Another Amazing Adventure @ America

This will be a very very long post...to save your time, just read the summary

Summary: I went to Washington DC, Philadelphia, UPenn, New Jersey, and Pittsburgh with a friend. Then I came back. The end.

Long story: A journey that confirmed & planned just a few days before the journey. After the finals, with limited money left, but with my enthusiasm of travel, I agreed with Sharon's invitation for a trip.

A backpack, a small one, but everything for 5 days' needs are fully loaded. A journey begins! in an beautiful evening, from a small town of Ann Arbor.

Holding my Amtrak tickets, eagerly waiting for first train. Upon announcement, we went out the station and discovered that a bus is waiting for us...not a train! Huh? Ok...thruway ticket = bus. A bus bring us from a train station to another train station to board a train...

Oh...it was Wednesday April 23 9pm. And we were heading to Toledo!

@April 24 12:30am, a delayed train finally arrived

And first time stepped in Amtrak, Capitol Limited.

Yeah, @ 7am I finally woke up. But actually I was awake most of the night...susah tidur
then I felt something strange...the train was at halt!

Why huh? but at least it stopped beside so at least could see the river flows with beautiful sun hanging(?) on the sky, with flowers blossom in the spring...

And 1 hour passed...finally announcement was made and the delayed was due to a freight train...ok. Then 2 hours passed! What, still not moving!

And finally! after they realized we were bored with the scenery, the train moved! Hurray! But wait a second! the train was moving backward!!! HUH? ok...they are so considerable they reversed the train so we can have different scenery...(real situation: the train reversed to change track, u'll know why later)

Then after almost 2.5 hours. We were moving forward again! And finally we saw the freight train moving @ 5mile per hour beside us...no wonder...but I wonder why they never changed the track earlier to pass the turtle train...

And after so much delay, we arrived in Washington DC @ 4pm!

And in the limited 5 hours (3 hours stolen by Amtrak), we walked to so many places:

following sequence: Union station > US Capitol > US Botanical Garden > The National Mall > Washington Monument > Thomas Jefferson Memorial > Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial > Lincoln Memorial > Bush Memorial...wait! where got?! > Vietnam Veteran Memorial > The White House > Chinatown > Verizon Center >McDonald > Amtrak to Philly!

And actually I met bush at the White House! and I kicked him! and I just left safe & sound...you know, the bush...not that Bush...

But actually I almost detained in Guantanamo Bay with Harold & Kumar because I left my bag unattended while taking photos...luckily I was wearing a green shirt so the police officer thought I'm just a Greenpeace member and ask me not to demonstrate in front of the White House, but the green house...with Al Gore the ex-Vice President to promote reduction of green house gases...what the craps I'm writing??
*the red words are truth [never leave your bag unattended, esp near bush and never pretend to be a terrorist, or else you'll be treated as terrorist]

Next, @12:00am April 25, Philly


@Philly I stayed in Ryan's room while Sharon in Yie Lyn's. And while they were busy preparing for finals we were having our holiday...

The first morning was just amazing :) while I was in bathroom looking at mirror wondering why I have so many pimples, a sweet girl walked in and I was stunned for a moment, and I "Hi" and she "Hi" back and basically I forget what I did while she washed hand and then "bye"...ok, it's Upenn, coed dorm...

And that started my first day (April 25) in Philly! With City Pass, We've ventured more places in Philly than our friends in Upenn did :) [2 days vs 2 semesters]


So, places we went: 30th St Station > Upenn > Franklin Institute > National Constitution Center > Reading Terminal Market > See the bell > Penn's Landing > Columbus Memorial >Korean War Memorial > Vietnam War Memorial > Chili's > Independence Visitor Center > Tour Philly with double decker bus > Eastern State Penitentiary (a really nice jail) > Philly the American 1st Zoo > Banana Leaf Malaysia Restaurant (nice foods) > A Hong Kong Restaurant or bubble tea & duck rice! oh I wonder why Americans don't eat duck but eat turkey > lots of parks > New Jersey (Adventure Aquarium) > See Rutgers @ Camden! + etc etc

And the last hour in Philly+NJ was truly an amazing race! We were across the bridge in New Jersey @ 11:45am @ Adventure Aquarium. Our Amtrak @12:42pm. One hour, enough la. But after we farewell with penguins, we discovered that the next NJ Riverlink train come @ only 12:18pm/ what! That'll be very late! We need to get to WalterRand Transit Center, 8th St Station before 30th St Station!

click to experience the journey!

