Day 11: Orlando Premium Outlets

Spent the last day in Orlando back at the premium outlets again. Just a full day of shopping, but I bought MUCH MUCH more stuff this time. I felt so guilty at the end of the day, I felt like such a shopaholic, spending money like water :O Bought Ralph Lauren polos for mum and bro and a watch each for mum and dad! Those are the only buys I'm really okay with, since it's for my family. Bought a Kate Spade bag for myself, I was pretty impulsive because I like it but I don't love it and still bought it anyway. And I am usually not a branded bag person but I still splurged on it. But oh well, it's just once in a while, I will just spend less in Singapore. :x

It's the last night in Orlando, which means an official end to the US trip and I am heading home soon :O

Day 10: Orlando Universal Studios

After shopping on the first day in Orlando, we headed to Universal Studios the next day. Honestly, I wasn't as excited for this compared to shopping. I got my priorities all wrong haha. I know shopping can be done anytime, but girls can never get enough of shopping right :D I wasn't feeling too adventurous for rides as well, all I wanted to was just to walk around and snap pictures of the place. One thing I really love about Universal Studios is that every single decoration is so unique, even the lamps and walls are pretty.

We took the 7am bus to the theme park, so freaking early right! But it was so freaking crowded when we reached! And everyone was walking so quickly, some even running towards the entrance. Oh my, I didn't know Western people can be so kiasu as well!

Our first stop was Harry Potter world. I guess this is the main reason everyone visits Universal Studios in Orlando. Although I'm not really a Harry potter fan (I only read 3/4 of the first book and watched the first 3 to 4 movies), I still enjoyed it! I did feel like I was in Harry Potter world, so tempted to get a Gryffindor scarf back but it was so expensive! We were commenting how they are earning so much from selling wands as well! Just sticks with some carving and they sell it for 30+ usd, and so many people buy it for their kids!! Rich people. Then again, if your kids like it you will probably do it since you can't get Harry potter wands just anywhere.

Tried butterbeer as well! I thought it will be real beer, but so many kids were drinking it so obviously it's not. Still a nice drink anyway!

The queues for rides were so mother freaking long, I swear I've never queued for ANYTHING for so long before. I think for the first ride I took the wait time was 200 minutes?! We still queued anyway, it was some 3D Harry Potter ride. Part of the queue was along the hallways and corridors of the Hogwarts castle, it was really a replica of the movie. Quite an eye opener! The ride was called 'The forbidden journey' so apparently we went to forbidden areas but I couldn't identify many since I didn't really read/watch all the movies. Closed my eyes when the spiders creeped towards me, so gross :O

Took a total of only 3 rides the whole day!! Thanks to the crazy queue. Paid 80-90 usd for the ticket I think, I feel that it was a little overpriced. I didn't feel that it was worth it :/ I wanted to watch some nice shows (like those in USS) but there was very little, the shows are mainly in the other theme park which we didn't have access to. If not for Harry Potter world, I think the other theme park should be more fun!

Pictures from the lost continent:

I guess my only regret was not having a proper camera to capture the pretty Harry potter world. Was looking through my iPhone pictures and it was so badly taken. The lighting was so bad sigh, probably only will look good on a phone.

Had dinner at IHOP! Always wanted to try this place because I heard the pancakes are good. I felt it was alright only, the best pancakes I have tasted were still those I had at Montreal!

Day 9: Orlando

At the last stop of our US trip, Orlando. This means that exchange is REALLY coming to an end. Reached the hotel, dumped our stuff down and went straight to the premium outlet. We didn't wash up despite the long flight throughout the night! Omg, I am judging myself. Imagine not brushing teeth that's damn gross. But oh well, the rest did the same so I came to terms with it. Anyway, I think this was the biggest premium outlet I've been too, with more brands I can recognize. I usually don't splurge on branded goods and I already have a pretty new wallet and new bags from my 21st so I don't want to spend too much buying unnecessary stuff! #thriftygirl Only bought a Marc by Marc Jacobs watch in my favourite colour. It was on sale! So happy with my loot even though it's only one watch. I can never get enough of watches :D

Supposed to watch our chick flicks back at the hotel but the plan failed again. I don't know when we will ever watch it but I want to watch perks of being a wallflower!

