To the Big Apple!

Been waiting my whole life to finally write a post like that, and the day has finally arrived when I'm going to NYC! :D 

The past few weeks have been a mad flurry of emotions. From visiting one of the prettiest city in the world, San Francisco, to returning back to fort worth and settling all that last minute packing, to flying off to Houston to meet up with babyboy, to finally spending the night in Houston awaiting that flight that will bring me to that city which I've always dreamed of visiting. 

Had a 12pm flight to Houston this morning, and got a lift to the airport from karen, not forgetting malu who had woken up bright and early just so we could have breakfast! :) Went to the corner bakery cafe, and had ourselves some panini. Awesome breakfast food to start the day! By the time we were done with breakfast, we just had enough time to wander around the area and then it was time for me to leave for the airport. 

We hugged and said our goodbyes, and it wasn't until I was on the plane that all my emotions started spurting out. I had to be that retarded tourist that wears sunglasses on board the plane because I didn't want anyone to see my puffy eyes. It was a really sad goodbye, because looking out the window as my plane took off, all I could think of was 5 months before, when I first landed here. Fort worth was a foreign city, it didn't take my breath away the first time, unlike cities like San Fran, but I grew to love it so much over the past 5 months. And its more than just the city, but the friends that I've met here. They have helped forged some of the most unforgettable memories in my college life, and for once in my life, i truly felt what it is like to enjoy my college life. There was a healthy balance, something which I could have never achieved back home. Then I started thinking of all the awesome people that I've met here, and how they've all been so welcoming and friendly, and it wasn't easy at all, having to say goodbye to all of that, that life which I enjoy so much and would give anything to turn the clock back again. 

Years ago, when I had first started studying hard for A levels, I remembered the very reason why I studied so hard, and exchange was one of my goals in life, to have this overseas experience, and I can say I'm truly blessed for I do not believe that I would have gotten a better exchange had I chosen anywhere else but TCU. Sometimes, our choices in life may not seem the best at the moment, but they all happen for a reason, and had I not been guided to selecting TCU as my exchange choice, I would have never met these fantastic friends today, and that, that would have been my greatest regret. 

As fort worth slowly loomed into the distance, I fell asleep to the whirring of the plane engine, and 15 minutes later, the captain announced our arrival into Houston. I immediately headed for the restroom upon landing to freshen up. babyboy's plane had already landed by the time I arrived, and it took him a full hour to get through international immigration. When he walked through those gates, all I could think of was how much I missed him. Emotionally overwhelmed again, I haven't seen him in 5 months, and for those who think skype counts, it doesn't. Its a completely different feeling. He has slimmed down so much over the past 5 months, and different as he looks (in a fnatastically awesome way), he was still the same as I remembered. :) 

The shuttle took us to our hotel, and we had chinese takeout. Pretty big portions but yummy nonetheless. I missed having these simple meals with him so much, I was all smiles tonight. The 25-hour plane ride zapped all that energy outta him, and he fell into a deep sleep straight after dinner. I, on the other hand, just enjoy the presence of him beside me once again, haven't had this in 5 months, and oh how much I miss it. So I got down to editing photos for SF, and as much as I really wanted to do a long entry on SF (which I eventually will when I get back home), a grand total of 4 hours later, I'm only done editing 1/4 of the pictures.

Golden Gates at the Golden Hour.

SF definitely deserves more than just a single picture, with a few liners. Its a beautiful city, and it allowed me to learn so much about myself as well. While this trip may have been a part of my desire to travel to every single state in the USA, it was also a trip of self-discovery, and its amazing what one can derive from such travels. Its truly opened my eyes to so many things, and all the experiences which I come across are the best souvenirs that I could bring home from my time spent here in the USA. Its been a fun ride, but it doesn't end here. 

I'm guessing I wouldn't have much time to blog for the next 3 weeks, but oh boy, will I have many pictures and stories to share upon getting home. I have no intention of neglecting this space again, which I have done so repeatedly. Its a great way to remember all these tiny details that helped forge so many beautiful memories, and there is no way I'm going to let those go, not without some form of record to help me relieve these moments years down the road. 

HOLIDAYS FOOO!!

FYEAH!

YESYESYES! :D Woke up bright and early to print out my cheat sheet and do some final revision, and before I know it, I'm sitting for my second last paper. Had a 25m question, no idea how some managed to finish it under an hour! Very good summarizing skills I guess, takes me forever to get to the point. :( Only left after 2 hours, which left me 1.5 hour to revise for lighting. 

Lighting exam was the one I was least prepared for, because there wasn't any guidelines, hell, we didn't even know if it was going to be multiple choice or written. But, turns out to be 30 multiple choices, which is kinda unfair, given that we were told to study so much! :( The questions were all vague, and hardly went in depth too. 

But the icing on top of the cake came after I was done with the exam. Went to pick up my model. got an A! :D 

This was the very model I was bitching about, and nearly considered giving up the 30m, and earning it back during my finals. Not a very wise choice, now that I think about it. My efforts paid off! That two sleepless nights was so worth it! The only sad thing is that I will not be able to bring my model home, so I'm thinking of 'donating' it for future references for this module. Spent so much time on it, it'll be so painful to throw it away. 