Wah! After the amazing journey, goodbye Philly!

But the real journey is not ended!

Next: Pittsburgh!

@8:30pm April 27, we arrived in a quiet city of Pittsburgh. The streets are just empty at night and the only opened eatery was McDonald (again...)

At the scary place it's better to wait in the station until next train to Toledo to take bus, again...

And @ 8:30am April 28, back to Ann Arbor!

Wah...next adventure: New York!

Watch out!

So do you think technology help improve our living? In most of the cases, it's definitely positive. But in some rare cases, technology is really bad...

So let me introduce a technology which is disastrous: the GPS.

GPS=Global Positioning System.

Its novel intention is to guide drivers to navigate. Or for anyone who need direction to find their destination. But sometimes, we can never reach our destination by solely relying on the technology.

Let's see some of my findings

Case Study 1
Location: Arboretum, a place in USA
Time: the past Wednesday
Who: 21 Garfield High School (a school that enrolls only Garfield's fans) girls
A bus driver
A bus
A GPS device
A bridge
A warning sign

How: A bus is driven by a bus driver. The bus driver using the GPS device to navigate. There are 21 Garfield High School Girls on the bus back from a softball game.
And the journey was just like a normal bus ride...which (assumed) some girls reading Garfield comic books and watching the animation with iPod Touch.
Then a CRASH! and it's not a normal crash but the bus was plowed into overpass bridge!
The reason: The driver never use his common sense to look at the warning sign & what's infront of him...but he instead trust the GPS and just drove through the obviously low overpass bridge. What a great driver....My reasoning suggests the driver thought he's driving a VW Beetle.
The moral of the story: never drive with GPS.

Case study 2:
This is a short study investigating the unfavorable circumstance brought by GPS.
"Villagers in Carmarthenshire say they fear restoration work is being damaged by drivers using satellite navigation."Quoted from BBC.
BecauseAfter restored, the building will be damaged again...The culprits: drivers who drive giant vehicle using GPS. They never see how narrow the street...but as long as there's a way, it's a way.

So this is technology.

Username!

I assume you all know how to online...

When on the net, there are so many services...including Facebook, FaceBook, and facebook. And of course we have Windows Live, Yahoo, Gmail, Youtube and whatever...

The problem with all of them is a big problem: we need to register to use the services!

When registering, usually the first thing we have to fill in is username...and the real problem is with the username!

Sometimes, we just can't get our favorite choices...especially in Youtube where the whole Earth population has an account.

and when I try and try and still no luck...why just put my username as "username"!?
So I type "username" and check the availability....

Oh No! username not available!

If username is unavailable why we need to select any username??!! weird...

So inspiration suddenly pop up! since username unavailable...why don't I choose "without1username" and finally I have an available username! I have a username without a username...haha

So from now on I have no username!

No Money = No Food

Warning: article below contains ambiguous/confusing words/ phrases that might cause a syndrome called "whattheheckareyouwriting!"

Food is essential for life...you know that.

Money is a must for life...you also know it.

So food = money

Thus, no money = no food
The picture above already proven my statement. It's indisputable.

Here's another proof: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU

------- :)

That's my intro, now to main points.

Living animal needs energy, so human acquires energy from food. In order to get food, we need to buy food. Before you can have the food, you have to pay for the food (or you can pay yourself if you are the food producer).

And the current issue I'm discussing is insufficiency of money, which directly related to food.

As information researchers of Ministry of Public Service (MPS) in the states, we are now facing delayed allowance payment, which directly pose a great survivor threat for some of us, including myself. However, some reseachers are doing extra researches so they fare better in the crisis. Or some of them have a solid financial background who can live luxuriously even without allowance or extra money source.

As for me: a guy who eat so much and never grow taller; a guy who too preoccupied in eating until forsake the chances to do more jobs, the situation is critical.

Hope the relief will come soon so the I can continue to grow taller...my aim is taller than Yao Ming.

Durian . Dance . Dandiya . Dan lain-lain

It was a great Southeast Asia Night In UMichigan last Saturday! A great showcase for Southeast Asia countries!

Indonesia Malaysia Singapore Thailand Vietnam + Cambodia. Foods, band performances, cultural performances, sketch!

As part of proud Malaysia community in Michigan, I performed in an Indian dance! I just don't know why...I'm never been a good dancer but then I've danced in a few occasions, at least I never spoils the dances :)

So the Malaysian performance was about a Indian & Malay couple in long long time ago...their relation is disapproved by parents and reborn into modern Malaysia and continue their love story...with Dandiya(Indian dance), Ulek Mayang and Chinese Fan Dance to embellish the story.
Here's the video!

