Very very hot hot there!

It wierd how people here do so much under the sun despite it being so hot.
They use their sunglasses, hats, wear shorts, running shoes, even go out of their dorm which is air-conditioned to read under the sun, not the shade! It good to know some people appreciate the sun so much :)

I met a senior (dinosaur, what we call at NUS) today who is in Architecture doing his last semester. He was in the Corp (4 yrs, they pay for their studies) so I guess this is the year in A & M he isnt wearing his uniform to class.
You can kinda tell after speaking to him that he is more mature I guess, being in the Corp and getting all the discipline for so many years.

And on top of that, he is horizon is broader than his peers because he went on an exchange to Germany or Spain and went to Singapore to stay with a Malay family for the past 6 weeks! Wao-wee! Cuz I think people here do not travel as often to faraway countries and if they do its probably to Europe. I havent met anyone so far who has been to Asia. Except for one to Japan and its because his Dad was posted there.

So I was pretty excited for him. He also knew certainly what he wanted to do for the nest10 yrs of his life, very unlike the many locals I have spoken to so far, most just want to graduate. So it was pretty much talking to someone from our region who is very goal-orientated.

He invited me for dinner and i am very appreciative.
Hopefully I could realise my plans of visiting Campbell Museum and and other famous museums the locals told me about with him and his roommate!
Yeah! another famous architecture from the textbooks, here i come!

I then went to the post office and I stood there for 1 WHOLE HOUR!!!
Only 1 slow old beefy man at the counter.
I honestly did not know what was the procedure like but I didnt there to jumpt the queue to ask him so I resorted to asking the people around me.

I took the cheapest mail cuz I think I would be sending a few surprises back just to perk my darlingSSSssSS at home up! So I really hope the mail gets to Singapore save and sound cuz e stuff in the packages are small but all so precious to me!...

Anyway I dont seem to be able to upload this photo I tok at the Post Office of criminals of the U.S Post! Reward 10, 000. Cuz they rob the Post Office or put illegal stuff like anthrax into the mails. Kewl....Never thought anyone who would be posted as "WANTED" at the Singapore Post though so....yah it made sense anyway.

It was so hot I had to buy something on the way back.
Its wierd how they dont have 'fresh' juices here.
All sweetened. the best I got was an Iced Peach Tea by Lipton.
And I attempted to open the cap for almost 20 min as I walked about the complex.
No choice but to ask the cashier to help me w it and i thought she would have a problem too.
Snap....and the cap was open, no sweat.
I honestly didnt know how it happend!
Is the reason: Beef Jerky? But I have bahkua what!
Maybe tts y i m flabby n she is tough! *puzzled*

So much readings and Mon got submission for the Int'l Comp.
-sigh- this very 1st weekend is burnt!
And i havent gone to the famous extravagant REC Centre yet!!!

Today was a GREAT day!

I went to hist lect and I decided that since i have come all the way to America so it would be only worthwhile if I immerse into their learning culture or speaking up in classes.
So I took the opportunity to volunteer myself to share with the lecture of 145 students on Widodo's Tropical Vernacular Architecture!
Ha ha. I used microphone somemore!
It was the first time I thought wow, our vernacular architecture is more interesting then any other types. Really.
Cuz our assignment was to present a building which meant something to us.
And almost everyone there talked about the "red-brick house" the lived in since they were born or the state capitol building.
And it occured to me why it ting qi lai you dian men (it is wei xian in case this di fang de ren du wo de blog). I know America has a long history, dan si bu bi Europeans lai de nong. Afterall weren't Americans descendents of Europe?

