Miami Life

The President's Party

2007-08-19T23:59:00.000-07:00

Here comes Sunday in Miami and the President of the University is holding a HUGE party at her residence for all new students. Yes... you heard me right... a party at the President's house...ha ha! Check out the pictures, it's a huge place she has. Our President, Donna E. Shalala, yes she does have a very interesting names is a also very influential in the United States. A really friendly, sweet lady as she personally greets each and every student by hand. Her residence priovided by the university is such a charming place. Behind her private residence, is her backyard (or rather, field) where I can imagine her holding receptions on behalf of the college. Every single person that was present was totally impressed. University of Miami sure goes all out to play host to the new students. Food stalls set up in every corner, fantastic food ranging from BBQ to seafood to Asian to Cuban cuisine. Along with free flow ice cream, drinks complimentary of the college. Not forgetting live music available throughtout the day. Amazing, were blown away. It was such a carnival. A classy picnic set on golf-perfect grass along a water body with yatch docked close by. What more can you ask of Miami?

Also, introducing the College's mascot. Sebastian, the Ibis. He's the man stirring up the college spirit as well as entertaining guests this afternoon. Thoroughly friendly and such a good spot in posing for photos!

MIracle Mile

2007-08-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

My first weekend in Miami but due to the hectic schedule of the orientation, the beach probably gotta wait till the next week. Orientation is really power packed. Activites all through the day and all through the weekend. Today, there is a free trolley from campus that is gonna take us to Miracle Mile. Apparently, this is a stretch of high class shopping. Nonetheless, a few of us got together and went.

On reaching there, I would say we were not very excited as the shops here are way over the budget of us college students. We ended up walking around and exploring the area. Well, it's still fun walking around Miami (and outside campus) for the first time. It's such a hot hot day.

The Canes Kick'Off

2007-08-17T23:59:00.000-07:00

Today starts the official Orientation for the Fall semester 2007. For the USA, this is the start of the new academic year after the long summer vacation. And so, what's a better way to kick off the semester than welcoming all new students with a BANG! Literally, it came with lots of music, dance and performance that put us right into the core of the spirit of the Miami Hurricanes. All of us gathered into our orientation groups and proceeded into the BankUnited Center. This is like an indoor stadium on campus. A place huge enough to hold basketball games and even concerts. I am amazed that a university has a facility like that. Check out the pictures, for the people in Perth, it is bigger than the Challenge Stadium; and for my Singapore friends, probably half of our Indoor Stadium. The place is fully air-conditioned with surround stadium seatings as well as plasma screens.

This is the Canes Kick'Off; an Orientation I call fully American head on. Just like you watch those American movies with the cheerleaders and their Big Band, I say they are no exaggeration at all. This is it, all the new students were welcomed by the student Government with the cheerleaders, Big Band, our Mascot (Sebastian, the Ibis) belting out the College cheers. It was just fantastice to watch. Don't think you can get this anywhere else but the States. I say, the cheerleads REALLY REALLY can dance and shake their bodies...ha ha! This was followed by a speech by the President of the University followed by various Deans and leaders. Wow... I say that Miami has really kicked us off on a really good note.

Miami Heat

2007-08-16T23:59:00.000-07:00

And I am finally in Miami, Florida. Took a red eye flight out of San Francisco via Houston,Texas to Miami. I remember just before I left, Daddy Bo bid me farewell and said from now on you are on your own. That sentence really struck me a bit. Now in Miami, really have a strange feeling. Cos I'm not here on holiday, so no holiday mood, and not like Perth as I need to really start from scratch. I landed at Miami airport this morning and I realised I am totally on my own. This is a strange place and I literally know no one in probably 500 mile radius or more. In my mind, my concern was just to get to my University of Miami, my home for the next 4 months or so, safely and I will figure it all out. Despite all my heavy luggage, I really wanna thank God that all of it got on the plane without it over weighting. Anyway, got my luggage, waited for a shuttle for half an hour and finally reached the university. Thank God for a really nice lady on the shuttle who talked to me and made me feel comfortable with this new place. Well... at least I know Miami is gonna be a friendly place. That will sound really really good to me.

The Lobby & My room!

The shuttle dropped me directly off at my dorm, the Pearson Residential College. Once I stepped into the lobby, I am already impressed. The place is like filled with balloons and streamers making it really welcoming. The process of checking in was smooth and fast; and I was in my room in no time. Room #318 is it. Putting my bags down, I decided to go explore my new school and man am I impressed. Really huge campus and there are so much to tell. All of these will be revealed later on in my blog so you gotta watch out for it.

My first cup of "Jamba Juice". Like "Boost" but 10x better!!!