Day 8: San Francisco

The only reason I couldn't wait for Christmas to be over was because I couldn't wait for Boxing Day sales. I have always heard that there would be lots of sales, so I kept my hopes pretty high and couldn't wait to shop since the day before. But to my disappointment, there wasn't really alot of sales? Things were kind of like the same price as before. I wondered if we were shopping at the wrong places. We had a whole day to kill before the flight to Orlando but there wasn't much to shop :< We were also trying to save our money for the premium outlets which we would be going in Orlando! It was a pretty chill day just walking around from morning till night.

Random but this cereal was something I ate daily when I stayed in the hotel. Cereal/granula with raisins never fails. :>

Day 7: San Francisco

Did more sightseeing in San Francisco by visiting the Haight and painted ladies. The Haight is a place full of hippies, showing a very different side of San Francisco. Lots of people smoking weed, lots of graffiti and stuff. Supposed to have some nice vintage shops around as well but a pity it was Christmas and most of the shops are closed. There were also lots of homeless people along the streets on this cold and rainy day. They are actually pretty harmless, not as bad as I thought. I wonder how they survive if most people just ignore them (like me) :/

Stopped for lunch at one of the restaurants, so glad there was something open on Christmas! Had a turkey sandwich since it was Christmas LOL. Visited the painted ladies as well, it is supposed to be a row of Victorian houses with the city skyline in the background. But it was raining and foggy so we couldn't see the beautiful skyline.

Painted Ladies

Turkey & cranberry sandwich :>

Went back to the hotel really early around 4-5pm since most of the shops are not open plus it was raining. I actually fell asleep from 5 to 10pm plus, woke up to bathe and fell asleep again till the next morning. What a boring Christmas! We were supposed to watch some chick flicks together in the hotel but I fell asleep. Somehow the rest didn't watch also. I guess this can be one of the most boring Christmas ever, totally not what I expected it to be. I have always imagined myself to be celebrating Christmas in a big crowd with a huge Christmas tree and Christmas carols playing in the background. Then people would be wishing one another whether you know each other or not, okay stop dreaming. Hope New Year's Eve would be better!

Day 6: San Francisco

We decided to cycle to Golden Gate Bridge! I was quite excited since I never cycled overseas before. Moreover, I haven't exercised for super long so this is going to be a good work out to burn off some calories from the amount of junk I've been eating for the past few months!

Lucky for us, the bike rental store was pretty near our hotel. Walked there and rented bikes. Didn't really want to wear a helmet or buy insurance but since the rest did, I just followed suit. Learnt that it is illegal to cycle on the pedestrian paths in San Francisco so we had to cycle on the roads. Not very sure how cycling rules work in Singapore actually, is it the same? I haven't got to really cycle on the streets of Singapore because I've never gone for a single hall night cycling. Both years I had something on :< Really wanted to try that though. Anyway, it was really cool cycling along the roads! I felt so happy and carefree. The weather was good too so it was super shiok :D

Our first stop was a very popular sourdough bread bakery called Boudin which is near the Fisherman's Wharf. Tried their popular clam chowder soup in the bread bowl but I felt the soup was alright only, a little too salty for my liking. It was also a little fishy, but probably also because they used authentic seafood. Preferred the tomato one though!

Continued cycling after the meal and started to see Golden Gate Bridge from a distance. The route was pretty challenging because there were several hills and slopes. I haven't cycled for soooo long, so I kinda gave up on the slopes and pushed my bike up instead after awhile. LOL. Took more photos as we approached closer to Golden Gate Bridge. That is also when my camera officially died. It hit the rocks while TY was trying to take a pic for me and broke :O I didn't feel angry or sad or anything, because I was really in a good mood due to the good weather and the fact that we are cycling in San Francisco! Nothing can ruin my day haha. (TY, I hope you don't feel bad about it) We cycled on Golden Gate Bridge itself too! It was narrow and sooo crowded, being the impatient me, I just kept ringing my bell to tell people to siam. LOL. Oh well, they won't remember my face anyway :D

After crossing the bridge, we had to cycle to another place where we could catch a ferry back. Apparently 90% of the people would take a ferry back instead of cycling because the slopes are too challenging. It's true. There were several parts that the downslopes were so long and steep that I didn't have to paddle at all for like 2-3 minutes at least. DAMN SHIOK, but also a little scary so I had to constantly hold the brakes or I would fly! I cannot imagine anyone cycling up the slopes in the opposite direction, it would be insane unless they are pros.

