Shopping with Pris!

Went shopping with Pris today! Though we are so close, the amount of times we've been out together can be counted on one hand (!). So, I was really looking forward to the trip =D We decided to go to Sunway Pyramid 'cos we almost never go there and there was the new wing to explore! So we met in KL Sentral and then went to Subang by KTM together. Then we took a bus. Had a VERY filling breakfast at Toast Box before walking and browsing around.

Went to TGV for a movie - Mamma Mia! (the exclamation mark is part of the title). I wasn't really hyped to see the movie but I was fine with it. The movie was good fun... if you're not expecting a solid story which would leave you thinking about it, it's actually entertaining. I have a tendency to call it a "fluff" movie. Yeah... I know the creator and lots of articles state how they have issues that are still relevant and resonate with everyone - it didn't even occur to me until I read those reviews and articles. BUT, I have to admire Meryl Streep for carrying her role the way she did (it's hard to imagine her bopping up and down on a bed like a kid) though I'm not too sure how I feel about Pierce Brosnan singing (he obviously was the handsome one in the movie).

After that, went shopping a bit more. Bought a bag from Miss T with Pris. Then we went to Popular. Sat there browsing and reading for a loonng time. I couldn't decide which book to buy, so in the end, I got my first ever Mandarin novel 對不起，我想你 by 橘子.

The reason I bought this book was the synopsis:

有很長的一段時間，我不能翻閱我們的照片，
因為我不想哭，對著照片掉眼淚並不適合我。

有很長的一段時間，我沒有辦法去到我們曾經去過的場所，
因為回憶太擠，而當眾嚎啕大哭會讓我看起來很神經。

有很長一段時間，我不能夠說出你的名字，連聽也不能聽的那種不能夠，
因為我知道我會哭，未語而淚先流，

這句話只適合我寫，而不適合我做。
可是我其實一直在哭，在心裡哭。

我不知道幹什麼我要這樣，人前歡笑人後落淚，
我只知道你對我而言不太一樣，
不，
是很不一樣。

Ahh... how I felt... Picked it up straight away.

And then I also saw the CD of a new age duo I have come to love - Secret Garden. Love the packaging, and wavered with the promotion price of RM59.90 for 2 CDs and a DVD. Succumbed in the end, and exited the shop anticipating the feast of my ears XD

my beautiful Secret Garden CD

Dinner was a rather long story, but finally we went for dinner with Jeffrey and his friends in a restaurant in SS2, PJ. Went home anticipating our next outing =D

Olympus µ [mju:] 1040

I bought a new camera! Technically speaking, my mum bought it and it's the family camera (cannot let the expense fall to me, you know). Actually, I'd been eyeing cameras for some time, surveying the models and comparing prices, all that - ever since our old, trusty Canon A410's CCD went whacko. I wanted a camera which could give me all the functions it had and more, not to forget fitting into the budget. And I couldn't find any camera which made me go - this is it. Until now! Haha... It's way over budget but, we're all happy =P

the Olympus µ [mju:] 1040

Especially love the Hot Chilli red casing! Haha... I actually fell for the colour before anything. Basic specs: 10 mp, 3x optical zoom and 2.5" LCD monitor. Has a cool panorama function I was trying to look for in all the other cameras. Was impressed when trying out the camera at the shop.

Best part of the deal was meeting a friend who works in the shop. Haha! Susanna's my senior from Sekolah Seri Suria. Even better, my mum knew her. I studiously kept quiet while my mum did the bargaining. Retail price for this camera is RM899. We couldn't slash anything off this price, but we got some freebies - 2gb Olympus XD Card (which is needed for the panorama function) worth at least RM189, a screen protector worth RM30 and 3 pcs of photo developing vouchers (unlimited amount for 0.33 sen each). Bought a leather casing for RM49.

