Selamat Malam

Banyak pos terbengkalai dalam draft folder. Ada yang dah bergambar, tapi ayat tak karang lagi. Ada gak yang dah berjela-jela ayat, tapi gambar belum edit. Memang tak ada sape yang kisah kalau aku tak update blog, tapi aku kisah since my favorite website is my blog. Ahaks :P.

Ok, serius. Ini gambar aku masa di SFO, sementara tunggu check-in pukul 8:00pm. Flight was at 12:05am, Dec 14. Pukul 6:00pm dah sampai airport.

Handling 2 big luggage was quite challenging for me. Awal-awal dah siapkan $5 bill untuk sewa troli. When I arrived at SFO domestic terminal from Eugene on Dec 11, I had to ask a stranger change for a $10 bill to $5. Somehow, masa sampai di international terminal, banyak troli yang terbiar ditinggalkan penyewa asal.

I was so sleepy. Sementara tunggu check-in, one of the big luggage dijadikan alas kaki. Sebelum tidur, selit dulu strap hang luggage (the brown bag) kat kaki... dengan harapan kalau ada yang berniat ingin mencuri, akan tersedar. Tapi bukan boleh tidur lena pun. Dalam flight pun sama. Long journey really is tiring. However, the experience is priceless.

Oh yer, this is not a drafted post. But this is one of the reason kenapa pos yang terbengkalai kekal terbengkalai.

San Francisco: Hop~on Hop~off

Well, I traveled to SF alone. So I think the best & safest way to go around SF for sightseeing is by riding a bus tour or  hop-on-hop-off bus. At 1st, I planned to buy the tix online, but I couldn't decide which day should I have the tour. Luckily, I decided to buy the tix at SF itself.

Union Square, SF is very suitable for those who really love shopping & have big pocket. Those who crazy about high-end labels, this is the place. Just name it, mesti ada. On the same nite I arrived at SF (which is on Saturday, Dec 11), after having dinner, I went out to browse the place. Unfortunately, to my disappointment, there was no grand sale & I certainly didn't have a big pocket to spend. I guessed shopping wouldn't be my main activity there. So that was it. I decided to buy a 2-day pass of hop-on-hop-off for $35. It was cheaper too compare to the cheapest one I found on internet. There were many bus tour companies actually. I found out about the one that I chose from a brochure I got at the hotel.

The hop~on hop~off bus.

This was actually the 1st time ever I rode one. I have to say I was glad to choose this bus tour. The service was good & reliable. There were 20 stops altogether & for every stop, the frequency of the bus was 30 minutes. So I could just hopped off, took a walk around the stop then hopped on the bus back. The 1st bus arrived at Union Square was at 9:30am & the last bus was at 5:30pm.

Views of SF city from the bus.

Since I had nothing more interesting to do besides window shopping, I used the service thrice! Twice on Sunday & once on Monday. Hence, I crossed the Golden~Gate bridge three times!

Crossing the famous Golden~Gate bridge.

It was a fun experience. I love sitting on the open upper deck & feeling the cool breeze swept across my face. I guess I was so lucky that the weather for the 2 days were great.

Enjoying myself.

Ok, let's travel to San Francisco!

I'm in the mood to write about my journey from SF airport (SFO) to Union Square, SF. Union Square is recommended by my friend, Mas. Thanx Mas!

Since I came from a domestic terminal, I didn't need to go thru custom check. 1st agenda, I had to store my 2 big luggage. The baggage storage is located at International Terminal. From Terminal 3 (domestic), had to ride an airtrain. Nasib baik naik airtrain boleh bawak troli. Btw, the charge for trolley is $4. Simpan bag pulak kene charged $8 to $15, depends on the size.

Dari International Terminal, boleh terus ke BART station. Untuk ke Union~Square, kene turun kat Powell~Street. One way $8.10. 2-way, darab 2, no discount.

Dah sampai di Powell~Street Station, pandai2 lah pilih exit yang mana satu. Nasib baik dah print Google~map siap2. The hotel that I had booked is located at Powell~Street itself. Nampak Forever~21, kira dah betul lah tu. Ramai gila manusia berjalan kat street ni! Memang kalah lah Oxford~Street kat London.

Dari jauh dah nampak signboard Stratford~Hotel. Lega. Seperti yang dijangka, I checked in at 7pm.

Ok, nanti sambung (kalau mood datang lagi).

Killing time

I'm at the Hong Kong airport rite now. Wow, ~1 hour from now, I'll take a flight back to KL. Tak sabarnya. Just hoping that the flight won't be delayed.

Even though I'm only gone for 2 weeks & 5 days, I do feel like I'm away longer than that. I feel exhausted. But I guess, this exhaustion's actually coming from the long journey & not having a proper rest since then. Somehow, no matter how tired we feel, when we land & need to transfer, we'll find the energy to move on, proceed to another security check & finally arrive at the gate.

