The Trip Thus Far~

We began our journey on that faithful day, where goodbyes were said and parting messages were exchanged. The date was June 12^th 2008. And so the 3 of us took the 1^st step towards a 16 day adventure of the US and Canada. We took an overnight flight into Toronto Canada, transiting at Las Vegas where prominent street lamps and neon lights greeted us in the sky, and slot machines in the terminal. We met Auntie Ping and her family at Toronto. Auntie Ping was my nanny (maid) from the time when I was born till when I was 2. It was a very weird but heartwarming experience for me and I bet for her as well as this weird reunification brought much lost time and connections together. She and her husband went to a great measure to bring us around Toronto and make sure we enjoyed ourselves in this short one day stay. We visited the CN tower, apparently or rather REALLY the tallest building in the world, saw the magnificent bohemian architecture of Parliament, walked around Eaton Center, Harbourfront Center and drove past Chinatown, the University of Toronto and York University. The next day, they took us to the Niagara falls, where e experienced the ferry boat of our lives. Dubbed the Maid of the Mist, we managed to get close enough to the falls to experience the power of the falling water, which without raincoats we would be drenched from head to toe. Because of the lack of time planned in Niagara Falls, we couldn’t really walk the streets of the little town which bear resemblances of the touristy ones in Los Angeles or Las Vegas. When it was time to say goodbye, I could sense the sadness and tears of Auntie Ping which echoes in my heart because of that special and intimate connection we have with each other, as we do not know when we will see each other again, considering that we only saw each other after 21 years. As the bus slowly inched out of the terminal and as we wave and caught the last glimpse of Auntie Ping, Uncle Jojo and Eric, I am forced to think of our biggest challenge of the trip, crossing the border back into the United States.

We were told that we might face a problem when entering the US because our student visa has expired, but we know that by immigration laws we are able to enter the US under the Visa Waiver Program, a program which Singapore maybe because of its close ties with the US, entitles its citizens the privilege of touring and holidaying in the US without having to obtain a visa. All thanks be to God, we managed to clear customs smoothly and safely unlike one of our fellow passengers in the bus, who was detained by the customs for God knows what reason. Hence, we crossed over into Buffalo, NY, to catch yet another overnight ride (bus) to Boston. These overnight bus rides although they provide a cheap and time saving alternative to accommodations and traveling during the day respectively, drains one’s energy and strength with much efficiency. It was evident that all of us were tired despite it only being the 1^st 3 days of the trip, but we persevered and pulled through.

The date was June 15^th. We arrived in Boston at midday and checked into Hostelling International in Boston Fenway. The sight of a room with beds and shower proved to be a boost to our morale and energy. We freshened up ourselves quickly before heading out to visit the famous universities of MIT and Harvard. At night, we headed to Boston’s chinawtown where we had Taiwan cuisine “family style” (zhi char). We ordred Kang kong, Sweet and sour pork chops and ma poh toufu. It was a sumptuous meal that reminded me of food in Singapore and the great dishes that await our return. The next day, we took a 3 hour drive to the little and humble town of Waterbury, Vermont , where Ben & Jerry’s originated. We visited the factory where most of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream are made and managed to catch a glimpse of their ice cream making process through the factory tour.Of course, the girls were ecstatic and it proved to be a fun filled day of ice cream, memorabilia and not to mention, the horrendous roads in Boston. People say its difficult to drive in Boston because the drivers are not so polite as compared to drivers in the North West. I say it is difficult to drive in Boston because the roads are just ridiculously confusing, and it stupefies first time drivers like me which in turn leads to “rushing to work” Bostoners being impatient and impolite. In the evening, we visited Boston University and our knowledge and memories of the place is limited to the photos we took as there wasn’t really much to see so late in the day. After which, we visited Fenway Park, the home of the Boston Redsox baseball team, and the oldest baseball park and the most expensive place to play baseball in the United States. For dinner, we went to Legal Seafoods, apparently a must try for the “best Boston experience” as mentioned in the HI brochure. The food and service were pretty good but the price I would say was slightly exorbitant.

The next day, we checked out of the hostel early in the morning and just walked around downtown Boston, before catching the 1 pm bus to NY City. Till then…

MIA,

I will be. For how long, I dunno....

In 2.5 hours,

The agony will be vanquished, the shackles from freedom will be broken, and I will be free......