Super amazed that the ferry allows people to bring their bikes back as well. I think more than half of the people in the ferry cycled there! Cycled for the last bit to return our bikes and had a good dinner back at the Thai place again. It was quite a horrible experience. The person rejected our TIPS because she say they cannot accept so many coins. Hello it's gratuity and you are rejecting it? So she broke our note for us and took a part of it. Good food but the service sucks.

Anyway, I really love this adventure, I think it's the most exciting and memorable thing I've done in my exchange!

Day 5: San Francisco

Wanted to head out for some sightseeing but it was raining. Decided to shop instead! So it was a whole day of crazy shopping. We decided to break into pairs so we could do Christmas shopping for one another. I always love gift exchanges, I love my presents alot too! Got a bag of chapalang stuff from C and G, and a pair of shoes from TY! Okay actually I picked the shoes myself and she paid for it, she did the same too! Since we 都这么熟了, doesn't really matter! LOL. The gifts from C and G were chapalang because it is super random. There is baking stuff, nail polish, chocolates and body lotion. I really really like those nice smelling hand creams and body lotions, especially so if they come in nice packaging. Got a set of pastel nail polish too! :>

Had lunch in a shopping mall and continued to shop after that! Really a full day of shopping, feels good to be so carefree. This is how a holiday should be like! Have been spending a little too much, need to control and save more for Orlando premium outlets!

Next up: Cycling to Golden Gate Bridge

Day 4: San Francisco

Arrived pretty late at San Francisco after some flight delay and we also took pretty long to figure out how to get from the airport to our hotel. When we finally reached our hotel it was already 5pm plus, the sun has already set!

I was so delighted when I came out from the train station. Our hotel is located right smack in the middle of the shopping district in Union Square. Forever 21 just down the street as H&M just next door. SUPER SHIOK. Finally satisfied some shopping needs. Since it was already pretty late, we had dinner at some Thai eatery which had a long queue. The food was cheap and good! Had a bowl of duck noodles, seriously I haven't had duck meat since I left Singapore, this was pretty satisfying. I still prefer the NTU one though, my fav can B duck noodles!!

After dinner we went wild with shopping. (Y) So so so happy! The only problem is I don't know how I'm going to bring everything home without exceeding the baggage limit :O

On a side note, I finally got the chance to take Southwest Airlines. Heard so much about it because the prof always use that as an example in class for some of the mods back in UNB. It's supposed to be a very successful cheap budget airline! I was surprised when I actually got drinks and snacks on the plane, I thought it was going to be super budget.

My dad just reminded me that I'll be back in a week. :O :O

Day 3: Grand Canyon

Woke up at 5am since the bus would be picking us up from our hotel at 615am. I wasn't that excited about Grand Canyon initially, but it's always good to explore new places.

The bus journey was really long, but there were 2 stops for breaks before we reached Grand Canyon in the afternoon. Had a buffet lunch at our second stop, my very first buffet in Canada! Can't remember when was the last time I had a buffet in Singapore. Never really a fan of buffet because I know I can never control myself. So it's better to stay away from it :/ Their buffet was a little different, there was someone there serving you, so in a way you can't really control the amount you want to take.

Anyway for the first half of the journey, I was asleep throughout. Reached Grand Canyon around 1pm I think! That was like a 6 hour bus ride. Visited the south rim of Grand Canyon, it was really a beauty. Finally visited one of the 7 natural wonders of the world, another tick on my list. It was magnificent when I first saw it. We were super high up and I wondered if there were ever any accidents of people falling off, the barriers were so low at some parts! And with snow, it was slippery so it's even more dangerous? Took dozens of photos of different sides/angles but they look all about the same after awhile. I really like how the light blue colour of the sky blends in so well with the red-orangy-brownish Grand Canyon. Pretty lucky that the weather was good that day! The driver cum tour guide was saying sometimes people don't get to see anything so we should always check the weather first.

Photos of the breathtaking Grand Canyon:

Chilled at some cafe at Grand Canyon for awhile over hot chocolate since we were done pretty early. Then it was time for another 5 to 6 hour ride back to Las Vegas.