I will arrive this afternoon. Time for lunch! Nak makan apa ya??? Hmmm... something spicy of course. Not that I don't eat enough during the days I went away... I ate quite a lot actually. Even before taking the flight last nite (or should I say last 2 nites since it was 14th not 15th), I had a good real dinner - grilled shrimp skewers with french fries. Then, on the flight, I had supper. Ok, what actually I wanna say is, I think I don't even shed any fat. It's hard to find food that I can eat, but I guess it's harder to stay hungry. It's harder when you don't have the determination, I guess.

Bye Corvallis

Saturday, Dec 11, 11:48AM

I'm going to San Francisco!

Talking to myself since I'm alone here

Wednesday, Dec 8, 12:30PM


*Sigh*

My room's a bit messy today since I want to start packing. However I still have no idea where to begin with, not that I have lots of stuff. It just that I have 2 baggage & I have this slight compulsive disorder where I have to specify which baggage is for what. Furthermore, I have to pack for my short trip to SF.

I would love to go to Woodburn again. Not that I have particular things to buy but it'd be nice to be able to check out the place again. I have surveyed on internet the easiest way to go there. However, there's none. The easiest way is by a car. Oh how I wish I have a car. Actually car rental is not so expensive here. A new friend of mine, whom I went shopping with last weekend, rents a car for about $285/week. She has been here 2 weeks earlier than me for a 1-month training. She works with an MNC company in Msia which has a branch all over the world. Basically her company supports everything including the car rental. I think I was lucky to meet her or else I wouldn't had a great shopping spree last weekend.

I just finished doing laundry. Yup, the inn also provides laundromat. 5 quarters for washing & 4 for drying.

Fine, I can't go to Woodburn. Maybe I should just go to a shopping center nearby even though it's not that exciting. It's my day off. Takkan nak terperap dalam bilik je kan....

Hi there...

Monday, Dec 6, 10:08PM

The pic was taken by my supervisor today... a proof that I'm actually working here... (or just posing? :P)

I would love to sound professional or smart by talking about work, but I guess I'm not the type of person who actually comfortable talking about work. Guess my brain only works at work... or simply I'm not that smart :P. Even if I do, it'll be more like complaining... & I have nothing to complain on my training here. Just that sometimes I wish I'm not just an engineer, I wish I'm also a physicist. It'd be more beneficial & I wouldn't have tough time to understand the analysis part. However, I'm catching up.

Ok now gotta back to work (study in my hotel room)... more to catch up & the time's running out.

Selamat menyambut Maal Hijrah.
Semoga kita mampu berhijrah ke arah yang lebih baik.

I'm one happy lady

Murah giler wa cakap sama lu...

All the items are cheaper compare to the price in the Coach website. For clearance items, there is 50% off. Well, that's not enough. For today (Saturday, Dec 4), there is an additional 30% off for all items! So just imagine, it means 80% discount for clearance items!! No tax since it's in Oregon ;).

Ok, if you still can't imagine it, how about this... for leather handbags which are not clearance items the price are around RM500 or less. Leather ok. & for clearance items, the price are less than RM300! Giler kan? Or is't just me? Hehee. With variety of colors to choose from - black, brown, red, pink, green, purple, etc... I felt like buying them all. Luckily I didn't leave my sense outside the outlet.

The downside is no new arrival item. However, collections which are still available in boutiques in Msia are there... like Kris~tin, Madi~son & Mi~a.

Yes, in the picture I'm carrying just one paper bag. But inside the paper bag... hmmm... I told ya that I'm one happy lady today =D. Besides, the weather was very nice. It was sunny!

Oh btw, I don't think that I'll go to the outlet again since it's about 1 hour drive by car from the place I stay & this is the only weekend left for me here.

Actually before starting the shopping activity, I planned to buy Cole~Haan handbag instead of Coach. There's 40% off. However, somehow I wasn't interested with any of the design. To sum it all up, these are some of the outputs from today's activity...

30 minutes walk day & nite

I choose to walk to go to the rx center which is 1.3 miles away from the hotel. I look forward to walking actually since it's kinda fun to walk without getting sweaty. One of the activities that I miss to do in Msia. I can ride a bus but I don't like waiting for the bus & since I still consume rice here, I think I should walk. 25 minutes to be exact. Actually OSU is just 10 minutes walk from the hotel. However, the rx center is located at the edge of the campus that it takes another 15 minutes walk.

View Larger Map

My lovely cocoon

With the stressful journey, I actually felt like crying at the airport but I knew I had to compose myself since it wouldn't do any good. You know, the flight that I took to Eugene was the 2nd last of the day. At 1st, yes I was optimist that I could arrive at Eugene that nite, but as the 3rd last flight of the day departed & it was full with more than 10 people in waiting list I kinda losing hope. I pray hard to get on the 2nd last flight. Fortunately, after everyone had boarded, my prayer was answered as my name was called by the staff.

