made it or not at Tokyo, whether i got lost anywhere coz no one was answering him when he asked...
yeah, then he gave me a freaking thick jacket..and we went out..the moment i stepped out..
one word, "ICE BOX"...it was cold and the wind was sooo cooolldd... i got into his car, we drove back..the scenes were awesome coz it was snowing and lakes were all frozen..i finally, finally reached home as in my uncle's house which is in this beautiful neighbourhood..its a huge house...
my uncle's house is big that i havent been to some parts of it yet..
well, i feel like i'm at home coz my cousins and are here..my kwailow aunty was so sweet, she cooked me chicken curry paste sumtinwith indian veges just so that i feel 'home'..
its nice...and yeah..its gona be 8am now, 01/01/10.i did sleep just now at 9pm sumtin and woke up 4.30am and decided to start my blog..freaking long first post rite? haha...
so, thats it..i'm safe and i'm happy and healthy in Detroit...(heading to my uni on Jan 9th)
quote again, "THANK YOU AND I LOVE U ALL "