Getting psyched for the awesome weekend ahead and SF on Monday! :D 

truly brain dead.

I cannot understand why I feel so mentally exhausted after my papers today, I have had to survive 3 papers in a single day, each with easily 10x more content than the exam I've had to take today. So, I have arrived at the conclusion that over the past 4 months, my brain has truly gone on a holiday. It has not been worked, not to say that the syllabus here isn't challenging, but it has not been pushed to its maximum capabilities like back home. Lazy brain!

But yeah, two papers down! Only started on my sex&violence exam this morning, and worked through all the way till the very last 15 minutes. I'm going to miss this course a lot, its been a really fun module, not to mention the amount of movies we have watched. Not only films, but TV series as well, and considered them from an intellectual viewpoint. Its like asian horror all over again, taking something so commercialized and entertaining, and applying theories/concepts to them. I like! 

As usual, I was the last one to submit my exam. Students here complete their exams as if they only have an half hour timespan. Before I have even begun shading on my scantron, zoom, first student leaves his/her seat, and is out the door. It is either I am just extremely slow when it comes to these sort of things, or I just wanna appreciate having spare time to leisurely check through my answers. This is a privilege that I have not savored since I graduated from primary school. It is only in those rare exams that I have spare time. Often, I am rushing against the clock, writing until my hands are so cramped up I cannot even release my pen after the time is up. 

But being the last student today was good too, cos I had a little time to talk with the professor. He asked if I enjoyed the class, and did I learn much. Is he joking? I adored his class, and I am still so grateful to 4 months ago, when I sent him that email, pleading him to let me join his class, and he agreed. This was a module I would not have missed for the world! I also enjoy his teaching style a lot, he brings in many relevant examples, and always has supporting videos to reinforce his points. He also has a quirky sense of humor, and I can safely say I looked forward to every Wednesday's lesson, even though I know how much I hate afternoon classes. 

Headed back to the library after, and I had 2 hours before my next paper. Never felt more brain dead in my life. I stared and stared at my notes, but my eyes just seem to glaze past them. My brain was refusing all that information, and then I realized why. Low on energy. Ran over to the cafe to grab sugared tea and then my brain cooperated a little better after. 

Intercultural communications started off great! Jeff (Papa Smurf, as he likes us to call him) was awesome, but he fell sick halfway through. :( It was real sad that he couldn't continue taking our class, but we got another equally qualified professor. It was a fun class, but night classes were never my thing. Given that Wednesdays were always my longest days, a 6.30pm class was no fun at all, I was often exhausted and cranky after a long day. 

This is also the class that I had worked on 2 papers, only to be told that we would just be given As. Not that As are not awesome, but if I had known, I wouldn't have invested so much time and effort into it. Perhaps that time could have been spent otherwise. So, I concluded, I only like an easy A if I were given feedback or validation for my efforts. 

I had expected between 60-75 questions for the exams, but was shocked to realized it was a 100-question exam. OMG. No joke sitting through 100 question. By 50, all the words were mushed together, I couldn't make sense of the sentences, and all the theories were just swirling around in my mind. It was painful, and I felt myself zoning out so many times. Finally completed them, and I was the 2nd last one to leave this time. I thanked him for taking our class, and he also wished me all the best. Although I do not know him well, he's still a part of my TCU memory, and I felt sad to say goodbye. 

On the way out, a classmate of mine whom I've never spoken before randomly asked me how the exam went. It was his last paper, and I felt happy for that random stranger. Then I felt sad again, for he was sucha nice guy, yet I never took the time to really get to know him, or any of my classmates. There is this girl I always smile to, and right before she left, we exchanged smiles (because it was under exam conditions) and I guess that is sorta our goodbye to each other as well. So many goodbyes, I'm not liking this feeling.. 

 Met S for dinner, market square, my second last dinner at market square, yet another goodbye. This is more painful than I thought. Headed back to her place, and then to the library again but I didn't last long. My power nap was useless, and so here I am, trying to release all that stress and tension today to get ready for my final studying day tomorrow. In a way, I'm glad my Friday paper's in the morning, so I get the afternoon off! MOVIES~ 

Watched trailers while waiting for S, and there are so many great movies coming up I can't wait:

1. MIB 3

2. Ted

3. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

4. The Dark Knight Rises

5. Snow White and the Huntsman (this one I'm really looking forward to it) 

And.... off to bed!

chhhhhyeah!

SCHOOL'S OUT!

Wednesday was the last and final day of school! But I spent the night before rushing for the impossible task of completing a production book + model that should have been spanned across 6 weeks in a single night! 

Had plenty of help from K, headed to Hobby Lobby after law class to shop for the materials! Hobby Lobby is an arts&crafts person's wet dream. It is HUGE, and stocked up high with anything to do with crafts. Aisles of different types of papers, woods, paints, stickers, omg stickers! 3 whole aisle dedicated to stickers of all sorts! 