In the evening, I had a welcome dinner for all exchange students. This is my first phase of making friends. Well, because I'm on exchange, I kinda have an identity crisis when we have the mass intro session. I'm from Singapore but I'm an exchange student from Australia. So I guess is something really cool and unique at the same time. There are many exchange students from Australia (only me from Perth), we have the whole European Union there, some from Hong Kong, Korea, Japan and only 1 guy from Singapore. After the session, I ended my day hanging out with my new found friends; Igor and Bruno from Brazil, Masa from Slovenia and Yuki from Japan.

iApple

2007-08-15T23:59:00.000-07:00

It's already my last day in California and I don't wanna leave. Times seems to fly so fast when you are having fun...ha ha! I did had lots of fun and I don't wanna leave to go to Miami knowing that college is going to start again soon. But, least I'm going to Miami for college so I should be excited for it though. So today before I left, I had again 2 really sumptous meal again. Went to a mall with Samuel in the afternoon to look around and spot some stores people has been telling me to spot, like GAP, Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria's Secret (gosh, they are everywhere). Hmm... well, none of them are really that cheap even here in the States, unless they go on sale. Nontheless, discovered some things that I know will get some people excited. Like the candy store here sells M&Ms by the colour, 24 in all... ha ha! Anyway, had a Japanese buffet lunch with Samuel at the Mall before going back home to pack up and get ready to go at night. This was followed by dinner at Bo Happy which again, had too much food for my consumption...ha ha! Still full from lunch, I just picked from the dishes on the table. They are good nonetheless. So I guess I have tried all the best dishes of "Bo Happy" for the duration of my stay here.

Like I said before, Daddy Bo used to work for Apple Computers and so on our way to the airport, he insisted that he will personally take me on a tour of Silicon Valley...ha ha! Just some info; in this part of California, the cities are divided into the various valleys they are located. The Bos stay in the city of Pleasanton located in Tri Valley which is just next to Silicon Valley. Anyway, Silicon Valley is like THE place of opportunity where all ideas become reality here. And what better place to show than the headquarters of Apple itself. Yes... the HQ for Apple Computers is right here in Silicon Valley. Daddy Bo enthusiastically showed me all the different buildings of Apple and insisted that I must take pictures of them. So here are a few. Standing in front of not an Apple store but THE Apple store...ha ha ha! By the way... the iPhone is awesome(seen, touched & played with it). I want one for Christmas!

Berkeley Says Hi!

2007-08-14T23:59:00.000-07:00

I promised Maria that I will help her move house. Well, she studies at University of Calfornia, Berkeley and was back home for the Summer break. Today, she moved back as school be starting again soon (mental note to myself). So Mommy Bo, Maria, Frances, Samuel and me packed all the stuff into their SUV and off we go to the College Town of Berkeley.

Upon reaching there, we had lunch at this really famous pizza restaurant, Zachary's. It's Chicago-style pizza. Nothing like I ever seen before. The pizzas here are neither thin or stuff crust. In fact, its a DEEP, THICK pizza. And no, I'm not referring to the crust but to the ingredients. Check out the pictures! The pizza is as thick as a pie! It's an upside down pizza. Ingredients all stuffed below followed by cheese and the tomato paste on top! It was good. A must try. We had 1 large and 1 small and went around us all! The small here is like large in Australia and Singapore (pic 1st from right)!!!

After moving all Maria's stuff to her apartment, she became our tour guide and showed us arounf Berkeley. UC, Berkeley is just beautiful. Check out the pictures! The library resembles those posh European Museum and not forgetting the full siza T-Rex skeletons from the paleonthology museum as well.

Samuel wanted yoghurt and so we all proceeded to this place called "Yoghurt Park". Another round of ice cream for us. The Yoghurt's here is great. But just check out the size man! I ordered a small and it's DEFINITELY not a small at other parts of the world lah! It'll be a large in Singapore and Ozzieland man! I ate half of it and gave up. Oh trust me, I'm NOT Super-Sizing man! No way!

The Hilly City of San Francisco

2007-08-13T23:49:00.000-07:00

YES! YES! YES! My long awaited time has arrived where I'm finally gonna see the city of San Francisco again. I must say it's one of my favourite cities in the world. The landscape and the culture it exudes is just fantastic. Maria, Samuel, Funing and Me took the train (called 'Bart') down to San Francisco today. I loved it from the moment I step foot on the city. The weather was just fine, cool and nice. It's a fine city without the over-crowding of New York. The landscape is just so interesting. It also houses the World's Most Winding Road! Our first stop was the Chinatown. Once you're in it, it seems like you're in China than the USA. I think it is probably the largest Chinatown in the world out of Asia! You can get anything Asian there; even the people walking around there are Asians. Maria told me these immigrants can live in this part of the city and never need to learn a sentence of English to get by. A really thriving Asian community. It seems to be more typically Asian than Singapore itself.