On the way back, the bus drove past Hoover Dam. THAT WAS REALLY VERY PRETTY. Omg but it wasn't a destination for us so he only drove past slowly for us to snap some pictures, which I failed horribly because the bus was moving and it was hard to capture it when it's all dark without some exposure. I guess it will be some form of regret that I didn't get to visit the place for a closer look. Maybe next time, if I get the chance to go to LA, San Diego etc. I WILL BE BACK!

When we returned to the hotel, we gambled AGAIN. But we all had some self control, we are not addicts yet. Someday, I want to experience how it's like to just sit in front of a slot machine the whole night.

So this marks the end of my Las Vegas trip. Spent only 2 nights there since there was nothing much to do as well, unless you are really into gambling. It was a good experience :>

Next up: San Francisco

Day 2: Las Vegas

Totally awestruck when I reached Las Vegas. This is my first time setting foot in US, it's so different from Canada! Las Vegas is a pretty tourist place, I couldn't stop snapping photos at all. I felt like I was in wonderland. Really felt so surreal that I was in US, in Las Vegas. Stayed within the strip because we wouldn't want to risk getting into danger if we ventured beyond that. Anyway the strip was already good enough! There were so many hotels with their own themes, and they have unique exteriors! Mine was like a castle, too awesome!

Had a quick dinner at a pizzeria and went off to catch a musical, Jersey Boys. Oh my it was so hard to relate to it, I don't know a single song they sang. It was super boring for me. I was asleep for more than half of it, I blame it partly on the time difference as well. The musical was at like 11pm- 1am Saint John time where I would usually be preparing to sleep already! So anyway I wasted my 70+ usd to catch a musical LOL.

Went to the M&M factory after that. There are 4 levels and they are all filled with M&Ms merchandise and goodies! They sell random stuff like bags, accessories, kitchen ware, apparel, mini slot machines (it's Vegas, what's new?) and of course the chocolates itself. The chocolates really caught my attention! Sooo colorful, and I never knew M&Ms had mint and raspberry flavours! Bought some for myself to snack on. Love the other colourful ones, especially the pastel ones but it's all just normal milk chocolate so I didn't get them.

And I finally gambled!! I guess that's one of the perks of being 21. Chose a 1 cent slot machine and just put a dollar in. There was a super epic moment. I had credits left in the machine but it just couldn't spin no matter what buttons I pressed. Because I still wanted to play (it really can be addictive), I pressed the service button to call for help. It turns out that I actually had a bonus game to play which is on top of the slot machine. HAHA SUAKU TO THE MAX. Shows that it is really my first time gambling at a casino and how noob I am. The guy who helped me was really friendly! Got 20 free bonus games on the first try it was a super shiok feeling, beginners luck :>

Before finally returning to our room, I went to get Krispy Kreme donuts! I have seen it all over Instagram so many times. Whenever I just type the hashtag donuts/doughnuts, Krispy Kreme ones will definitely appear! I really wanted to try it and I finally got to! So satisfied! :> Bought red velvet, cinnamon and chocolate filled with custard donuts for myself. Love the custard one the most, I really hope I'll still get to eat them again.

Didn't sleep much for the first night, probably 45 minutes or so. Wanted to make myself more tired so that I can sleep on the long bus ride the next day!

Next up: GRAND CANYON

Day 1: Toronto

Headed to Toronto for one night before flying to US. After reaching Toronto, we headed straight to Eaton centre to meet a friend we made in UNB for dinner. IT WAS SUCH A BAD CHOICE TO MEET IN EATON CENTRE. Omg I was carrying 2 backpacks about 20kg and pulling a 23kg luggage walking from Union station to Eaton centre. It was the longest 20 minutes walk in my life. I sweared more than 10 times. The roads were so uneven, the luggage was so heavy and keeps getting stuck, and we were walking in downtown Toronto among so many people. I was trying to stay optimistic and not show any displeasure at all. I believe it's all in the mind, I had to tell myself I could pull through it. So glad I survived. It really reminded me of NP days, I remember the torturous long walk to and fro the 2 campsites in pulau ubin on the very first day of camp. I really wanted to give up and on the first day I already wanted to go home. THAT'S HOW BAD IT WAS. My threshold is usually pretty high. But also because of that, I learnt to take hardships like these LOL.

