Zhaocheng in US

Videos of my US trip

2007-06-16T12:50:00.001-07:00

I did a video clip of my trip to USA.

Part 1 *Updated*

Part 2

Part 3 is coming up soon... Stay tuned...

New York City ( Lots of pictures )

2007-05-24T08:44:00.001-07:00

View of Manhattan from the plane..

On the plane to NY!

Empire state building!

NYC subway... Its really dirty and smelly..

Krispy Kreme! There are only 2 stores in NYC. =P

Brooklyn bridge & Manhattan bridge ( Awesome picture right? haha )

This one nicer?

The picture is incomplete without me! Haha

Financial district.

Ground zero.

Shopping @ Woodbury common premium outlet. (My 2nd visit within half a year)

NY Penn Station. (Shrek 3!)

Empire state building...

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co... Nice food!!!!

Apple Cobber....

Times square... Orchard road pale in comparison...

Haha.. Lolli pop! A huge one though...

5mths ago i stood there for 9 hours just to watch the crystal ball drop from the top of the building! (Once in a lifetime experience; Coz i wouldnt want to do it again! Haha)

Strawberry brand shop! Interesting...

Art work is everywhere in NYC subway...

Times square in the day is amazing as well.

Beautiful..

Last decemeber... The famous outdoor ice-skating area...

Now..

Rocketfeller centre..

St Patrick's Cathedral

Eating B&J ice-cream!

Metropolitan Museum of Art

Central Park last decemeber

Central Park - Now

Nice flowers..

Good place to relax in..

Some filming taking place at this famous fountain.

New Yorkers having lunch..

Pseudo-New Yorker having lunch too! Eat like busy new yorkers..

NYPD

This bull is so popular! I need to queue to take photo with him..

New York Stock Exchange

Starbucks! I'm not really a fan of starbucks but i wanna act like a new yorker! haha.

Nice scenery... Where can i find something similiar in SG? sigh...

Phantom!

The much awaited post...

2007-05-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

I'm back in Singapore already. Still in the process of adjusting back to SG life. I'll try to post the "finale" entry that round up my exchange life soon. Hopefully i have time to do a short video clip.. Haha..

Stay tuned...

Singaporeans are world's fastest walkers?

2007-05-02T04:31:00.001-07:00

I saw this on the news.

Singaporeans are the world's fastest walkers!
It calculated the average time taken for people to walk a distance of over 18 metres.
Singaporeans clocked the shortest time of just over 10 seconds (10.55 seconds).
This was followed by Copenhagen (10.82 seconds) and Madrid (10.89 seconds).
New York is at number 8 and surprisingly, London ranked outside the top 10.

I really doubt this result. I still think New Yorkers walk faster than us. Maybe the data was collected when this was a sales/freebies give-away at some place. So the people walk faster to get the freebies/discounts? Haha..

Alright, back to my books/notes....

Exams in ASU

2007-05-02T01:02:00.001-07:00

I have 3 papers on 2 consecutive days! For nus folks, you might say that this is so common. But then, i havent even start revising for the 3 papers.. Sigh.... I need to concentrate now because my first paper is 8hrs from now.

SIA offers $60 return fares to 6 destinations

2007-04-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is offering $60 return fares to each of these six destinations: Amritsar, Bangkok, Guangzhou, Jakarta, Penang and Perth.

Travel dates out of Singapore must also be between May 7 and 24, 2007.

Haha.. Anybody interested?

Last 14 days in US....

2007-04-27T20:06:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving US really soon. I was extremely busy for this week because all my assignments, projects and presentations are due. Right now, i just need to concentrate on my final exams. There is no recess week like nus. We only have 1 day of "reading day" for us to prepare. Haha.. Maybe they feel that there isn't a need for recess week. Final exams here doesn't have the high weightage like nus. So i just need to pass! Haha..

I guess i'll stop updating this blog when i come back to sg. Coz i'm no longer in-us. Haha

I think i'm talented... haha

2007-04-22T03:47:00.000-07:00

Acting professional

I can cook!

Next Tiger Woods in training...

2007-04-21T21:32:00.000-07:00

You need a lot of balls.

You got to concentrate.

You got to pose for the media to take photos.

You got to hit the ball hard and fast.

Video Clips

2007-04-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon - Hopi point "Classic view of grand canyon"

Bowling - Singapore vs Germany

Sebastian - German bowler.

He looked disappointed... Haha

Bowling - Korea Bowler.

Random pictures...

2007-04-17T01:54:00.000-07:00

I want to travel again...

I own this road.. Haha.

Alright, i need to study for my exam. More DOE stuffs.. I don't understand Plackett-Burman designs!! Sigh.

New York! I'll visit you again in 3wks time...

Roadtrip to Grand Canyon & Sedona

2007-04-16T02:16:00.001-07:00

Cool pose...

Before we set off from our dorms..(All of us looked sleepy..)

Grand Canyon National Park!

The 4 brave souls who dare to sit in my car. Haha

Looks scary...

My legs were trembling.. We were standing on the edge of the canyon and have to *smile*

Fantastic ppl...(6 koreans, 1 indonesian, 1 new zealander, 2 singaporeans)

Steakhouse at historic route 66.