Yup, I think i will consider to be a teaching assistant to Widodo, I really found it so easy explaining to them about our lovely thatched roof houses to allow rain to flow off it easily, the stilts to avoid pests and floods,.....hahaha so exciting!

then it was studio. and Marcel Erminy is my tutor. Everyone i ask all says he is damn good so i m pretty excited to learn much from him. I hope he likes me just fine. He is Spanish but speaks British English so I LIKE... His mannerism reminds me abit of Erwin though...but not gayish...just sacarstic. and he likes to pause and think alot about what people say... mmmm

So he made us arrange the tables for our studios in the most effective manner. Guess what! I was so engross in it that I didnt notice everyone else formed groups to discuss this and I felt abit out of place. Best part is this: I couldnt find a solution for the tables! How can I be that dumb?!
I just cant fit 34 tables into the studio. And the rest came up with proposals!
They must have thought I was pretty (ben) for an Asian. Damn....I suddenly felt abit disorientated..... actually i felt disorientated when he made arranging the tables an assignment...i wasnt even thinking properly. Here they like to look at each other while doing work, but i think i m use to facing the wall.

Lucky thing I was saved!
For the first week he want us to warm up abit so i think its just for fun and we're not graded.
we had to pair up to come up with a design to send in for an Int'l Competition.
So I got myself a (kong toudirect transalation).....
*i m actually pausing here for a long while, i m kinda pa ta du dao)*
But the thing is, she is really very nice and i really appreciate it! She is the demure religious girl!
yup so I presented 3 proposals for a Radical Radiator and he liked the 2nd idea.
So i was really glad.
I knew I couldnt have done this alone so i thanked Him. :)

I dont bother to explain...i just want to see my model photos posted...hahha...

my first model here in Texas!

Artfriends here=Hobby Lobby.... such a cute name for little girls to find beads.

Floor radiator. Coils are celebrated as art beneath a glass on the floor.

3D aspect: it comes out of the floor?!?!

Demarcates the spaces too...

Table and ChairBed like a nest

I wonder what school I am representing when i send in my application (everyone has to).
I think i will have to put is as A & M. But if I win, I will make sure they change to NUS....
hahahahahahahhaahahah!..... who m i kidding

Anyhow, need to rememeber that I dont know alot and so i need to be as receptive and adaptive as possible.
Remember
Remember
Remember

Yesterday I finally heated up my bahkua for my roommate to try.
I didnt know how to use the microwave and it charred a little...quite hard

And today she made me instant macaroni and cheese by Kraft

Sustaining a blog is hard work.
Thats probably why i never tried it while i was in Singapore.
but i really wanna do it now cuz there's just so many more reasons to do it.

There is just so much which i have done but just couldnt find time to put it up!
For the past week I was with the rest of the America-s exchange in the East Coast (Pitts & NYC)
I WILL post those adventures on later, school has started and its busy already! (Surprising right?! hahah... they not tt slack here. uh-ah, nono

Yesterday was the start of my semester here!
The mission i came all the way for...
I wore a purchase i got from NYC's Century 21 which is situated opp Ground Zero


Yup, it wasnt cheap so i really had not much reason to get it.
i couldnt stop regretting... but everytime i see it i m happy so... mmm i will probably skip a few meals to compensate the $ lost

Right so I walked to classes, lucky for me, my fac is just a stone's throw from my Dorm (Briggs)
So its a norm to see this every day i m on my way to school

In the evening when i return, they r usu doing their runs and all.

Both male and females.

they r on a scholarship thing. and they can study any courses they wish but they rn't the US Army... they can choose later on if they wish to be in the Army.

These are pretty traditional people who are loyal and patriotic. yup, thats what my roommate said.

Then I went out with the group of Indonesians here, they have been so so so so so helpful to me.

They are so close-knit. Most of them are cousins to each other and they had uncles and siblings who graduated here before them.

Texas A & M is also known for its Traditions so like during a football match which is a really BIG thing, former students which consists of parents and all and people from all over the country would come watch football here. its during Sep and u usu buy tickets in bulks (USD$100 plus! damn EX) and then choose the games u want to go too but u still must line up for the tickets. So the first payment is like a pass for subsequent tickets.

I will definitely go for it and thank god my roommae said she have some complimentary stuff so i think i might get one or more free tickets. Individual tickets are expensive, USD$60? there about.