Managed to grab most of what I needed from Hobby Lobby after 5 hours there, from fabrics to wood stains. And my bill amounted to a grand total of $25! Awesome! Got so much things at that amount, totally worth it! nothing like the sad crafts-of-a-store we have back home. :( 

Big mistake to head to Hobby Lobby before lunch, headed to Red Lobster on Hulen for a well-deserved feast. Interesting fact about this particular outlet, its kitchen is haunted by a ghost. It all began on Sunday night when we were watching The Others at S', and got to searching for haunted areas in DFW! Plenty of hauntings at the Stockyards which plan to check out after finals. Shivers~

Both of us were starving by the time we got seated, and attacked the bread bowl almost immediately that our poor waiter had to come back with a second serving!The biscuits were the yummiest I have ever had. Topped with cheese and garlic and smothered in butter, these biscuits were 'heart attacks' according to K, but so so yummy. When offered to our empty stomachs, it should come as no surprise as to how we polished off them biscuits. 

Our appetizer arrived first, awesome recommendation by our waiter, Lobster-Artichoke-and-Seafood Dip ($8.99) Surprised that it was a baked dip when it first arrived, but the bubbling goodness didn't sit there for long.It was a three-cheese blend with Maine and langostino lobster, peppered with chunks of artichoke. It was my very first time having lobster, and its a good thing it was all chunks in a dip, hurrah! Lobster tasted stringy (Is that how its supposed to taste like?), I loved the dip so much that the lobster was like icing on top! Definitely one appetizer I would order again.

Lobster and Artichoke Seafood Dip ($8.99)

Baked Dip!

Our mains arrived shortly after. I ordered a Customized Shrimp Feast ($17.99) which was part of the Festival of Shrimps menu. Shrimps must have been in season now, because mine were really fresh, albeit being a tad small. I was given three choices of cooking style for my shrimps. My first was the usual Cajun Shrimp, which was nothing special, just the craving of Cajun-style shrimps. The second was Wood-Grilled Shrimp with BBQ Glaze. Apart from the BBQ sauce, there was nothing wood grilled about it, and in fact, the heat must have shrunk the shrimp further. Wasn't too impressed with this one either, but the BBQ sauce was yummy. 

Customized Shrimp Feast ($17.99)

Shrimp Campi

The third left me the most impressed. Shrimp Scampi was a broiled dish, with a butter&garlic base. Shrimps were a tad tiny, but the broth was sinfully buttery and smooth, and served as a good dip for the biscuits as well.

K had ordered Snow Crabs! It was the funniest thing, because of my phobia for seafood in their original form, she couldn't comprehend how I couldn't take a bite out of her crab leg. She cracked open the shell, leaving a juicy chunk of meat exposed, and held it out for me to take a bite, and there I was, refusing it and it left both of us in bouts of laughter. She eventually skewered off a chunk of meat onto my plate and I tried it for the first time. Can't say I really like it that much, but I could taste the saltiness of the meat, even when it had no seasoning. According to K, its because they were deep-sea crabs, so the saltiness retains in their meat, even after it is cooked.

We were food-coma-ed after our satisfying meal, headed over to grab coffee from Starbucks, and I was introduced to DSW, which is shoe haven. The whole store was filled with so many shoes, I was truly spoilt for choices! Wandered around for abit, but the food was taking its toll on us, coffee hardly helped our sleepy states. 

Eventually, we left for Sprouts, which is somewhat like a fresh produce supermarket. The produces were fresher than Krogers, and cheaper as well. Its fun just to wander around, I really wish I had a kitchen here. :( K picked up some veggies, and we both picked up Almond Butter, which is an alternate form of peanut butter. Have yet to tried it but I sneaked a few slices of bread from MS, so will be having that for breakfast or late night snacks pretty soon!

I only arrived back at 9pm that night, and began to work on my model at once. It took longer than I had expected, and I was surprised I lasted the night without any coffee. The model had to be built to scale, and so each wall had to be cut to the correct dimensions, even the furnitures had to be printed to the correct dimensions. I never did so much math in a single night! It was tedious and long. :(

Worked through the night, and eventually headed for FrogPrints to print out my production notes, which had to be in color. So bloody expensive, 9 pages costs me $9!! Argh. the production notes itself costs more than all my materials because I had to get a huge ring file, and high quality clear protection sheets for each page. 

At 9am, I dragged myself to my very last biz media class. I tried my best to stay away, even had 2 cups of coffee before, but my eyes simply refused to stay open. Good thing I chose to wear my cap to class, cos I dozed off for most of the class, but my hands were still typing gibberish on my notes and my eyes were closed throughout. Headed back after that painful 50 minutes, to finish up on my model. Finally, at 1pm, it was done. 

Penthouse-inspired sun room.

Molly's workspace.

Really love the color for the walls.

Sofa set.

Stairs to level 2

Model to scale's a bitch to do!

Thanks to dad who got me to watch this show.

Production notes. Every piece of furniture had to be represented with the right material.

To celebrate our last day of school, met up with S for lunch at Cafe Brazil again. We've been going there so often its becoming habit. But food's good and environment's perfectly chill. 