Sedona...

Beautiful Sedona..

Wonderful trip with these ppl~

Korean frens (Me, Jay, John)

Lovely song...

2007-04-14T02:08:00.001-07:00

Food Post

2007-04-13T01:31:00.000-07:00

Mee Goreng

Fried Rice

Stir fried noodles

Panda Express(I weigh my food in case they give me less food. Haha.. Kidding.)

Wanton Mee @ San Francisco

Fried Dumplings(Ang moh called it potstickers)

I miss these food...

But... I dun miss this one..Haha

Final roadtrip.

2007-04-09T02:34:00.000-07:00

Extremely tired after 2 days of travelling. I'm really happy that i've visited the places that i wanted to go. Grand Canyon & Sedona. I'll just post a few pictures.

I nearly fell off the edge of canyon.

Look at this magnificent landscape.

Sedona

I drove again.

Thats all for now. Good luck to those having/preparing exams.

Grand Canyon & Sedona

2007-04-02T03:27:00.000-07:00

I'm visiting Grand Canyon(one of the seven wonders of the world) this sat. It might be my last roadtrip in US because i'm flying back to singapore in about 6 weeks. I can't possibly give Grand Canyon a miss when i'm actually in Arizona. Was deciding if i want to go to the new Skywalk at grand canyon. Its actually a new attraction opened 2 weeks ago. What's so special about it?

"Visitors will be able to walk beyond the canyon walls, becoming surrounded by the Grand Canyon while standing at the edge of the Glass Bridge.
This Glass Bridge suspends more than 4,000 feet above the Colorado River on the very edge of the Grand Canyon's West Rim."

Alright, the thing is that i'm not going to the skywalk. Haha. Why?
1)Expensive
2)Distance too far

Well, I put my decision analysis class to good use. As I was pondering over whether to visit the skywalk, I used the materials that Prof A covered in IEE511. Haha. There seems to have a stochastic dominance. Visiting the usual Grand Canyon section dominates the skywalk. Haha.. So my final decision is to visit the other section of Grand Canyon. We are planning to reach there around 11am and spend the rest of day enjoying the landscape and do some hiking! And the highlight of the day will be watching sunset. After which, we'll check-in to one of the hotel near grand canyon and retreat for the day. Second day, we'll drive to Sedona and spend rest of the day there. There should be ample time for us to really explore the place and take millions of photos. Hopefully i can do a horseback riding! Haha... I'm so excited about this trip.

I have to submit 2 assignments and i have an exam this week. Life is starting to be more miserable. But, my friends who are in nus are suffereing even more. I dont have to say out their names. You know who you are lah. Haha..

I loathe drunkards....

2007-04-01T04:14:00.000-07:00

Damn... My roommate got drunk and he just hopped onto my bed. WTH... This means that i cant sleep on my bed tonight... Arghh... That is why i hate drunkards. Don't drink so much if you can't take it. Whats the point of getting so drunk?

Some videos

2007-03-30T03:02:00.000-07:00

SeaWorld - Shamu the whale.

SeaWorld - Animals dancing

SeaWorld - Dolphins show

Marina state beach - its simply wonderful...

Yosemite waterfall

Drive down yosemite national park - Its scary because of the narrow and steep downhill road.

Driving in san francisco city - Interesting conversation.. haha

San Francisco - All about this great city!

2007-03-25T21:35:00.000-07:00

SF international airport

Bart - Bay Area Rapid Transit. It is like the MRT in singapore. The seats are more comfortable and better than MRT. However, in terms of frequency of trains and cleaniness, MRT is still the best.

Cityhall

UN plaza

Union Square

Lets pose.

San Francisco famous cable car.

Rollae coaster ride?

Steep roads - Parking and driving off on such steep slopes is exciting.

Union Square

Downtown..

Nice way to attract people.

Jap food... Good food + waitress is very pretty. haha

San Francisco - Monterey & Carmel 17 mile drive

2007-03-25T21:03:00.000-07:00

Marina State Beach - Best beach I've ever been to. The view is simply magnificent and this place wasnt on our itinerary. We were on the highway and i just randomly chose an exit as i wanted to go to the gas station. I missed a junction and headed towards the beach. The view was too fascinating so we got off to enjoy the sea breeze! Its awesome.

ISE friends(gy, r u going to thank me for this photo?)

Pictures are afterall just static images. I'll upload video clips of this fantastic place!

Humans can fly! Haha

Preparing to takeoff.

Monterey & Carmel 17 mile drive
Pebble Beach

Pebble Beach Golf Course

I'm going to fly.....

Happy faces!

I want to build my house by the sea.

San Francisco - Golden Gate Bridge & Sausalito

2007-03-25T19:07:00.001-07:00

Golden Gate Bridge - A foggy day.

Joseph B. Strauss - The man who built golden gate bridge

Foggy

Simply beautiful!

Sausalito

I wish i could live in one of the houses.

Solitude.

I love the sea.

Group photo.

Haha.. Its all about me!

San Francisco is a fantastic place! I'll visit this place again...