Definitely a cave in the pocket... but as I said, we're all happy =P

Study USA - The AEO Tour

So excited when I saw this tour! I was so tired of doing all the research online and was hoping for some human guidance. Went to KL Hilton around 5pm with mum. The education fair was kinda big actually. Or maybe the function room was spacious XD Too bad there weren't many universities near the area I was supposed to go. Only 4 stars (place marks) in the California state, and only 2 around Los Angeles. One, Southwestern Academy, wasn't even there which left me with only ONE college rep to approach.

El Camino College is in LA, which isn't really near the place I'm supposed to go, but we decided to just get some advice in general (after coming all the way). The man was quite nice actually. He's not nice in the smiling face kinda way, but rather in his dead serious, dry humour manner of speaking =D Got some important advice though. According to him, the universities in US generally don't accept international students into their freshmen (1st) year, which means they were only accepted for transfers. Normally, we would have to go to a 2 year college, and then transfer to a 4-year university into the junior (3rd) year. Interesting.

Came back and did more research. Apparently, the 2 yr college and then going for the last 2 yrs in university would work out even better. Because the fees for a 2 yr college is much cheaper than a university. And the datelines were much kinder (not here yet). Narrowed down selection of colleges to two (by distance) - Mount San Antonio College and Chaffey Community College.

The big US plan part 2

To update on the location in the big US plan, I was first informed that it was somewhere in Los Angeles. Upon Googling, I quickly discovered how big LA really was and I could be buried in search if I didn't ask for more information.

Google Map: Los Angeles

Upon clarification, aforementioned niece actually stays in a place called Upland, CA.
Where is Upland, I ask?
More Googling... Upland is approx. 30 miles east of LA.
How far is 30 miles, I wonder?
I ask my dad at night. My dad says, "About here (KL) to Seremban la...." What??
Here to Seremban would take like 1 to 1 and a half hours drive, depending on your speed.
Obviously, I was not going to study in LA.

Upland area (place marks are universities)

You can see some continuation in the 2 maps. Look for West Covina, Fullerton and Anaheim on the right side in the 1st map. Then look at the same 3 places on the left side in the 2nd map.

Apparently, Upland is rather near to a lot of universities, don't you think?

After more Googling, I am in despair. Many universities are already closed for registration for Winter (Jan '09) and Spring (Feb/Mar '09) semesters. The soonest is Fall (Oct '09) and the dateline is coming soon too.

The big US plan

Though I have always dreamed of studying overseas, I have never once thought of going to the United States. There isn't really a reason to it, it just... never happened. Perhaps it was due to the fact that as I was studying Architecture, the States wasn't as viable an option as UK or Australia because the US degree isn't recognized by the board of architects here, PAM (ironic though it may seem considering the quality of education in US). I don't quite understand why PAM doesn't accreditate the US degree, but the biggest difference is obviously the education system.

I digress. (this line seems to be abused by bloggers a lot XD)

So what triggered the big US plan? The story goes like this: My mum has a former lecturer from her teaching college, Ms. Y. Ms. Y has a niece staying in US. Said niece has a family there with two kids. Said niece and husband are both doctors. Thus, they require a babysitter for their children. Niece wants someone who would stay for a longer period of time compared to those they're currently hiring. Niece asks Ms. Y (her aunt) to look for a babysitter, maybe someone who's interested to study in US so that the person can go there with a student visa. This babysitter would of course, take care of her children. In return, this student a.k.a babysitter would be given room and board for the duration of stay in the US. Which means, student only needs to take care of tuition fees and have almost all living expenses taken care of. Student will also get allowance from babysitting.

Apparently my mum told Ms. Y about my predicament (the no-money-thus-not-being-to-go-overseas thing) so Ms. Y thought I might be interested. And I am kinda interested actually. To have almost all your living expenses taken care of (except transport) when studying overseas is actually saving on more than half of what you need to pay. Thus began my research on the universities and courses I could take. And I found this:

If I decide not to continue Architecture, my horizon is far, and big indeed.