We were craving their chili bowl, but was disappointed when it was a far cry from what we had the first time! What we were served was a watery mush of beans, grounded meat and peppers. It was BLEAH! Not worth what we paid at all. The chili we had the last time was a thick stew of beefy goodness. 

Tried their El Gordo Crepes, consisting of Chorizo, onions, peppers and cheese, with their signature spicy cream sauce. Its really the sauce that makes the whole crepe so awesome. Biscuit was normal, and potatoes were overly dry! Would still recommend their Hashbrown Casserole as a side.

El Gordo Crepes ($7.99), Cafe Brazil

Morning Treat! $1 at Krogers

Even being sick is an experience afterall.

For months, I have ensured that I have my daily dose of fruits & water, throwing in the occasional salad once in a while, gone to the gym regularly, ALL so that I do not have to experience this today. But it failed, my immunity couldn't withstand the last few weeks of school. 

Then again, I'm beginning to suspect if its the one drink that I had yesterday.. 

So, we headed to Dutch's, which is awesome for their burgers, especially their half-priced burgers on Tuesdays. My first time there, I had a Bacon Bleu Cheese ($3.40 on half-priced Tuesdays), it was crazy yummy! The patty was grilled and slightly charred to perfection, it was juicy and the bacon complemented the beef perfectly, with generous servings of bleu cheese. The buns were slightly toasted, with a sleek layer of butter on its underside. Only improvement that could have made it the perfect burger was sauteed portobello.

Yesterday, we headed to Dutch's for another reason other than their burgers, their frozen margaritas. For a pitcher that would serve 4, it costs $8.50, which amounts to $2 per person. But the margaritas were drawn from a machine, so perhaps it was the lower quality types.

Apple cider tab at Dutch's, so creative!

 We got our drinks and headed up to the rooftop patio to enjoy the evening breeze. The margaritas were purple; TCU-themed, given that Dutch's was within TCU compounds literally. At first sip, the drink wasn't strong at all, and we've begun to accept the fact that we pay for what we get. $2 probably doesn't give us much reason to expect a decent frozen margarita.

TCU Frozen Margarita. ($8.50 for a pitcher, Not worth it!)

An hour later, we were all feeling it in our heads! S had mixed her margarita with the apple cider, and was taking the hit a lot worse than us! For myself, I only managed 2/3 of it, and my head was buzzing from it! It was soooo weird. We had a movie night planned, so we left for E's soon after. 

Watched Night Wolf, which is some independent horror flick by Lionsgate, followed by Johnny English! I remember the first time I watched Johnny English, I laughed so hard at so many bits! But it wasn't that funny yesterday, plus I fell asleep halfway from a headache (FROM THAT QUESTIONABLE MARGARITA!)

We left after the movie, and I headed back to S' for the night. My head was still throbbing before I went to bed, and its amazing I managed to fall asleep without having to take any medicine.
Woke up bright and early the next day, because we both had assignments due. Left for the library at 11am to begin our day's muggin'

I am going to miss having weekend sleepovers at S! Its nice to be in a place where you wake up to people you know, like at home. Although I live in a quad with 2 other girls, we hardly see each other when we wake up. Its pretty much like having my own room here. 

S's Air Matress! Best Invention! Just one flick of the switch and the whole thing blows up! Super comfy as well.

Contemplated many places for breakfast, and finally decided on Einstein Bros Bagels. My favorite bagels thus far! Probably because I haven't had any other places that have such yummy shmears! Usually, I just pick up an Everything Bagel Thin ($1.15) which is a thinner, crunchier form of the traditional bagel, plus my Jalapeno Salsa Schmear.

Was feeling ravenous this morning, so I picked up two specialty bagels: Asiago Cheese with Smoked Salmon Schmear and Poppy Seeds with Jalapeno Salas ($2.85 each). 

Poppy seed bagel was really interesting, had a salty aftertaste to it, felt like eating crushed peppercorn without the peppery aftertaste. I love poppy seeds! The Poppy seed Kolaches at Little Czech Bakery on the way to Austin were to die for!

Both bagels and my huge cup of dark roast was so filling that I didn't need lunch after! It was bagels for brunch. Surprised though, because I never expected them to be so filling! 

Bagel Indulgence.

So the day goes on, spent my afternoon finishing up my paper which took me till 3pm. But halfway through, this feverish feeling began to creep in. It was so bad, because I recognize the precursors before I fall sick. By 2pm, I was running a fever but kept working on my paper. Finally finished and turned it in around 4, and headed back to my dorm, dosed myself and headed straight to bed. 

Missed dinner with S as a result, and I'm so bummed on missing what is possibly my 2nd last party here in TCU. :( It was a beach-themed party, and I was really looking forward to it. S & K were very sweet about it, and I appreciate their concern for my falling sick. :) Its nice to have concern from people around you when you're sick, you feel all loved and it actually helps with the recovery process, I believe. 

So here I am, stuck in bed, all bundled up because I think my fever's working up again. All I had was soup and an overdose of fruits and yoghurt to flush the toxins out of my body. My stomach's feeling all empty again, so glad I restocked at Krogers for the exam period. I now have instant cream of chicken soup! SCORE! 