San Francisco - Fishermans Wharf

2007-03-25T18:50:00.000-07:00

Pier 39

Dungeness crab

Boudin Sourdough

Alcatraz - Prison Break!

Trolley bus.

San Francisco - Yosemite National Park

2007-03-25T16:31:00.000-07:00

Yosemite National Park

San Diego Sea World

2007-03-25T15:50:00.000-07:00

San Diego Sea World

USS Motley submarine

Dolphin show

Dolphins stunts

Handshake with dolphin.

Aquarium

Friends of happy feet.

Sleepy polar bear

Nemos on sale.

Lionfish

Skyride.

Starfish

Aquarium

Shamu the whale.

Shamu jumps!

Stay at my friend's house.

More photos are on my webshots album.

Los Angeles

2007-03-24T02:40:00.000-07:00

Hollywood sign

Griffith Park Observatory

The observatory pendulum

Downtown Los Angeles

Sundial

Sunset at Griffith Park

Kodak Theatre(Plcae where Oscars is held.)

Hollywood Walk of fame

World Famous Santa Monica Pier

The beach

Pacific Ocean! I thought this beach is nice but the one in San Francisco is even better!

University of California - Los Angeles

Chinatown

Rush Hour was filmed in this restaurant

Beverly hills - Place where super rich people live in.

Rodeo Drive - It is where the rich & famous do their shopping. I didn't spot any stars that night. What i saw was there's a filming going on...

Even the street clock is Rolex!

Photos uploaded!

2007-03-22T22:46:00.000-07:00

I'm too lazy to blog everything so i'll upload San Francisco photos first.. hahaa
Photos @ http://community.webshots.com/user/zhaocheng

Los Angeles and San Diego photos will come later....

Good news!

2007-03-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

I'll be back in singapore on 13th May! I guess this is good news for those who miss me. Well, for those who say they don't, I know you are lying. Haha

Reasons for me coming back to singapore so early:
1) No money already.
2) I'm starting my internship on 14th May.
3) I miss my family and friends.
4) I miss Singapore food.

My spring break trip is awesome! 10days trip to Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. I drove for the first time in US. I drove up a mountain for the 1st time in my life. It was scary and I had to maintain full concentration because there are 6 more people in the car. The drive was definitely worthwhile as we went to a lot of nice places. Photos will be up later as my laptop is spoilt now. San Francisco is the best place that i've been to so far. 5 nights is still insufficient for me. I love to stay there for a period of time.

Alright, i need to finish up my homework assignments now.

Some updates..

2007-03-10T03:43:00.000-07:00

Yeah! Finally its spring break aka recess week. The difference between am-ma-ri-can and sin-ga-por break is that it is really a break! It is time where students either go back to their hometown or have a short vacation. The professors here dont torture you with tons of assignments and hell lot of midterm tests after the break. This is really a break! Haha.. So, i'm going to give myself a long break! Although the offical break is just 1 wk, i realized i've 2 weeks instead. Why? Becoz i only have classes on tues and thurs and i'm skipping my first tue class after spring break.. Well, i know i've been skipping a lot of classes but this time, i've excuse! Air ticket back is cheaper if i fly on tues instead of mon! Haha..

Lets talk about my classes so far. NUS has trained me well enough to handle all kinds of assessment. In am-ma-ri-ca, there are weekly homework assignments and readings. So, its not something different from nus style. But right here, i do my hw the night before its due. I study for exam the night before it. The professors are more generous when giving marks. I've scored full marks for some of my tests and essays. This will never ever happen in SINGAPORE! Haha.. I dont print lecture notes for all my classes and i don't even read it before lectures. Printing 1 page of paper costs 12 cents. Its expensive and usually i'll only print those important lecture notes. There are more computers for us to use than in nus. They even have mac comps and its really cool.. I havent try using it though. I only visit computer centre to print my notes and assignments. I seldom go to the library even though they open till 12am everyday. The good thing about their library is that you can bring food and drinks inside! Furthermore, you can borrow a book and keep it as long as you want by renewing it. NUS only allow u to renew it twice!

The campus is huge and nice! There is no steep slopes like nus campus. The grasses here is really nice and well-maintained! I've seen students lying on the grass and read book. After my spring break, i'll go for a picnic(kat, i changed already!) on campus. The SRC is really big and it has a gym that can accomodate few hundred of students. I've learnt a new sport from my exchange friends. Racketball:It is similar to squash but i feel that its easier than squash. They have a indoor heated indoor swimming pool so that u can swim during winter. The water is kept at a comfortable temperature. Usually people sterotype americans as fat but this is wrong. The students here exercise a lot and most of them are slim and pretty loh. Haha. I guess the newer generation of americans are more health conscious. Initially, i bought an ipod so that i can go running like how the americans do. They listen to music while they are exercising. But, i've been rather lazy to hit the running tracks. Well, I'll go running after spring break.

