Life of Thadii.

The Great Compression
Friday, January 2, 2009

Ok, I'm gonna try compress everything that has happened in day 1 and 2. Bear with me.

First, I wanna thank all my dear friends who sent me off. Fast forward, I'm now in Georgia, Atlanta. I've experienced my first New Year Eve in a foreign land and all I can say, is that it's awesome. I've been squeezed to to death at Peachdrop in Atlanta.

Singapore is NOT squeezy. I repeat. Singapore is NOT squeezy. NOTHING in Singapore comes close to what I've experienced in America during the countdown. If I had to headline a news report of the countdown I experienced, it would read,

"3-2-1 PUSH! Giving Birth to 2009."

That's how things worked that night. The Blacks are really loud and have a really amazing laidback attitude. They push and shove and they yell and scream and to get through the crowds you make, or hop onto and hitch, human trains that plough through imaginary tracks.

And here's a picture of the bunch of us at Peachdrop yelling Happy New Year. After that night, we have been physically bonded by force =) This was taken after the crowd miraculously dispersed within 3minutes (no joke!) at the end of the countdown. The squeezy pictures and fireworks shots will have to wait since I couldn't get my camera out. I think Ming Feng has them.

BTW Georgia has lots of blacks. It almost feels like they are the majority here from what I've seen so far. Oh and I've seen more limousines in my 2 days here than in my whole life in Singapore. Limousines are common. Mustangs are like Honda Civics. Lamborghinis aren't too difficult to spot and I've seen an Aston Martin. Singapore's really boring.

And I think my parents might read this blog, so if you are, don't be worried. Your son and his friends aren't stupid. We know what to do and how to avoid trouble, and most blacks are actually friendly if you smile at them first. We've already chatted with a couple and some have even invited us to their homes over the weekend and given us their numbers, or given useful information and tips. Of course we've met a fair share of homeless ones, or those who suggest dubious propositions. Relax mom and dad, we KNOW.

America is a fast food nation. Fast food IS food here. And it's good. Hell GOOD. There's way too much to describe about how much better it is here. Just take my word for it. Oh and they love coffee. And most of the Asian food is cooked by Mexican chefs, and trust me, I can cook better Asian food than them. Some friends tried a stall called "Asian Chow", which stands for Asian "炒", and it was really awful.

There are a few nice things about American culture I've observed so far in just 2 days.

1. Americans are awfully friendly. People greet each other on the streets and chat you up pretty often. Their service staff at retail outlets go beyond just product knowledge as well.

2. Americans clear their own tables at diners and food courts (btw their food court is basically a chain of fast food/greasy food put together!)

3. Americans do not have the ugly habit of "choping" seats. They buy their food and then look for one.

4. Meat is the veg here. Meals have lots of meat and little veg. I wouldn't be surprised if they have a program called "Ask for more meat" here, akin to the silly program we have in Singapore to "Ask for more vegetables".

5. There is no chilli sauce. It's just ketchup and mustard. Not that I'm missing chilli anyway; I was never a big fan of it anyway.

So far I've been practicing no.2 religiously, and attempting no.1 with my friends, achieving varying degrees of success. Smiling and greeting random strangers actually feels good! I wonder if I'll return to Singapore and end up doing that and turning into a nutcase. With luck and some determination, maybe me and my friends will start observing no.3 ourselves too. It felt quite odd today at the food court when we left 2 guys behind to reserve the seats when all the locals were going around looking for empty seats with food in their hands.

Oh and I probably forgot to mention it, but we went to a nearby shopping mall, Lenox Square (that's where the food court experience was). Branded labels here are a lot cheaper. For example, I want to kill myself for buying TH polo tees in Singapore for 130SGD when it's only 49USD here. So are their shirts...I swear I'll burn my credit card buying clothes.

I've also stepped into AnF, and yes, it's helluva gay as they described it. Dark and lots of half-naked guy posters all over haha. But still the clothes are nice and cheap (winter clearance). In fact winter clothes here are a lot cheaper, too bad I burnt a small hole in my parent's pocket to buy lousy and expensive winter clothes in Singapore =(

I'm VERY VERY VERY tempted to procure a pair of really nice Oakleys at a really reasonable price. Mom, dad, bro, don't kill me please, thanks. But relax, so far no impulse buys have been made...yet =)

The weather here is great. You don't sweat. It fluctuates between 32F and 50F (0 C to 10 C) and if luck has it, I'll see snow. The coldest is yet to come - the end of the month.

P.S. I think the weather is making me eat a lot. I seriously have been eating tons of the greasy, unhealthy food. Honestly, I don't know if the weather is just a sorry excuse for my sinful indulgence. Maybe I'll come back 20lbs (~10kg) heavier and 10 years off my life record.

One of the Thadii blogged at 11:14 AM.
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