Grilled Chicken and Tomato Soup, perfect for the sick.

TCU Market Square has such limited variety of fruits. Been eating this for the past 4 months, glad I'm not sick of it yet.

Tomorrow's going to be a long long day, because I have a huge submission due on Wednesday. Heading to the library with S again, I hope this whole sickish feeling would be gone by the time I wake up tomorrow!

Received such a shocking email yesterday from booking.com, informing me that my New York hostel booking for Jazz on Amsterdam has been canceled as the hostel is closing down their 4 & 6-room dorms. I had booked this months ago JUST SO I do not have to deal with the last-minute mark up of prices on hostels and the limited availability. 

So when I received the email saying my hostel booking has been canceled, and they are sorry about the inconvenience, I was soooo mad! I ran an immediate search on the available hostels, and they costs about $55 per bed in a 10-bed dorm. WHY IS LODGING IN NEW YORK SO EXPENSIVE?! The most maddening part was that I had sent an email to booking.com requesting that they assist me in searching for an alternative hostel that isn't so bloody expensive, but zero response from them. 

So glad that I decided to email Jazz on Amsterdam to inform them of this situation, and they are WONDERFUL! Not only did they agree to assist me in finding lodging at their alternate branch, Jazz in the Park, they also responded to my email within hours! So pleased with their customer service and the way they handled the whole situation. If my stay is pleasant, I'm definitely going to be writing a good review for them. 

The best people I can ever find!

During the few months that I've been here, I haven't added much photos, and quite honestly, even though blogger has improved their image uploading interface, nothing's easier than Facebook & I'm not about to replicate another upload. These are just the few that encapsulates the awesome people that I've met while in TCU.

Susan and Malu. Canoeing in Austin.

Barton Lake, Austin. Best memory of Spring Break.

That odd little German restaurant, Schilo's, in San Antonio which had the best mustard & home-made root beer.

Our most recent trip to FW zoo! Beautiful day out.

I had only wished I had the time to record down every single one of those events, but I haven't, I will try to do so from now on, it is a promise to myself as well.

Its funny how I still yearn for my summer holidays as much as I don't want my school term to end. This is the first time I'm kinda dreading the end of the semester because I know it marks the end of my exchange in TCU. There are so many things left undone, so many more people that I want to meet, so many goodbyes I refuse to face.

But most importantly, I have to live in the moment, live for what each remaining day here has to carry. Every night I go to bed, I glance around my room, and I dread to think of the day when I have to move out. This exchange has also helped me become more independent. When I used to think I could never survive living alone in my own room, I did. In fact, it gave me the space to do my own thinking as well. I often find peace and comfort in that quietness, and I will miss having that, and I surprise myself by growing to like it. Guess I am a level up on the introvert scale. Enjoys highly personal space. Check.

Right now I've still got 3 more papers, and a heck load of deadlines due, even back home. There are so many commitments I have gotten myself tangled up in, and I have no way of keeping up. Its inefficient, but I couldn't care less at times. The way of life here has definitely reshuffled my priorities, not sure if it is a good survival skill to take back home, or perhaps this is just a temporary phase, its like how holidays always come to an end, and reality slaps you hard in the face again.

I am glad to say though, that I have been seeing vast improvements in my stamina and strength. Those weekly sessions to the gym has definitely paid off. I used to pant and wheeze after 15 minutes on the treadmill, but now I breeze by 15 minutes easily. Glad to know that friends back home are also gaining interest in keeping fit. I look forward to participating in event runs or marathons with them when I get home. But more than just the physical aspect of it, running helps me think. If I'm lucky, my brain will permit me to mentally work on any essays that I have due, but I mostly think of random thoughts, and then delve deeply into it for the entire session. Often, these thoughts lead to motivational action, perhaps it is something that I have neglected, or something I have failed to consider before. So I act upon those actions, which is why I love these sessions so much. Its fruitful in so many ways, plus, I get to rid my body of all the extra calories and fats that have piled on because there is no way I can resist a good, sinfully cooked meal.

If only my papers were this easy to work on, I would have gotten them done ages ago.

America, FUCK YEAH!

I have nearly forgotten and given up on this blog for my entire exchange, I am feeling so guilty now. I promised I would write and document my entire exchange here, but seems like I've been too preoccupied with really immersing myself in the whole exchange experience. Still, it is not too late to begin.

My previous blog post just made me realize how wonderful trey parker and matt stone are! They have serious music talent, albeit the crude lyrics, but its still funny! Its not a scary-movie dumb kinda funny, I genuinely laugh when I listen to their songs. Today, I watched Team America, a movie created by both of them again. All my life, I have been studying this particular sex scene using dolls, and it is only today that I realized it is from this movie. How slow.

But apart from the crude humor, the set design is AMAZING! Imagine creating all of that from scratch! The main cities they replicated were Paris, North Korea, Cairo, Team Base and Panama. My favorite was Paris- fun fact: they decided to combine ALL the major city attractions within a small space, and their set design was based on an American viewpoint of what Paris would be like.The details that went into the planning was amazing, and recently, my lighting and design professor has been showing us many movies relating to the set design. My personal fav, and will always be, pirates of the caribbean. But i digress.