Bicycles, skateboards and rollerblades are the popular methods used by students to commute to school. I'll never see that kind of siutation in NUS. The difference between american and singapore university is that the first two years of their uni life is like our Junior college/polys. This group of students usually party alot! They drink like nobody business. Alcohol is very cheap over here. Drugs is quite common here too. I guess a significant proportion of american students have tried drugs once in their school life. I've an american friend who told me that marijuana and weed are very popular in high school(similiar to sec sch in sg). At some point in time, they will get sicked of the drug and stop taking it.

It is impossible for me to type everything in one entry. I'll tell u guys more about it when i'm back in singapore. There is a high chance that i'll be flying back in may. It all depends on the skype interview that i'll be having on tues! Wish me good luck! Haha.

I'll be going to california for spring break. Will be touring los angeles, san diego and san francisco for 10 days!

Las vegas videos...

2007-03-07T19:34:00.001-07:00

Bellagio Fountain Show

Wynn show

Volcano show @ Mirage

Sirens of Treasure Island show

Las vegas trip is awesome!

2007-03-07T04:03:00.000-07:00

My trip to the sin city is fantastic! Spent 4days and 3nights over there and we stayed at MGM hotel! The room was excellent and my $ was really well spent. I paid like USD$140 per night/room u know? Haha. Well, its once a lifetime right? Usually, i dun stay at such good hotel but MGM was exception.

First thing that amazed me was that there are slot machines at the airport! I think las vegas airport is the only airport in US(maybe the world?) that has hundreds of slot machines. Hopefully there will be slot machines in changi airport next time.

The first night was rather tiring as i went down the strip and took hundreds of photos and watched shows! This is the first time that i actually paid USD$100 for a 2hrs show! 'O' BY CIRQUE DU SOLEIL

Bellagio Hotel

Fountain show @ Bellagio (I took a video of the show. So maybe i'll upload it on youtube later.)

The Mirage Hotel. (Will upload the volcano show later)

Paris

Stratosphere(Tallest hotel in las vegas. There are 3 roller coaster rides on top of the tower! 3 tallest ride in the world. I wasnt in the mood for roller coaster so i didnt go for the ride)

Night view of The Strip in vegas(It's awesome!)

This is interesting!

Sirens of TI show @ Treasure Island(Best free show in vegas. Will upload the video later)

Something unique of Las vegas!

My Ferrari! Vroom Vroom!

Random photos...

Luxor Castle

If only this is mine.

Venetian Hotel(Super posh hotel in vegas. Cheapest room is abt USD$400 per night.)

Hotel lobby

The street is red!

Thats all about my vegas trip! Click on my photos album for more photos!

I'm excited about my spring break trip! Will be embarking on my 10 days trip to Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Monica, San Francisco and Yosemite National Park. Haha. I'll officially declare bankcrupt after this trip.

For the moment, i'll need to write an essay and study for my test tml!

Stunned...

2007-02-26T03:23:00.000-07:00

Finally, I tried to do something that i've been procrastinating. And I was simply stunned by the results. I'm screwed up already. I need to reconsider about my future plans right now.

ipod shuffle...

2007-02-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

Haha.. I bought this from apple store just now. The design is nice and most importantly, its small.. And i can engrave words on it...

Happy Chinese New Year...

2007-02-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

新年快乐. First time spending cny away from home. I wouldn't say this cny is totally bad because i still get to eat some cny goodies. As for ang baos, i think my relatives havent forgotten about me lar. I called home on chinese new year day and reminded my parents about my ang baos. Hahaha.. I had reunion dinner with some of my friends at this chinese restaurant.

I missed 6 out of 10 lectures last week and i'm so proud of myself. I can call myself a truly exchange student. I wouldnt dare to do that in NUS coz i'll definitely be in deep shit. Life is so much relaxing here other than the homework that i've to do. I really enjoy the lectures and i would say that i've learnt quite a bit for the past few weeks. I've observed the difference between an undergraduate and graduat student in ASU. The undergraduates are those happy-go-lucky kind of people whereas the graduate students are more serious and hardworking. The good thing about doing projects with them is that they are more efficient. I'll need to start studying for my quizes soon. I need to pass all the classes because i don't want to have a terrible final year in NUS.

Photos coming up~
Tempe Beach Park

Me and Van

Me

We cooked Laksa! Haha.. Prima Taste instant mix is fantastic!

Durians in US

Fantastic! I love durians..

We finished everything within mins...

Dunkin Donuts

Roti prata in US. Haha.. If only i can find curry to go with it...

Me in class... The classroom is a bit "lok cok"

Exchange students

Mike is being sandwiched...

Party @ Dos Ringos...

NUS exchange students

Geared up to watch ASU basketball match

Arizona is the only place where u can see HUGE catus..

At the peak of "A" mountain

@ Memorial Union fountain..

First time in my life that i actually put up chinese new year decorations in my room.

Skiing trip @ Arizona Snowbowl

2007-02-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

Skiing is extremely tiring but thrilling. This is the 2nd time i tried skiing and the ski trails are much better than the ones i tried in Korea. As usual, i fell down infinite number of times. Forward fall, backward fall and sidewards fall are all kinds of fall patterns that i've encountered. I can even let you guys know the probability density function of my falls.

Trails Map

L-R(Lauren, Yudith, Shufen, Winson, Andrew, Me)

Me and only me.