Southeast Asia=foods.
So we have our nasi lemak! And what we can have for RM1 in Malaysia = USD3
It definitely looks good and tastes great, but sambal can be more spicy...maybe it have been modified to suit non-Malaysians?

And nasi lemak always come with durian! (is it?)

Don't expect to get cheap durian here...1 = USD 10!
Other than durian and nasi lemak, there were chicken rice, rojak, beef rendang, Goi Cuon (Vietnamese spring roll) etc. And not to forget "Chi Kut Teh" from Malaysia! Huh? It's the chicken version of bak kut teh!

It was a real Southeast Asia night!

95% true about me. Figure out which is not :)

What Fong, Wai Khong Means

You are loving, compassionate, and ruled by your feelings. You are able to be a foundation for other people... but you still know how to have fun. Sometimes your emotions weigh you down, but you generally feel free from them. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life. You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone. Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs. You are very charming... dangerously so. You have the potential to break a lot of hearts. You know how what you want, how to get it, and that you will get it. You have the power to rule the world. Let's hope you're a benevolent dictator! You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start. You are a seeker of knowledge, and you have learned many things in your life. You are also a keeper of knowledge - meaning you don't spill secrets or spread gossip. People sometimes think you're snobby or aloof, but you're just too deep in thought to pay attention to them. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person.

The Life Today...

Long long time ago...
People can survive with just bow and arrows....

Life by that time is so simple, search for food, eat the food, digest the food and make the food to chocolate...but wasn't that boring?

So, people today invent thousands of things so life won't be boring.

First, mobile phone: we need mobile phone so we can call people when we need money.
This is the most reliable phone in the history!
Then we have iPod: we need iPod because it's just an apple in a pod.

Then we have clock with alarm: so we have something to curse when we're late.Also, we need a radio so we can listen to the radio...And to compensate what our malfunctioned brains can't do, we need a camera to capture images to store...(in fact our eyes' resolution are beyond mega-pixels and our brains have higher storage than Memory cards...why can't we just take photos with our eyes and store in brains?)
Then though we have all those things, life is still boring, we need a PSP!And I'm just a simple guy...I don't need those!

In fact, really, I don't have those but I can still calling people, listen to music, wake up and sleep and wake up, listen to radio, take photos, and play games...

How?

With my favorite all in one Sony Ericsson K850i!I love this "phone" so much...
Why I need to carry all those gadgets? I just need to slid this into my pocket whenever I go!


Ok...I Sony Ericsson :)

A Better Malaysia

March 8. Malaysians have voted.
Democratic. People's voice is heard.
Change. It's time for change.
Hope. A better nation for everyone.
Me. so far so good and getting better :)

Chicago!

Spring break was coming and is going....

And my very first travel destination in US > Chicago!

An exciting trip!

Going by Greyhound Bus...Malaysian buses much more better...even a very kampung Jebat Ekspres better than this narrow seated Greyhound.

After 6 hours and many stops...finally Chicago!

First...saw SEARS Tower! Then Union Station, went inside bought a 3 day Chicago Transport Authority (CTA) pass for $12. And saw 1 wanderer sleeping in the station...

Then we keep on walking to Caffe Baci










Then done with meal...to Millenium Park, where there's the biggest bean










Oh yeah...forget to mention we're walking in Chicago with our luggages!

After eaten the bean, we went to Oglivie Station to take a double decker Metra train to Malaysian Student Department officer's house to eat nasi lemak but no roti canai...wah, also got pulut hitam and ice cream as dessert.

Then go to another MSD officer's house to stay.

Next morning! A new day! After having breakfast at MSD office...Shedd Aquarium! Cute penguins. Then Field Museum! Mummies and dinasours!










Darwin's words are colorful!










Then it was snow storm. And we're lost in the Chicago streets before we had our dinner at Giordano's: deep dish pizzas...penuh until terbalik!

Then take train back to Evanston (The place we stay). called taxi and called again and again the taxi never appear...so had to call MSD officer at 12am to fetch us...paiseh.

Third day! Breakfast with french Vanilla Nescafe and Nasi goreng+ayam kicap. Then went to train station and wait for another group of friends...waited and waited and they not yet appear; and after almost 1 hour they came...when travelling in a big group, this is extraordinary normal.