Team America's set design for Team Base, which is this awesome penthouse-clubhouse area where the team stays, was also so pretty! And its amazing that they actually make miniatures of actual furniture that were popular during that period of time. The room they spent the most effort on was Lisa's room, which sadly went unnoticed because of the puppet sex. But because they had pointed that out, I spaced out during the sex scene to pay attention to the details of the room, it was really well done to create the right mood, and certainly captured the essence of Lisa in that living space. But when it came to the whole shitting-on-the-face part, my attention was completely drawn back to the puppet sex. Parker and Stone certainly know how which buttons to push to rile the MPAA, for it is deemed obscene for any excretory activity to be portrayed.

I really love their portrayal of Kim Jong Ill as well, and I really wonder if he did watch this movie. His palace in North Korea was so accurately detailed that it is scary. I wonder who did his voiceover, but it sure sounds like that chinese dood from The Hangover, he has this annoying undertone in his voice. I especially loved his 'shark' tank and pet 'leopards' which were actually catfishes and black cats. Wonder how they trained the animals to attack the puppets though, I'm suspecting they hid food in the puppets.

One part I didn't get was the Matt Damon scene, he seemed all retarded in the movie, I tried googling it but all I could find was his anti-war stance or something like that. Matt Damon's an awesome actor, he's nothing as retarded as they portrayed him to be. Still, I read that Damon loved his spoof in Team America.


Its finally down to these last two weeks here in TCU. Time really flies, it wasn't long ago when I first arrived in TCU, all ready to begin a whole semester. Many things have happened in this semester, I've met many awesome people, forged true friendships which I am sure will last even though we're on completely different continents/ends of the world. These people whom I've met here are so awesome, and they've given me so much more than I can ask for. I have been told many times that I often live under a rock, there are so many things in the world that I haven't tried, and these dear friends of mine are always saying 'You have to try this before you go!' I'm so grateful to have met them, and they're truly the reason behind my awesome exchange experience.

It really brings tears to my eyes when I know I have to leave this life behind. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself these past 4 months. I go to school, I enjoy all my classes, I have spare time to catch up on all the movies on my watchlist, which is a habit that I intend to continue even when I return home, I have the time to go to the gym at least thrice a week. On weekends, I sometimes stay over at S, and its wonderful, its like sleepovers all over again. I marathon kdramas with K! I'm gonna miss it so much, we're still in the midst of dream high 2, and I had forgotten what its like to be a fangirl with another fangirl and go crazy over all the sweet bits in the drama! I thought I'd left that all behind years ago, but that part of me still exist.

M was the first friend I met here, she is the sweetest, she invited me over to her place and cooked me dinner twice within the week. I missed chinese food so much that when I had the first bite of her cooking, I honestly felt so homesick and my insides warmed right up. These dear friends of mine have really provided me a home away from home, they were the company that I look forward to every weekend, and I have forged so many memories with them here, its gonna be really really hard to say goodbye.

There are of course others, like E, who has never failed to brighten up my day. He gives the best hugs in the world, and everyone's a friend to him. He just brings the energy wherever he goes, and its so hard not to feel energetic and alive in his presence. Ks is always the funny guy with the funny laugh, and is always generous with his time.


During spring break, I got acquainted with new friends again. M&C are the sweetest couple I have ever seen. They're both so unique and awesome that its almost like they're a match made in heaven. I know it sounds ridiculous to say this, but speaking from a completely objective POV, you can just feel it when you know two people are meant for each other. M always brings out the fun side in you, she has this quality that makes you want to open up to her, and just go crazy with her. While in Austin, we stayed at A's place. Her home is amazing, and that was another home away from home. her family showed such profound hospitality that words couldn't express my gratitude when we left. Austin was one of the most beautiful memories I had forged during my time here, and I will always carry that with me.
Some of the places we explored in Austin were the SXSW festival, Barton Springs, the food trucks, Trudy's, and I also remember the night we spent watching Adventure Time! One of the best cartoons ever! I miss Shamaus very much too, its their bunny cat, and he's soooo fluffy!
 We also headed to San Antonio which was a beautiful beautiful city. I will never forget the city walks, and that dinner we had in Schilo's, and that one night at D's in San Antonio.


After spring break, it was a mad rush in school again. Having spent the week at S, I was completely drawn away from all the work due that very week. As a result, I had to rush many of my assignment through the nights, that was a baaaad week, but for all those memories in Austin & San Antonio, I would have done it all over again if were given the choice. Its still amazing how I was able to recover and be ahead of my deadlines again in 2 weeks. Back home it takes me an entire sem, and having to forgo so many outings and weekend meetings. I made myself promise that weekdays were reserved for work only, and starting from Friday, my weekends would be prioritized to hanging out with friends! It is sometimes difficult to let go of the mentality that I need not do well for my modules here, I still have that nagging feeling deep down inside me. Through my exchange here, I have learnt to let that go and know that I have so much more to appreciate in life rather than just my studies alone. It is a beautiful lesson that I have learnt.