Collected my full ski gear.

Ready to go!

Final pose before we start skiing

Really final pose...

Ride up the mountain.

This is a more challenging trail lift.

Me~

Group photo after skiing..

Look at our tired faces..

Food makes me happy.

2007-02-04T02:04:00.000-07:00

Money makes me feel happy but food makes me feel happier. Haha.

Ben & Jerry's

Dreyer's

M&M's ice-cream cake!

Roses cupcakes..

Sugar cookies

Ben & Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk

Pepperoni Pizza

Spicy chicken wings

Havent seen roast ducks for very long already!

Khong Guan Lemon Puff

Photos...

2007-02-02T03:44:00.000-07:00

Hike up 'A' mountain (L to R: Me, Irene, Vanessa, KY(Korean exchange student))

(L to R: Terence, Sylvia(Korean exchange student), Irene, Me)

Streets of Glendale

Orange Tree in Glendale.

Downtown Phoenix

Me playing basketball after so many years..

Me and Darja(Exchange student from Czech Republic)

Buffalo wings @ Hooters (only the menu)

Updates...

2007-02-02T01:37:00.000-07:00

I just realized that i didn't blog about my classes. I am taking 5 classes and the most interesting one will be Engineering Profession. Basically, you just sit in the class and get brain-washed by the lecturer. He was a Chief Engineer from Boeing and he shares his experiences with us. This class is really very useful and interesting because from time to time there are guest speakers giving us lectures. This is the time where you really learn and know what your future employer wants from you.

These are the 4 graduate Industrial engineering modules that i'm taking.
Design of experiments: I was a bit disappointed that Prof Montgomery didn't teach this class. Some crap instructor took over and she was horrible. I just felt that she doesn't know her stuffs well and couldn't teach properly. Luckily, I've learnt about 75% of the course syllabus already. So this is quite a slack module.

Advanced Quality Control: Professor George Runger is teaching this course and he is really an excellent lecturer. He is much better than the lecturer who taught me Quality Control back in NUS. Well, this module is also relatively slack because i've learnt half of the content in NUS. Its like a revision lecture for me. The first time i stepped into this class, i thought i were in India because most of them are Indian students.

Supply Chain Modeling and Analysis: This is one tough module! I have to write a 20 pages literature review on some supply chain topic. I know nuts about writing literature review. I guess other than this terrible paper that i've to do, the content is still manageable. The lecturer requires us to buy a Supply Chain Game that costs USD$25. I hope the game is really fun so that my money is well spent.

Analysis of Decision Processes: This is the most difficult class of all. I'm not sure if i'm stupid or what but I'm usually lost in the lecture. The lecturer doesn't upload any notes and we've to copy whatever he wrote on the whiteboard. So basically, throughout the lecture, i'm writing alien symbols and nonsensical stuffs. Maybe i should start putting a bit more effort in this subject.

To sum up, the classes here are not exactly very boring and i usually DON'T fall asleep in class. Haha. I enjoy taking the graduate modules as it really gives me the exposure that i wanted and i can make friends with the masters and Phd students. Who knows next time they might be my future employers? Haha

I know there are people out there curious about whether i've skipped any classes or not. Yes! I've skipped 4 classes out of 5 today. As usual, i've my reasons for skipping the classes. For the fist 2 classes, i overslept. (Lousy reason?) I skipped the next 2 classes to help out in the Study Abroad event. I went to promote Singapore to ASU students you know? So i guess that is a valid reason.

Char Kway Teow 10000 miles away from home...

2007-01-27T16:48:00.000-07:00

We cooked char kway teow for the 1st time. It was pretty tasty and it looks exactly like those at maxell market! Haha..

Can you see the smoke coming out from the kway teow? Haha

Stir fried vegetables and chicken.

*tada* Our dinner!

Updates!

2007-01-26T01:40:00.000-07:00

Let me start by blogging about food again! haha.. Went International House of Pancakes(IHOP) last weekend again. They serve excellent pancakes and personally i like their cheese sticks most.

IHOP famous pancakes

Cheese sticks...

Outside IHOP

Alright, celebrated vanessa's bdae yesterday!

I've posted more photos on my webshots album. Okie, i need to zzz already... Bye!

Food galore~

2007-01-24T16:19:00.000-07:00

This post will be all about FOOD~ Haha... Went to the Asian Supermarket yesterday and i was extremely happy to see all those familiar asian food. "Ang Moh" supermarket is so different from the supermarket back in Singapore.

I was a bit excited to see all those asian food and i bought some chinese new year goodies.

1st: Julie's Love Letters!

2nd: Biscuit Rolls

3rd: Milo

Product of Singapore!

Its a pity that i couldn't find pineapple tarts and "ba gua" there. Alright, i'll show u ppl my current food inventory level in my room. Haha

All the food in my room.

Must-try Blueberry Muffins! Super nice.

Quaker Oatmeal

Beverages and Biscuits

Prima Taste Products that i brought over from singapore

Lastly, items that i took from various restaurants/fastfood outlets.