Next, we went to take the World-Renowed San Francisco Trolley to Fishermans Wharf. It is an experience equivalent to seeing the city itself. You can't say you've visited San Franciso if you haven't sat on the trolley. Like you can't go to France and not see the Eiffle Tower. Thoroughly enjoyable as you rail past the hilly streets with the Golden Gate Bridge in sight from time to time.

Lunch was our next called when we arrived at Fishermans Wharf. Wanting some good American fast food, we settled for "IN N OUT" Burger. If you have not tried that, put it down on your list if you ever to come to California. Everyone will tell you it's the best. A very simple menu of just hamburger or cheeseburger, fries, drinks and milkshakes. But the place is just simply packed with people. What's the catch? You can go for the doubles, triples, quads and even up to 6-7 times the patties on the burger. Also, the fries here aren't frozen. Freshly cut and fried on the spot. Samuel and I had the triple with fries and soda. And yes, a tip from the locals here, when ordering the burger, make sure you order it "Animal style". I can't really explain what it is, but is just a better way they prepare they burger with onions and stuff. No extra charge and free flow drinks. All American style.

To complete an American lunch, after a hearty meal at a fast food joint, it's time for something sweet. Just beside it, we have the "Cold Stone Creamery". Hmm... if you guys think it sounds like "Cold Rock Creamery" from Australia, well they carry exactly the same concept. Note the pun, "Cold Stone" and "Cold Rock", I'm not exactly sure who came first though. But 1 things for sure, the serving here is GIGANTIC! Check out the pics! Do you "Like it", "Love It" or "Gotta have it"? I had a love it with (of course) Reese's as my fillings with banana ice cream. Sweet!

Now to check out Fishermans Wharf. Besides all the seafood, the happening place is Pier 39. A really touristy but nice place just to shop around. Grab more food and lots of nice souvenirs! It also has the Chocolate Heaven "The Greatest Chocolate Store In The World". Pretty Impressive.

There was just so much to see. Before we left, we gotta have the seafood chowder soup in the sour dough bread. Too full from lunch, the 4 of us shared 1 bowl. The seafood just gotta wait for next time.

This was followed by a dinner invite to the home of another member of the Bo Family. Uncle Bo (youger brother of Brother Bo) and family invited us over for a really nice dinner. Another full-filling day!

BO HAPPY

2007-08-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

L-R: Me, Maria, Funing

OK OK... I've been talking about the Bo family so much it is time to do a little introduction to them. Basically, my family came to know them some 13 years ago when they moved to Singapore for a brief period of 3 years. We were all in the same church and that's how out family became close. Daddy Bo was working for Apple Computers at that time and his appointment at the Singapore branch meant that they had to relocate.

So the Bos are a big family. Here, they call them the Bo Clan...ha ha! There's Daddy Bo,Mommy Bo, then Daniel, Maria, Frances and Samuel (eldest to youngest). 4 kids and my brother and I together meant fun times! All of us were so young at that time but I still remember the times we used to hang out and play together and even sing and perform in the choir. After they moved back to the States in 1997, my family visited them in 1998. That was like 9 years ago and we kids will just hang out in the pool all day and play Mario Kart on N64.

It's been a good 9 years since I last saw them. Seeing them, the house again is really nostalgic. All of us are all grown up now, like we lost the whole part together. But still, I'm really glad to see them. Daniel's away for a mission trip though, well, will have to catch him another time then. Also, not forgetting Funing, the Bo cousin coming from Taiwan to study in the States.

Samuel Bo

Anyway, now they have their own little Chinese Restaurant called, Bo Happy (what an appropriate name), serving a seriously wide range of Chinese cuisine. It's a really nice place and the food is simply delicious! And yes, if you are thinking what I'm thinking, they have those fortune cookies as well as those tall rectangular boxes for Chinese take out signature of the USA! Check out the pictures.

Sunday Meteor

2007-08-12T23:59:00.000-07:00

My first Sunday here in California and I followed the Bos to their church. Just after a flight over the Pacific Ocean last night, thank God I was able to sleep and wake up with no jet lag (well, at least for the day). Anyway, woke up to a sumptous breakfast of Taiwanese porridge with those little dishes to go along. I remember Maria telling me that brakfast isn't like this every morning. They are feeding off the privilege of the guest...ha ha ha! Well, is always good to have guests over at your place. It was an Asian church but mostly with ABCs rather than short-time immigrants. Got to know some really cool people there too! The highlight for that day was their kids performing songs that they have learnt from their summer bible camp. Very very American and energetic...ha ha!