The weeks zoomed by, weekends, weekdays, a blur of assignments, lessons, movies and more movies, and before I know it, I'm down to my second last week here in TCU. :( The weekend before, I went to awakening as well, it was a spiritual retreat, and I got to meet some really great people there! It was well worth it, and just last weekend, I headed down to the ZOO! FINALLY! :D I have been rushing to visit everything in this area before I have to leave, and its so sad that I have to say goodbye to this beautiful place. I really wish I could have been here for another semester, just one more semester. I miss home, don't get me wrong, but the life here is too amazinggggg. Although I am envious of friends that have gone to Europe for their exchange, given the same choice once again, I wouldn't have forgo this chance to come to TCU!


so right now its down to this point, 23rd April 2012, I have 3 assignments due this week but I am more bummed out that school's ending. Was working on a law&ethics 10-page paper, and got the best email informing us that the deadline is only on Thursday. Life is good with such simple joys. I am almost tempted to watch a movie tonight and continue working on it tomorrow. HEEHEE!

Sad as I am to leave fort worth, I am excited for my san fran trip, as well as my 3-week holiday with my babyboy. Its all planned out and set to go! :D This is the first time we're gonna be traveling so far away from home, and its just the two of us. I know how lucky we are to have this opportunity, and I'm going to make the best of it!

One short day in downtown Fort Worth.

Headed down to watch the stockyard parades happening in downtown FW! Beautiful day to be out! Got really hot during the midday.

Everybody getting excited for the parades to start! It kicked off with the TCU band! YAY go tcu! and it was a whole long string of horse-drawn carriages, side-saddle riders, wagons and plenty of rodeos.
Never seen so many people in Fort Worth, and so much horse poop! Got really excited, but an hour into the three-hour long parade, we kinda got bored of it and the sun was scorching, so we took a walk down to sundance square.



Headed to a small little cafe where we could watch the parades from the windows. Had the yummiest carbonara with a ceasar salad side. The parade ended halfway during lunch and there were these big trucks that cleared all the poop on the ground but made the whole place soooo dusty!


Walked around after lunch but there was nothing much around, decided to head back to the main station where we decided to take a bus down to Hulen mall, which was a bigggg mistake because it took us 1.5hours before we arrive. Its soooo bad and I got so bus-sick.
Finally got off the bus and managed to take a quick tour of the mall, stopped at F21 where I finally found a pretty top! however, we were running soooo late that we literally had to run for the bus! I gave up running halfway when my knee started hurting so bad!
Managed to catch the bus back home, but definitely going back there again soon!

Finally the market square is open! And apart from having all my meals covered, there's also a $200 campus cash we could use for other restaurants around campus, including STARBUCKSSSS!
Breakfasts in the mornings are usually eggs and potatoes, with the occasional customized omelettes and WAFFLES!!

Loving the TCU logo across my waffles!

Headed down to Barnes & Noble after class today, and I spotted the most adorable plushies ever!!! Wanted to get the dendrite plushie but it was too pricey. :(

Dendrite plushie- there's a whole bunch of these geekish microbes which are super awesome!


This one's the black death virus. Its actually the cutest one of the lot!

& this one's the red blood cell! :D
Kids need these to make biology awesome to study!

And this concludes the first week at school! I'm in for full weeks of crazy reading assignment schedules and papers due, but its all new to me & i'm loving the whole experience of it all!


CNY weekend back in Singapore, so sad I have to miss the family trip to Genting. I know it sounds boring that we do the same thing every year, but I soooo look forward to the getaway everytime. Even though the theme park rides get a little crappy after awhile, even though I don't ever go to the indoor theme parks anymore, even though the shopping there is not the most fantastic, I just love it because I see the beautiful side of it.
Like my delicious, greasy plate of char kway teow, the BEST i've ever tasted before even though its madly overpriced. The fireworks and firecrackers that are displayed in FULL GLORY right above my head, the weather, and the reunion dinner. :)

if only supermarts back home were like this..

Time flies! its been a week since I've moved into TCU and I can't wait for classes to start. What started out as a bad Tuesday because I couldn't get any classes that I wanted, turned out to be a blessed Wednesday as I've gotten nearly all the classes that I can foresee myself enjoying!
Apart from that, the week has been spent shopping and furbishing my room. Its worth it because I am going to be here for 6 months, and its nice to end a long hectic day with a room to look forward to!

Wednesday was heading down to supertarget again, changed the bedsheets to red (& the correct size), bought a whole lot of junk including a coffee machine ($10) because a water boiler was simply too expensive, table lamp, magnetic board, full length mirror and snacks to survive those late night hunger pangs!
Thursday was mostly just shopping at Krogers, and having take-out for dinners. Took a walk down the street to see if there was anything, but chose the worst day to have a stroll outdoors. Weather reports -4deg and the winds were painfully chilling!
Krogers is awesome to have near the school, its just across 2 roads, about a 10 minute walk.

I love how big their supermarts are and how they have take-out lunch and dinners that are actually non-microwavable food for once. US is truly a frozen food country, the aisle for frozen foods can stretch on and on and on. truly amazing.