Haha.. with all these food in my room, i still miss singapore's food~

Typical Singaporean in US

2007-01-13T00:17:00.000-07:00

I'm just a typical singaporean who like freebies! I take disposable plastic spoons and forks from fast food restaurants, bottle of ketchup from canteen, pepper from Mac, and eat free food samples in the supermarket. Haha. Over in US, you can take any number of cutleries and sauces you want. Its free! I don't have to buy utensils and sauces anymore. Haha. When i go to supermarket, i'll choose the item that is furthermost inside the shelves. This is to ensure that i get the "newest" item available. I think some of you so that too. Right? haha

Went Wal-mart and K-mart for the past few days and they are HUGE. Drinks are packaged in 1 Gallon(abt 3.8litres). Most of the items are twice as large as those in SG. Again, like a typical singaporean, i'll buy those items that are either on sale or is cheap! Haha. Food in the supermarket are generally cheap. So i'll be cookng soon. I just found out there's buffet in my school canteen and its only $7 dollars and you can eat until you puke! Haha. That is where i got my utensils and sauces. Haha. *sheesshhhh* I'll refain from eating buffet so often. Maybe twice a month? Shall see how it goes.

The only good thing about ASU is that they give us free bus passes. With that pass, we can have unlimited bus rides. I'll fully utilize the bus pass and explore arizona as much as possible. I should have time since i only have 2 days of classes? Hahaha.. I'm very satisfied with my timetable. Actually, i can register 1 more class and just go for lectures without doing any homework,quizes or exams. But the catch is that i can't claim credit for it. Maybe just for the extra knowledge gained from the lectures. I'll consider that option this wkend.

It's kinda cold today and there isn't any sunshine. Hopefully the weather will be warmer tml? Haha. Alright, thats all for this entry.

Arizona...

2007-01-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

I couldn't access internet in my dorm for the first few days. The university requires me to pay all my fees before they allow me to use internet in my dorm! What a stupid policy. Let's rewind to 5 days ago.

My flight to Pheonix was delayed for about 2 hours in Chicago. By the time i reached phoenix airport, it was already 1.30am. I went down to my dorm and check-in at 2am. Initially, i was lost because i couldn't find my dorm. There wasn't any signboard and i had to find my way by recalling the vague images of the dorm that i saw online previously. It's definitely not fun to get lost at 2am. Luckily, my intuition was right and i was in the right location and i called my friend to ask for further directions. I went into my room at 3am and my roommate woke up and help me with my bed. Haha. He's a very nice korean guy. I unpacked some of my stuffs and went to bed at 5am. With only about 3 hours of sleep, i woke up and went for the orientation. It was fun and informative and i get to meet my fellow exchange students from all over the world. I think the International Program Office staffs in ASU are very professional. They gave us all the help that we needed and tried to help us settle down in ASU quickly. Went out with the exchange students a couple of times and its great to share about our home country. The IPO ppl organized a few activities to help us know each other better and familiarize with the school.

The campus is huge and its the #2 largest university in US and the environment is great. There are no tall buildings and you can find a lot of trees and big nice grass patches. Will take more photos of the school next time. The weather is good and most importantly, there's sunshine!

Alright, i'm going walmart now. Will continue this entry later.

In arizona.

2007-01-12T01:37:00.000-07:00

Finally i've internet connection! Uploaded photos.. So check it out. Will post a more detailed entry when i'm free... :)

Orlando, Florida trip

2007-01-06T22:44:00.000-07:00

I took the greyhound bus from atlanta to orlando and the journey was 11 long hours! Yes! Its a bus ride. I'll not sit at the back of the bus anymore because the toilet stinks! Everytime someone opens the toilet, the smell comes out and its unbearable. I get to see more of atlanta and florida scenery throughout the journey. There are ranches everywhere and you can see different animals. The animals move at a very slow pace and i guess life there should be slow and relaxing. Overall, the ride is long but interesting.

Driving at night on inter-state highways is quite dangerous because there are no street lamps. You can only rely on your car's headlights and drive along the highways.

I made a mistake by choosing a lousy hotel. There's a robbery at my hotel on my 3rd night. As we were walking back to our hotel, we saw many police cars, an ambulance and a firefighter car just outside our hotel. So i went to ask what happened. I found out there's a guy who broke into 20 rooms and stole stuffs. That culprit was caught and shot by a police officer. Scary right? We hurried back to our rooms to check if we are affected because we have laptops inside our rooms. Phew, luckily our room was not broken into as we left the lights on before we went out in the morning. Perhaps that is why that culprit didnt enter our room. US is so dangerous because crime can take place anywhere anytime. I thought hotels are a safer place but i was really wrong. I've heard of so many stories about the crimes in US and this is the first time i experience it myself. Hopefully phoenix is a safer place to stay in.