Now's not the best time.....

to study for 2 exams, when there are more pressing issues at hand such as the shifting out of the apartment, soaking in the last drop of seattle rain, basking in the magnificent UW architecture for a final time, worrying about summer trip and the unecessary necessary admin, and the emotional effects of saying goodbye to a city that I have called home for 6 months. Seattle isn't the most attractive place to be in the States. It is not as exciting as Los Angeles, as sinful as Las Vegas, as bustling as New York, as pristine as Washington DC, as sunny as Orlando or as intellectual as Boston. The streets aren't as clean, and the number of homeless people roaming the streets of downtown and chinatown just makes visiting these places a little apprehending at times. The weather is terribly gloomy especially for a time like summer, where we are still experiencing unbelievably low temperatures of 10 degrees celsius. Coupled with the rain, Seattlites must be pretty patient people. As a matter of fact, they are when it comes to traffic. Drivers are polite and pedestrians are king of the roads. Buses can stop for 5 minutes for bus drivers to aid a wheelchair bound passenger get snug into his seat without impatient remarks from fellow passengers or drivers waiting behind the buses.

Besides the generally polite nature of Seattlites, the city of Seattle also has much to offer. With homegrown companies such as Microsoft, Boeing, Amazon, Adobe, and Starbucks just to name a few, the city has a strongly rooted culture. It also has its charms in its neighborhoods such as the arty farty Fremont, and the University district, therein lies the University of Washington. I will definitely miss the times walking to school, when on a good day, the ever elusive cascade Mountains and Mount Rainier to the south will emerge from the clouds and fog, leaving behind a breathtaking scene to remember. There are the cherry blossoms, the ducks and squirrels and migratory birds and the gothic architecture of the University, they too eased the morning blues and dragginess that school brings. I will also miss the IMA, a facility that's in a class of its own and its badminton courts which helped fostered many friendships in my stay here.

But now's not the time for nostalgia too, and given the short amount of time I have left in Seattle which I would spend most of it doing all the sorts of stuff mentioned above, I don't have much time to think about these stuff. Looking ahead, when I leave Seattle, I guess I leave this place with no regrets. I came here with a purpose. A purpose to achieve, a purpose to experience. Within the boundaries of my abilities, these purposes have been fulfilled. This might not be the last time Seattle will see of me though, and it might not be the last time I will see of Seattle....

The Kakis~
A Chemistry professor, a Microsoft computer engineer, an Amazon employee, a computer science graduate student, a Chemistry graduate student, a Badminton entrepreneur, and an aeronautics major exchange student. Thanks for helping me keep in touch with the sport I've played for 15 years now, in a land so far away from home.

Wu fei - Thanks for being one of the 1st few person to play badminton with me at UW.

David - Thanks for just playing badminton with me!

CY - Thanks for restringing my rackets like 5 times and re-gripping them.

Tao - Thanks for the offering me discounts on microsoft software, the tube of birdies and
the ever so tiring singles games!

Kevin - The phiten man, thanks for the lifts to BBC and the testmonies on phiten products...haha

XiaoSong - Thanks for partnering me for doubles for Washington State Open, the lifts home after our sessions, and advice on grad school.

Thanks everyone:)

Nua~

Its the time of the year when u feel so nua, kinda burned out, just waiting for that long holiday to come, for you to recharge and rejuvenate. I wonder how people in the working world can work 5 days a week for the entire year. Exams are coming. Shit. I've been watching more movies and playing more badminton than I should be. I have been studying so much lesser than I should be. In fact, I've slacked off so much this quarter I think I'm gonna get shitty grades. So much for "...even though I'm on exchange, grades are still important cos it will be reflected on my transcript". So its only 7 more days left in Seattle before I head for the East Coast to enjoy the long awaited Summer break. I need to so pull my act together and find some motivation for studying through these 7 days, so that I don't do further damage to whatever damage that has been done throughout the quarter to the grades that doesn't really matter but actually does. Heck. So I need to nua abit more b4 I pull my act together. And crap, its a viscious cycle, procrastination........

Terminology~

Its the time when I start wondering whether I would miss Seattle and its Wastelands, or at least that's what a girl from the other side of the mountains call it. Nostalgia has yet to be in full effect, but it will soon be. Today I was this close to get a decent haircut. It turned out to be slightly less than disastrous, and could have been even worse if I didn't request to the hairdresser to use "special scissors". I realized that I've finally tuned myself to the terminology that the Americans use for haircuts as compared to the terminology Singaporeans use in Singapore where its so easy to get a cheap and good haircut.

"Slope" = "Taper"
"Jian Bao" = "Thinning"
"Comb down" = "Side Bangs"
"Layer" = "Layer"