We went to Museum of Science and Industry and saw the submarine stolen from Germany!!
U505










Then Chinatown! Not that Chinese actually...went to Penang Restaurant to have a salty Hookien Mee, a extremely salty wanton noodle, with really cacat's wantons...I miss authentic Malaysian foods! Oh yeah...the new F word discovered in the trip is Food! WTF = what the food!

After Penang was Hancock! Great night view of Chicago!










After Hancock was sleep...

Oh wait...before that was cheese cake! @Cheesecake Factory














It was Kahlua-ly coffee taste! Nice!

Then sleep.

Last day! Adler Planetarium. Really sunny day! Even the frozen lake melted!










Then all done! We've visited 5 major attractions in Chicago. 1Shedd Aquarium2Field Museum3Museumof Scienceand Industry4Hancock Observatory5Adler Planetarium!

And the excitement just began! Our 3 day pass= 72 hours pass. We managed to got in our second last bus ride just 1 minute before expiration! And our last ride was thrilling!

The pass couldn't be used...so we kelam kabut searching for small note and coins...then while half of us in bus...the other 3 were left at the bus stop...the driver just drove away before they got into the bus! Luckily they got the next bus which just minute after. After all safe...we walked/run/rushed to Greyhound station

When we got into the express bus, suddenly the driver ask us to tag our luggages! Oh! we have to put a digital tag on our luggages! Cacat Greyhound...while going to Chicago from Ann Arbor we only required hand written tag...here different way pula...so we were like mad people running in the bus station to get the tagging done...

But at least there's one good thing about the bus service...it's like taking a flight...the driver will make announcement through speakers...and the biggest anouncement was "The bus has air pressure (hydraulic) problem...and we'll continue our journey to Detroit ...hopefully it won't happen after Ann Arbor..."

And we finall arived safe and sound to Ann Arbor!

Life in A^2, US of A

First, define A^2: pronounced A squared, full name: Ann Arbor; a university town.

After almost 2 months here, there are many things for me to share!

First> The vehicle's plate.
I was puzzled when I first realized that plate is only needed at the back of the car!
So, it can be anything in front











And I don't know why variety of plate # can be chosen....just look at the plate below..










"UM FAN 1" and then M Go Blue sign down left...
An obvious Michigan fan! FYI, Michigan is the winningest college football team...the term winningest sounds weird...

Second> the buses here are very punctual! Or at least won't let you wasted an hour waiting for bus like in Malaysia.
There are 2 bus services.
1. AATA The Ride. A public bus service; free for UM students.
2. Magic bus! UM's bus. It's magical! Why? Oh, you can be in your room a minute before, then another minute in the bus! How? we can see the bus moving in google map...then when the bus is near, grab your bag and go!




Third> I love shopping! Yes shopping!
Here has no WalMart, but has Kroger and Meijer.
Meijer is the biggest here and all the goods are at reasonably cheap prices. And I love the self-scanning paying method since it's free of tax in Kroger and lesser tax in Meijer.

Forth> You can earn some pocket money by participating in paid survey. So far I've received $33 from 3 different surveys. I did it sincerely one ah....not just simply get money. So, I've helped thoundsands of people who will be benefited from those surveys! I even donated some money during one survey! See, I do help people while helping myself!
Besides surveys, there are many freebies we can get in US. There are many companies giving out free samples; just give them your address and they send you their samples! Now I'm expecting a lot of them coming to me in coming weeks!

Now is spring break!!!!

A special Chinese New Year!

What does Chinese New Year mean to you? Family? Food? Angpao? Firecrackers? Or All RED?

This year: My CNY:
In a far far away place from home
Without all those delicious foods
All white...(Christmas?!)
No angpao
Just friends.

Sound pathetic? No, I don't meant so!
Actually it's quite special.

Had good times enjoying new year eve with friends in Chinese restaurant. Woo so red...











Then Slyvia had a home party...











I prepared special secret recipe chicken! 2 pans in one time! Great chef. Cooking was so fun!
And the chicken was delicious. Yes, at least I think it is.











Next, we have UMIMSA gathering. I was helping in preparing wanton with chicken filling...











Then the night was all about chicken: lemon chicken, chicken wanton, chicken bak kut teh, rendang chicken etc...





















Why I'm so green?? No red shirt liao lo...

And finally it's my freezing cold birthday...
thanks all for wishing me a happy birthday...and thank YungLeong KaiShuen SengWui for the burritos.

And today is really cold...










It feels like almost -30C!
But it was very syok walking in the cold...

And the end.