This is the Kyle Field. Its the schools Stadium (bigger than Singapore's Kallang)! the seating looks really steep and i heard u have to stand throughout the whole football game, no one seats. and it lasts for 3-4 hrs!! Woo-hoo!

mmm. I met my tutor and studio mates.

Studio mates werent as friendly as some others i met on campus, except for 1 girl, she is called Randi Newman. If she were to come to NUS, hahaha she will definitely me the topic of all guys' conversations. She is so sweet, and homely and she is talking about marriage at the age of 22. shesaid she will be marrying in 2 yrs and she is so holy, holy too. ha ha... and did i mention pretty and demure too? i know Jerome will be interested! ha ha

i am pairing up with her to do submit an entry for one of the 4 int'll design competitions Marcel Erminy (my tutor) instigated. he said it allows him to know our style and try to break the ice before a new sem starts. 1 stone kill 2 birds---join int'll comp....www.designboom.com

i think i will decide on the comp on designing a revolutionary radiator for Bisque.

No one here seems to be familiar with Asian architects, they probably know one or two from Japan. Maybe its too early to say tt cuz i think the rest have not been to warm to start a conversation. some girls really are quite unfriendly, there was this one who intentionally avoids eye contact despite us seating around table in a studio context for 2 plus hours. ARGH! "I AM NOT HERE TO STEAL YOUR BOYFRIENDS!!! I HAVE ONE ALREADY!"

Anyway ive decided i will go ask her a qn the next time i see her and see how she reacts. i would probably catch her by surprise!

Here they grad w environmental studies. So I hope i can learn alot of tech stuff and esp from the tutor. However, unlike my studio mates, i am taking a [Architecture Profession] kinda course and its with the yr 4s before the grad. Its also compulsory for them here to go on exchange or intern. and these yr 4s seem more friendly, exposed and ready....

so wishing for a better tmr ALWAYS! :)

I didnt sleep the night before in the end.
I just bathed in cold water, lied down, read, take photos, open huge window ( i forgot the name for it, i know we learned in somewhere in architectural modules, the kind u lift up vert), set alarm....
then suddenly i heard noises from the corridor!
I am not alone!!!
i peeped through the peephole....
Asian....easier some more
i opened the door and said hello! ( tt desperate for another living thing, cockroaches and insects r exceptions)
from her mannerisms i could tell she is a Jap...
:) got a map from her to start my first day on campus

as i was just about to set off i saw another asian at the stairwell
this one msia...
she told me there was orientation today at 9am...
so i went we her and thats where we were briefed on the tonnes of administration stuff to clear
got to meet all the exchange students about 100+
intl on campus almost half

we were treated to breakfast...doughnuts and juice...
yummy i was so tempted to take those with all the icing on top (choc, caramel....)
decided not to indulge sooooo soon hahaha...
u see! even the serviettes show cases the school spirit...
later i found out tt their pride for the school is beyond my imagination!


campus here is huGEEEE!!! Flat ant buildings are short....
http://www.tamu.edu/map/gifs/campus1.pdf here is the map
College station houses mainly TAMU and the surrounding city just facilitates te uni
got other cities near by where people live....its right smack in the middle of the 3 big cities of TX:
Austin (main city, SW), Dallas (N) & Houston (SE)
People on campus usu drive....most drive trunks...big huge machines....

these r the guys from the TAMU school of cadets...
their hostel is next to mine.
and all those people who scared me earlier about an asian girl being targeted by all white men.....
its not tt true...
i think i will be more vulnerable if my hostel was next to "NUS school of cadets"!!!!!!

their school cheers r damn wierd....cannot get it one...
i videoed it....