So much about the hotel incident and i'll talk more about interesting stuffs. Visited Walts Disney World Park and its really very magical. The rides are more or less similiar to Tokyo's Disneyland. Its definitely a place for kids to enjoy and have fun in this magical environment. Spent a whole day in the park trying the not-so-exciting rides. Haha Somehow i feel that the disneyland in japan is better than florida. We bought a 7 days universal studios tickets from a promotion. There are 2 parks, Island of Adventures and uni studios florida. I enjoyed the Island of Adventures the most as it has the most exciting roller coaster rides. I've always wanted to visit US themeparks and hop onto their rides. You can't find that kind of rides in Asia. Will post photos of the rides later. The other park, Universal Studios Florida is kinda boring. The rides there are mostly the same and not as exiting as those in Islands of Adventures. This park is more about how Universal Studios uses special effects and stuffs in their movies. The most entertaining was the FearFactor Live show.

Let me talk about food! Haha. Chinese food in US is very expensive. The Hong Kong restaurant that we went was expensive and the food is horrible. The second time we found a Chinese Restaurant that serve buffet! Haha.. The food was alright and not as expensive as the Hong Kong restaurant. Hence, we stuffed ourselves like a pig and ate for 2 hours!

I'll be leaving Florida very soon. This place is nice and the weather is like singapore. I don't have to wear so many clothings and i feel more comfortable. Will be flying to arizona on the 8th. That will probably end my travelling trip for the moment. It has been a great 2 weeks of travelling in the US. In the short span of 2 weeks, i've realized life in SG is extremely good and singaporeans are pampered to a certain extent. Most of us took safety and security for granted and kept complaining about sg govt.

Photos will be up soon~ So stay tuned for more updates. =)

Video Clip of countdown at Times Square

2007-01-04T22:31:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year!

2007-01-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

New year eve's countdown at Times Square was really happening! Ppl called it once a lifetime experience coz u wont want to go there a 2nd time. Haha. Its many many times more crowded than the countdown in SG. The atmosphere is extremely great and u get to usher the new year with abt a million of ppl from all over the world with you. The down side would be that its extremely crowded and getting into Times Square is not an easy task. Everyone has to go though the security check and there's shoving and pushing everywhere. That is why you wouldn't want to go thru that same situation again. The much talked abt crystal ball isnt as fantastic as what i've thought of. I was expecting it to be a very very huge ball that will be dropped from the top of the building then across the street. In the end, it just dropped a few metres down and i wasnt very impressed. Haha. I would say the atmostphere is much better than sg but for fireworks, sg is much better.

Alright, that concludes my stay in NY and enjoyed it quite a bit. My fren and I nearly missed our flight to atlanta due to the delay in security checks. That stupid officer insisted that we'll have time to board the plane. In the end, when we reached the gate, the person in-charge said we can't board the plane coz we are late. Its like WTH and we argued our way through coz we are only a few mins late and the other airline officer was kind enough to help us find seats. In the end, i got a first class seat! Haha. A blessing in disguise huh? Wahaha... First class seat was extremely comfortable and i was being served quite well.

Atlanta is totally different from New York city. The buildings are more spaced out and there are not many skyscrappers. The more impt thing is that there are many blacks around coz its the birth place of Martin Luther King Jr. This place is not as safe as NY and its not advisable to be out in the streets at night. Finally, i've been to a big supermarket in US. Ever since i reached US, i only had at most 2 meals a day! I only had donuts and turkey salad today! Poor me, i wish i can go to arizona as soon as possible and check-in my dorm where i can live comfortably for the next few months. The hostel that i'm staying in Atlanta has a 100years old history and its kinda crowded with people now. Its great to meet singaporeans here in US. There is a group of students from NTU and some singaporeans staying here too. Haha.. I miss singapore~

Pictures will be up next few days when i've the time to upload. My next stop will be Orlando, Florida! Haha. Disneyland and Universal Studios here i come~

Link for the photos!

2006-12-29T04:17:00.000-07:00

http://community.webshots.com/user/zhaocheng

New York Trip

2006-12-28T16:22:00.000-07:00

Life in New York is extremely fun and the weather is so cold that i bought a new nike jacket for myself. Lydia brought me to Woodbury Premium Outlets for shopping on my 2nd day in NY. The stuffs there are so so so cheap! You can find almost any brands that you can think of. I bought stuffs from Nike, Adidas, Armani Exchange and Nautica! Haha. My shopping policy is to buy the cheapest item available so that it will be more worthwhile buying.

I don't think i'll blog about the places i went to the last few days because it will be too long and i'm lazy to type now. Haha.. Will post all the pictures up online next few days. Basically, New York Subway system is confusing, dirty,old and breaks down quite often. SMRT and NEL is definitely much better than the NY subway trains.

I think i'll lose some weight after my New York trip because i only eat at most 2 meals a day and most of the time, i'll eat hot dogs or bread only! The best meal i had so far was christmas dinner @ Planet Hollywood. Poor thing right? I'll only get to cook sg local food when i settle down in my hostel in arizona. In the meantime, i'll eat the cheapest available food.

New York city is crowded with people and i heard this year there's a record number of tourists arriving in new york city. If you think the stretch of orchard road is crowded during weekends, its at least 10 times more crowded here. Tourists like me are everywhere in the city. There are quite a lot of homeless people in NY and you can see them everywhere. Security has been quite
strict and there are police everywhere. Probably thats the consequence of 911 and they've stepped up police patrol tremendously.

