Using the computer in the student lounge in the university. Man Ling and I are waiting for a friend so we can go for lunch together.

It feels great to have a fellow Singaporean to talk to. I think I am her company in this foreign land. Hahaha…I make it sound like we’re stuck in some hellhole. No, we’re fine. She’s really nice. Letting me follow her around to her classes. Just came out from a lab lesson actually.

I think in this short period of just 2 days, I have learnt quite a bit about the way lessons are taught here. For too long have we been used to the spoon-feeding method. Here, things are different. You really have to help yourself by reading up the lesson beforehand. Else, you’ll really get lost in the lectures and tutorials. Trust me, I sat through an Introduction to Computer Systems lecture which was teaching on binary numbers – same as the Computing Mathematics subject I studied in first year of poly, even though I remember learning that stuff, I was getting lost in the lecture here. The way it’s taught is totally different. Back home, lecturers teach the subject right down to the nitty gritty stuff. Right down to the details. Do the calculations number by number. Here, you have to think fast, write fast, digest fast. By the end of the lesson, you’ll probably think “OMG…”

Alrighty, got to go now. Will talk more later…

Yes, I’m alive and well in the States. My uncle has kindly lent me one of their many laptops to work on, check my email etc. The laptops must be really cheap here coz no way is someone going to have at least 5 laptops around their house back in Singapore. Even getting 2 desktops is going to make your mum grumble about the amount of money she has to fork out. Not to mention getting internet connection for both plus the electricity bills.

Anyway, I survived the long plane ride here. No jet lag. Now, don’t be surprised coz I hardly slept on the plane. I always find it hard to sleep sitting up. Too used to sleeping on my side so I need something to lean on. Each time I looked at myself in the toilet mirror, Jiemin’s favourite words come to my mind. “Hello, my name is Jin Ai Kun (meaning always feeling sleepy in hokkien) and I have natural eyeshadow.”

Once, my aunt tried to sneak me in to the business class section to let me get some proper sleep. Yea, my aunt and uncle were sitting in the business class. After 4 hours, I got awoken by a black stewardess. The way she got me to listen to what she had to say…was she rude or what? She wriggled her finger to make me sit up from my lying down position. Then she told me I couldn’t just come and sit here as I like. WTF! I know I look like a kid to you, but I’m NOT!!! So please talk to me politely, it’s not like I’m going to be difficult. I do understand your position as well.

Mum told me to be careful since Asians are a minority here and there are some pretty racist people around. Wah lau, these people wouldn’t stand a chance if they were in Singapore. Simply coz we have a more colourful language and we are smart. So smart that we’ll take your picture with our trusty handphone and post it up on forums so everyone can shame you. And really, we Singaporeans are so kiasu and kaypoh enough to be united in such things. Which come to think of it isn’t always a bad idea since it comes in handy at such times.

The weather here is hot since it’s still summer. But it’s not that much of a killer. It’s hot and dry so you don’t perspire that much. What a relief coz I hate getting my back all wet. The temperature drops in the night to more like air-con temperature so it’s fine to sleep without the air-con or fan and the windows open. Don’t really need a blanket too.

So far, I’ve gone on a tour of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Toured the school on Friday. The campus is HUGE! It’s really a town of its own. The school even owns the airport – not the one I arrived at in Chicago, the little one in Champaign. And what’s even cooler, the top floor of the union house is a hotel. The shops around the campus is called University Town and is catered for the students. 😡

Checked out the Singapore Students Association website for activities as advised by my aunt. Couldn’t find any listed activities on the site but found a link for their forum. Haha…being a typical kaypoh Singaporean, I checked that out. Found out they were meeting for potluck on Saturday. Aunty just announced matter-of-factly that we were going to gatecrash their party. :rofl: Ehz…we aren’t freeloaders ok…aunty bought a cake. Haha…

So I got to meet the Singaporeans in U of I. Sort of felt at home and out of place at the same time. At home coz it’s a relief to hear people speaking like me. All the lahs and lors. Kinda out of place coz everyone seemed come from some top JC. But anyhow, everyone’s nice. And one of the freshmen girls, Man Ling has agreed to let me shadow her for all her classes this coming week.

How come everyone knows what they want to do and I don’t? 😥

Nothing much going on these few days. I’m trying to download Massu’s new drama and still clear out my hard drive. It’s an ongoing process… :laugh:

We had a farewell dinner for JW on Wednesday as he’ll be leaving for Australia tomorrow. Went to Eatz19 at Bugis.

Tomorrow is the last day of the Hokkaido fair at TM. I don’t really want it to end yet I want it to end. Don’t really want it to end coz I love the food!!! :heart: The purin, dango, onigiri, soft cream, croquette…KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA~~~ But I also want it to end coz the crowd irritates me. :glare:

Talking about people who irritate the hell outta me. I was paying up for some stuff at the express lane at NTUC when this uncle at the counter next to mine bent over to tell the cashier he wanted Winston cigarettes. She couldn’t find the right box in the rows of cigarette boxes. So he was exclaiming pretty loudly “Winston…WIN-STON”…hell, he was yelling it right in my ear. I HATE HATE HATE people yelling right in my ear. :angry: :angry: :angry: FUCK MANZ. UNCLE, YOU CAN TAKE YOUR DAMN WINSTON CIGGIES AND GO TO HELL LAHZ! Or maybe that’ll be the last pack you’ll ever smoke coz after that I hope you get lung cancer and die.

That’s much better now. I believe you have to let the anger out… *smiles sweetly*