Mascot....7th one. collie

story goes like this: once long ago a cadet picked up a dog and brought it back to nurse it

then subsequently it became the mascot...

if the dog goes to the lect theatre and bark
then class is dismissed...i dont know how the dog gets in in the first place.

then if it lies on the bed of a cadet, he sleeps on the floor...

these kind of wierd things....

ohhhhhhhhhh and this cake is one of the BEST-EST cakes of the world (besides my housemaker's one of course)

its like a simple cream cake but so unlike cream...its like cream icing...

and to them its a normal cake u see everywhere....at weddings at all functions..

yup and this was the int'l students party at the alumni building...

buildings here look grand...(playing w proportions)

you cannot and dont want to know what happened from the airport to my hostel!
I was the leg of travel which troubled me way before i departed from changi tt morning!
I was to meet this Indon for the 1st time so he can pass me my dorm keys cuz i arrive there at 8pm and the office is close already.
the shuttle came, promised to send us to the destinations we specify. trip from airport to school will take approx 1hr 45 min. 2 scholar like people (china n india) insisted they be send home first.... suddenly i understood y in singapore they PRCs r not the most popular of beings
so i was delayed by 2 hours...and was the last to be brought to my destination.
all i could hope for was the indon guy to have faith n just wait.....
and he did!!!! got to my room and this was what happened:


Excitement and first! but Depression later....the flight was frustrating! too long too worrisome.
now i m in my dorm, lonely n cold (air-con like nus always soooooo cold, corridor also air-con). 12MN unpacked....cant sleep and just stayed awake....too much time to think and worry somemore....

Just staring at the time and hope for time to fly past.

No internet connection (nus really pamper us w everything from wireless to shuttle bus service 7 days perweek, rush hr still got higher freq bus schedules) only can sms for now (i forgot jerm included a calling card in his survival kit otherwise i would have contacted people at home earlier)

so i decided to read at 5am...i took the lower bed of the double decker (they call it the loof here!)

still can feel better....so i brought out things i m familiar w....sigh

Chicago OHare Intl Ariport
College Station: So inconvenient! Rental of a trolley costs USD3!!! ARE U INSANE?? so I lugged 2 luggages (a samsonite, a large trolley and my fat heavy crumpler lappy bag). nearly got destroyed! cuz i had to go to another terminal using a tram. Then a kind soul helped... it was the 1st first class service i experienced since i headed to America! he even made a call to the service shuttle to make sure tt i got the right pick-up point. gave me his card b4 he left: some manage of marriot inn in NYC! no wonder la.... Service is not really an American thing.

Prove of my perserverance to survive without that USD3 trolley! *hmpf*

0645: I got my fav window seat thanks to Mummy! Outside was dark but not for long. and i regretted not having

my camera with me during take off...never left sin at dawn before. and the texture of sin looks good... i

know we cannot use any digi devices air-bound but i just can forgive myself for not taking more than

enough photos.

1st meal: Was starving! Breakfast was served...egg (pretty stale), sausage and yummy succulent tomatoes!

3 transit points befre the ULTIMATE destination! I thought no one else can do worse but i soon found a girl in hostel who manage to get a longer route :

msia---taipei---seattle---houston---College Station

After transit at HK: I arrive at the very same seat and this old woman stole it!!! And the whole time (next 23 hrs) i was like her helper cuz i was sitting next to her.

I became her servant and her interpretator. She is vietnamnese. She is a US permanent resident. Cannot speak english. She makes sounds (vietnamese language). She knows the skill of tying her hair without any instruments (Nurul told me in Cambodia, this ancient, mystical art). She is Buddhist. She is vegetarian. She pushes away foods she think contains meat. All the attendents dunno what to do with her. She doesnt know how to get the table out from the arm-rest. She doesnt know how to decline her seat. She doesnt know how to fill in her immigrantion card so i had to try to do it all for her. She didnt say goodbye to me when she left the air craft for good.

Snack time: I like this one. pretz, curry-flavoured crackers and soy sauce marinated nuts

Lunch: Chicken was good the layers of meat slides pass each other. Beans were soft till the peas jump of your mouth when u bite on it, very sweet too. rice of a good softness

Watching...i think the 2nd movie: Ice Age 2. They showed 4 movies in total

Sleep, watch, eat, occassionally read...sleep watch eat....

Now is time to eat

Toilet breaks

Last lunch before arrival. I anticipated tt the subsequent travels will not provide me with food which is another 8 hours so i better finish up a larger proportion. once again the sweetes carrots n peas