I still have about 3 days in NY and will be going to Atanta after New year eve's countdown in Times Square. Haha.. I want to see the big ball dropping down. Hopefully i'll see snow in the next few days.

Alright, i've typed quite a bit and will upload pictures soon. =)

Blog entry that i typed on plane.

2006-12-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

I’ve touched down safely in New York after 19hours of nonstop flight. I glad that I’ve chosen the correct date to depart because the plane is only 40% full and I have so many spaces beside me. The service was quite good and I was never hungry for a second. I’m fed like a pig and the meals were great. I made quite a number of trips to their snack bar too and tried all different types of snacks. Hahaha.. I like this particular snack, Snyder’s of hangover cheddar cheese and took a few more and stuffed it inside my bag. Haha.. Cheapo rite? They have Danish bread and I feel like taking a few for my next few morning breakfast. Haha.

I didn’t sleep throughout the flight and was exploring their in-flight entertainment system. I suspect that they are using a particular operating system(Cannot say out the name coz I’m afraid of being sued by them.. Haha) because while I was playing with 1 of the program, the system HANGED! Haha. I had movie marathon and managed to watch a few episode of deathnote on my laptop. All in all, thumbs up for their in-flight entertainment as it is the on-demand kind where you can watch whatever movies or tv series whenever you want to. There’s no schedule to follow at all. The only disappointing is that I didn’t experience any Christmas atmosphere on board. Initially, I expected them to wear Christmas hats and dress up like what the uncles and aunties in engineering canteen did during festive season. Other than that, the cabin ambience is quite good cause most of time the they dimmed the lights for the passengers to sleep. Too bad, I don’t like to sleep for a few hours only so I rather spend my time watching movies and snacking. Haha..

At times, I feel a bit bored because there’s nobody beside for me to talk to. Only had a few conversation with the pretty air-stewardess. Haha.

Before I forget, thanks to those who came down to send me, the sms messages and the phone calls. Don’t miss me as I’ll be back soon.

My US trip blog...

2006-12-17T12:13:00.000-07:00

I decided to create a new blog for my SEP trip. I'll update more abt myself and post photos here~ So stay tuned for more updates.

I'm leaving on 25th Dec, Singapore to New York ( Flight SQ22, 12pm )

NY Trip'06

2006-11-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

Finally settled my accomodation for my New York trip. This is definitely not an easy trip to plan as there were some hiccups. Luckily, i've backup plans and my New York trip can proceed.

I'll be staying in Hi-Newyork hostel until 29th Dec and then stay in a hotel in Newark from 29th Dec onwards. The reason being is that there are no more hostel rooms available in New York from 29th onwards! So me and my fren have to relocate to a hotel. Fortunately, the hotel isnt very expensive as the rates are about the same as the hostel rates. The only problem is that travelling time to New York City will be slightly longer. I'll be staying in NY for about 8 days! Haha.. I should be able to visit most of the interesting places. After NY, i'll fly to Atlanta with my fren and stay @ his hostel. This is a last min decision and i'll be visiting Georgia Institute of Technology! This is one of the top few university in engineering field. I'm going to leave my footprints there. Haha

My next stop after Atlanta will be Arizona. I need to check-in my dorm on the 8th Jan and attend a orientation on the 9th. I guess i'll be staying in Arizona for quite some time before i go for another trip. California will most likely to be my next stop. Haha..

I guess life in US will be less hectic than in NUS. If everyting goes well, i might be having a 2 days week only! Lessons on tues and thurs and rest of the days are free! Hahaha.. I'll probably join some clubs or explore Arizona. Hopefully, the 4 graduate modules that i'm taking wont eat up all my free days.

Alright, my first paper in 2 days time. Time to get back to my books. :)

I'm leaving on Christmas day!

2006-11-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

I thought i should blog about the process of going US. I've booked my air tickets a few days ago and i'm leaving on 25th decemeber. I wonder if i'll have christmas meal on the plane. Haha... I'm flying on singapore airlines non-stop to Newark Airport. I'll be on the sky for 19hrs! I need to think of something to keep me occupied. Haha.. The sad thing is that i'll be flying alone. On the brighter side, i'll be joining lydia and her frens for Xmas and touring New York. After which, they will leave and i'll be alone in NY for 1 day before i meet James. I'm joining him and his frens for New Year countdown! I've never thought of counting down in New York. I'm so excited coz I heard its a blast @ Times Square. To my dear readers, don't be jealous. I'll post photos up for you to enjoy.
Tentatively, i'll leave New York on 4th Jan and fly to Los Angeles or Phoenix. I can only check-into my hostel on 8th Jan. So i'll probably find some parks to sleep in. Haha....

Yeah, i'll stepping out of my comfort zone and explore the world(Actually only US). Haha.. I believe the world is full of opportunities and you'll have to grab whatever chance that comes in your way. I hope i'm able to find a summer internship over in US. If i can't, i'll cut short my trip and fly back in May for internship.

I hope i've chosen the correct modules to read in Arizona State University. I'll study hard and show Amercians how capable Singaporeans are. In the meantime, i'll continue to discover what my passion is. Quality Engineering or Operations Research?

Alight, thats all for now. 43 more days!