Found a snack that must have been banished from Singapore's supermarts a long time ago because they're fats in a pack. But it still remains my all-time favs! Buying a huge bunch of these before I leave for home!

And check this out....

Is it a peanut dispenser? Is it a peanut grinder? NO.
It is a peanut BUTTER dispenser. They grind it up for you right on the spot, albeit crunchy-type peanut butter. I prefer mine smoooth & creamy. Still! its a cool machine, I wonder how good the peanut butter would taste like! at least it proves to be a healthier option with zero additives or preservatives!

Also found this treasure...

Combos are like the best midnight snack ever!! But I only see the cheddar cheese ones back home, here they have buffalo BLUE CHEESE!! *what up!*(Barney Stinson style)
I'm am gonna savor these babies so much, they'll never feel more loved in their entire lifetime!

Bought take-home lunch, potato salad!
Nothing like the ones back home, and they only cost $1.45 for 1-pound pack! Yummers!


Shopped for other stuffs like B&J Late Night Snack flavor, & mac&cheese boxes. Its awesome, i'm so gonna grow fat here.

The market square starts today, had a delicious breakfast of scrambled eggs and potato cubes, with a burrito! Awesome stuff.
Headed down for international orientation where I was almost put to sleep. They introduced the US school system as being participatory. that's where I'm gonna suffer like mad. If there's one thing I hate, I hate participating in classes. However, here that accounts for 20% of your grade, and goes to show how passionate you are about the class. Since I email-begged most of the professors to allow me into their classes, I am going to have to participate.. grrr... Gone were the days when you can just sit there for hours just listening, but never having to stress yourself out about speaking up in class.

heading out for dinner again at the market square, & a long weekend before school officially begins. Plans for the weekends so far: C's friends are visiting, so headed down to downtown Dallas. & that's all we've got so far!
Dallas is pretty much a quiet place to truly get away from the city, can't say I'm not enjoying this peace and laid-back pace of life!

TCU-home of the horned frogs

I think horned frogs are kinda adorable, especially those that they used for the mascots, but more than that, I love the theme color here- purple!
Checked out of the hotel at 9.30am, and it was such a rainy day. Its shocking how much the temperature could have fallen by when it rains! It was painful to even step outside.
Still, we managed to carry all our luggages to check into our rooms!


First glance at TCU while we waited 30mins in the cold wind cos the assistant took soooo long to come. I tried out my heat pack, it really works although I can't seem to figure out how. Its powdery granules on the inside, and the first hour, it wouldn't heat up but once you leave it alone, it gradually gets hotter and hotter, and when you use it, it loses heat. Leave it alone and it gains heat. Very interesting indeed.

Had orientation but we skipped most of it, too sleepy and lazy to move around in the rain. Visited the TCU spirit shop after lunch, plenty of pretty things but nothing that I need now.


Headed back to my room and I realized what a COMPLETE WRECK that place was. It looked like the aftermath of a crazy and wild new year's party. At least it was out along the corridors, or so I thought, upon entering my room, dust balls were everywhere on the floor and the shelves were coated with dust. Didn't get any cleaning wipes the day before at Target so I spent the night at C's. The bed is huge but horribly uncomfortable because my legs practically dangled out along the sides. Its meant for one, not two but she was nice to share it with me given the state of my room!

Headed back to get changed in the morning and I walked past the fountain. Pretty in the morning, plus the rain had subsided! Really refreshing to be up in the morning and despite the cold, I still love it!


Skyping A when suddenly I saw a squirrel just right outside C's window! awwww the cute things!
If it were my room, I would have let one in already.


Today was day2 of orientation, but a more important one because its for academics. Spent the whole afternoon getting transferred between peoples because nobody could find our records.
Met really really nice coordinators that made us feel soooo welcomed! everyone is so friendly here I am so loving it. Something you can never find back home.
Managed to clinch 401 & 402, most important. But the rest of the courses are not the ones that I want. The jetlag must be getting to me because I sent a single professor 3 wrong emails asking to be in his class.. why do i feel pessimistic about my chances of getting in right now. However, the people here are really nice, and professors likewise. Surprise me please!!
I have until Monday before all my courses are confirmed so please let me take the courses that I will enjoy taking!

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you "
God has blessed me with getting the modules that I have always eyed for, and for granting me good grades, I pray once more to get these modules that I reallyreallyreallyreallyreally wanna take while I am here!

Heading out for dinner later with a couple of new friends which we will officially meet today after contacting via fb for the past 2 months! CHINESE FOOD!!!
I cannot tell you how much I miss chinese food, mommy i was wrong when I said I could survive everyday on burgers and pizzas. I do miss chinese food, and was craving so badly for something chinese last night, but my only option was McDonalds.
McD here serves really good breakfast burrito though, and it goes for only a buck. It comes with this tangy, spicy sauce that was love at first bite!
Cold cold day again today, and we didn't manage to get to Target in time so no cleaning wipes to wipe down my room. May have to bunk in with C again, I feel so bad tho, may just risk sleeping on my own bed tonight!
Till next time.