When I tried my best to compose, I told myself that I could cry my eyes out later at the motel. Just keep praying & hoping.

Yes, that was what I thought... I would cry in my room, just like when I 1st arrived at Liverpool :P.

However, I was surprised to see my room. Since in my head it's just a motel, I don't expect much.

So, I was so happy to see the room that all the stressed disappeared. No need to act like Paris~Hilton. =)

So this is my lovely cocoon for these 2 weeks...

The room is clean. There's a bathtub but I don't feel like soaking yet. The TV is big & the reception is clear. Notice a microwave next to the TV? So I cook. I cook rice. I haven't miss eating rice since the day I came. My plan to diet & lose 2kg here is ruined.

Quickie...

This is intentionally going to be a quick post. I'm gonna meet my counterpart at 1:30pm, so I better get myself ready. I couldn't sleep last nite. I slept at 12:00am, but woke up at ~2:15am.

However, I managed to get extra sleep at ~9:30am & woke up at 11:30am. I had a weird & clear dream during this 2-hours sleep. I dreamed about being mad at some people. When I woke up, I still felt mad & see... I wrote about it. It just that I don't have time to go into details now. It felt like Leonardo~DiCaprio-in-Inception planted the emotion/idea in my dream.

Ok... enough for a quick post.

Finally the journey has over....

Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah. Syukur sangat2.

The stressful journey has ended. Now I'm in the hotel at Corvallis - the pit stop of my amazing race ;). Even though I arrive late (~11pm), still I feel like a winner. Yay, at last!

Finally at USA...

Not yet arrive at the destination though. I'm at the SF airport (SFO) rite now, waiting for the domestic flight to Eugene. I'm on the waiting list... hopefully I'll get a seat. Too tired to wait for the next flight.

24 hours since I departed from KLIA. Really tiring... the problem is not just physically, but mentally as well. It's a very stressful journey. Even rite now, I feel stressed waiting for the seat confirmation to Eugene. Actually the flight should be departed at 4:57pm (SF time). However, it has been delayed to 6:12pm. In Msia now is Sunday morning, here it's still Saturday Nov 27.

I'm pretty sure I'll arrive at Eugene tonite. Just hope that I'd arrive at the hotel tonite as well & manage to get a real sleep on the bed.

Btw, the custom check was ok. I didn't face any problem with the federal inspector. Since I'm a G2 visa holder, I don't even have to scan my finger prints.

I guess that's it for now. If everything's going smoothly tonite (it's ~5:20pm but already dark), maybe I'll post something before going to the bed ;-).

Stranded

Devastated. Stranded at Hong Kong airport. Gonna miss the original flight to Eugene. Don't know when will I arrive at SF & the onward flight to Eugene will be. Wish I don't have to be stranded at SF airport instead because no flight to Eugene left for the day. Have to send this post from yahoo email since the blogspot website is in Chinese.

Live from Hong Kong airport

Yes, Hong Kong, not US. The flight to SF is delayed. I'm worried since I have another flight to catch at SF airport.

Btw, we didn't know about the delay. We landed at the HK airport at around 1:15pm. Then as usual took time to get off the plane. So we only got 40 mnts to go to the departure terminal by train & pass thru 2 security checks. Somehow the departure terminal is quite far.

There were 6 of us, guided by a flight attendant. We really rushed. Only to find out when we arrived at the gate that the flight has been delayed.

Ok.. Need to go. Just got a news that the flight has been delayed to 6pm. Bye.

Sent from my X2

Something about...

Phewww... I guess now I can have a rest. Somehow today seems like I have many small things to do besides packing.

My flight will be tomorrow.

27Nov KL 9:30 --> Hong Kong 13:10 (3hrs 40mnts)
27Nov Hong Kong 14:05 --> San Francisco 10:00 (11hrs 55mnts)
27Nov San Francisco 13:01 --> Eugene 14:32 (1hrs 31mnts)

I will return to Msia on Dec 11. However, I'll stop at San Francisco for about 2 days.

11Dec Eugene 15:40 --> San Francisco 17:07 (1hr 27mnts)
Private stop
14Dec San Francisco 00:05 --> 15Dec Hong Kong 06:45 (14hrs 40mnts)
15Dec Hong Kong 09:00 --> KL 12:45 (3hrs 45mnts)

My friend asked me which part of US Oregon is? Somehow I haven't checked a map until last nite. I just assume based on the flight tix that it's near California, so must be at the west side of US. I was rite.

The time difference between Oregon & KL is 16 hours! I add the clock for Oregon at the sidebar. Check it out.

My senior told me that Oregon is a good place for shopping. He told me that it's the only state in US without tax charged over the shopping items. However the nearest big city is Portland, which is about 3 hours from the place that I'll stay in Oregon. He recommended me to go to Portland. For me, 3 hours is quite far.

Feel sleepy already. Hope I could get a good night's sleep.

So I guess my next post will be from US ;). Wish me a safe journey. Bye.