From L to R: Me, Frances, Funing

In the evening, I had a seriously sumptious meal at the Bo's-owned restaurant, BO HAPPY, you don't know the meaning of hunger here! We had beef noodle soup among mountains of other chinese cuisine. After that, Maria, Samuel, Frances, me and some of the church people went to a little hill and we laid down to watch a meteor shower. We just laid on mats, wrapped in blankets (was cold during the night in California), talked and watched the meteor flying past us from time to time. You can just hear the big "OHs!" and "AHs!".... you gotta watch carefully though. It was pretty.

Welcome California USA

2007-08-11T23:59:00.002-07:00

A 13 hour flight on Singapore Airline's 747 is what I've been wanting for a long time. I LOVE long-haul flights...ha ha! Due to the time difference, I arrived in San Francisco Saturday evening at about 8pm. I am quite surprised that the security check in the US airport was pretty swift without long queues and waits. Good that it wasn't too crowded tonight. The only thing is that my BBQ pork didn't cross the customs. Oh well!

Anyway, Uncle Bo (Daddy Bo) picked me up from the airport. It was 9 years since I last saw the Bo family. Both of our family are really good friends despite them moving to the States some 10 years ago. I must specially thank Uncle Bo as he had to drive a good 40 minutes to SF International Airport in order to pick me up. So it was the same distance back to their house in the city of Pleasanton. I received a really warm welcome upon arrival along with a really good dinner prepared by Aunty Bo (Mummy Bo).

The Pearl of the East: Hong Kong

2007-08-11T22:59:00.000-07:00

I think God must have planned everything out for me so well. When I arrive in Hong Kong for transit, my good friend Jinwei will be there for holiday as well. Awesome! For those who don't know, we call him Mr Koh and have lots of lames jokes about it. For example he owns Cold (Koh) Storage and should start a Fish & Koh to compete with Fish & Co. OK ok... I will stop now.

Right, I received a msg for a certain lovely girl to tell her about all my transit stops (of course some of you might be interested to see picutres and know what is going on as well), so no worries, this is the purpose of the blog; sharing my experiences and pictures and keeping in contact with all you guys and gals.

Anyway, I received a warning from Jinwei a day before I arrived that HK is experiencing really bad typhoon conditions, but thank God once again today I arrived to a fair weatherd Hong Kong. There was only drizzle in the evening time. Firstly, I'm amazed that HK people can actually speak really good mandarin. I'm kinda afraid that I won't be able to communicate cos I'm hopeless with cantonese. Arriving in HK, I took the airport express to Mong Kok to meet Jinwei. I must say, the airport express is seriously impressive. It even has a little indicator to tell you exactly where you are. Check out the pictures.

Mong Kok is kinda like a downtown shopping area in Hong Kong. I think is perfect for a day trip in HK. It has a 15-level mega shopping centre (can you believe it?) and right opposite is the famous road side stalls of HK. Look at some shops we passed, I'm sure some people are getting really excited about it. So me and Jinwei spent our time shopping around the roadside and the shops. He's looking for souvenirs to bring back to his 101 friends in Singapore. I just window shopped and bought a belt which I think is a bargain from the road stalls.

Not forgetting the food part, I had 臭豆腐(smelly tofu) and 鱼蛋(curried fishballs). Fantastic! We went to a HK cafe for some noodles and smoothie and just before I left, we went to a dessert shop for some of the best beancurd and sesame paste I ever tasted.

Thanks Mr Koh, we had fun in HK!

Pilot

2007-08-10T23:59:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a month since I am back in Singapore. It's a break that I really need. It was such a busy time back in Perth and I'm sure all the busyness will start again once I step onto the plane tomorrow. Talking about that, it's finally here! My exchange to the free world, to the United States of America. Lots of people have been asking me if I'm excited and hyped about it. Of course I am! It's an opportunity of a lifetime, to study college and experience America while you are in College. I am excited but defintitely, there are still things, people, family, someone that I will truly miss.

OK... back to the flight plan that I have been carefully planning for like the past few months. Firstly tomorrow my first leg will land me in Hong Kong for a day of transit. HK food and shopping here I come. In the evening, I will embark on a 13 hour flight across the Pacific Ocean to the beautiful city of San Francisco. There, I will be visiting my friends, The Bo Family, breathe some Californian air and of course tour the 2nd most visited city in the world (1st in Paris). A 4 day transit before I fly down to the sunny state of Florida landing in the city of Miami. There I will spend the next 4 months or so. The plans after that isn't very clear now. But as you all can see, the flight plan above will give you a rought idea. And if you've noticed, I will fly 1 round around the world when I return to Singapore at the end.