So anyway, luckily C had a family friend who was kind enough to take us in. We only needed a place to put down our luggages so we could travel light in US. It was a pretty cosy place to stay in, going to have 2 more nights there before officially returning home to Singapore. The host even made breakfast for us to bring along since it was a very early flight. We got a ride to the airport too! Too kind :)

Next up: LAS VEGAS!

All pictures taken at Eaton Centre.

Last night in Saint John

The time has finally come. I felt that it all happened too fast that I didn't have much time to feel much. Was too busy packing my luggage and cleaning up the whole apartment for the last 2 days in Saint John. Sleeping for like 4 hours on both days, too tired to even think about how I really feel about leaving. In fact at that point of time I can't wait to leave because packing was a pain.

On the last night, we headed to town to catch a musical at the Saint John imperial theatre. Dancin' into Christmas! It was a dance performance put up by people ranging from little kids to adults. The little kids were super cute and innocent on stage. They were so young (2-3 years old maybe?) that they cannot remember their dance steps, they were constantly looking at the side, there's probably someone hiding there to guide the steps. It was more like a freestyle dance whenever they come out, I don't know who is dancing the original choreographed dance anymore because everyone is dancing different stuff according to their own beat. Oh well, they are kids. The audience was very entertained by their innocence. Love the lyrical dances and cabaret the most! Tap dance was cool too!

Oh and on the last night it snowed heavily as well! It's like FINALLY snowing heavily. So pretty! Was walking in snow while heading to the imperial theatre. So glad to experience this before I leave. One night is enough. It was so difficult to walk in thick snowed we took like twice the amount of time than usual to walk since it's pretty slippery.

So I've officially left Saint John, won't be going back there anymore. I'm not really missing it, yet. And I've began my 14 days of holidays in US! :>

View from the back of my apartment which I have never seen before until the day I am leaving.

First snowman I have ever built!

Last shot outside the apartment while waiting for the cab

EXAMS ARE OVER FYEAH (Y)

I'm really happy because I do feel the sense of accomplishment. I studied pretty hard for it, okay actually I was half studying hard and half telling myself I only need to pass. But I did study more than what's required of an exchange student. It just feels wrong not to study hard for exams, although its pass fail. I would still want to do my best to get decent results. I never felt this motivated in NTU! Honestly, I was never this hardworking in NTU. Maybe its the environment, I study better when when it's less stressful, no pressure to pull GPA, no bell curve, and perhaps the papers are really easier too so I know I can score if I study.

Peer pressure really helps, when I see my friends study, I feel obliged to. Maybe that's why I haven't been doing well in NTU, because I'm always studying alone, the only time I headed out to study was Year 1 Sem 1, that's when I had the best GPA. Deep down I know that I study best outside, but my laziness gets over me each semester. End up watching TV + napping every single time at home instead of studying. I really wish I can rewind time, I promise I'll study harder in NTU. But oh well, only one last semester left. We shall see. There are so many things I want to do. I'm thankful I got my 2 day week timetable, this leaves me more time to do other stuff like cafe hopping and baking, or even taking up a part time job to fund my grad trip. Shouldn't always take parents' money right! Oh well, a little too ambitious hoping to achieve so many things. I just hope I won't end up lazing around at home on non-school days.

One last day left in Saint John. 4 months flew by so quickly. Traveling US for the next 14 days but it hasn't really hit me yet. I'm not exactly excited about that for now. I'm actually a littleeee happy that I will be heading home soon, pretty mixed feelings.

The prof too efficient! He sent us the breakdown of the class performance for finals yesterday when I only had my paper last weekend. Tbh, I was quite surprised that there were so little As, because he went through lots of similar questions that will be tested for exams already. He is very encouraging and makes everything seems easy and manageable. He always tell us not to worry and always reassures the class that he will not test very difficult stuff. He even goes through examples and tells us what kind of topics will be in which section, whether its qualitative or quantitative, what we need to know and what we can ignore etc. It just makes me feel more calm for exams because he has prepared us and I know what to expect. I really like this prof, so I sent him a thank you email yesterday :)

Today, I met him at Starbucks. He thanked me for the thank you note, I also thanked him again. And he told me that I did very well for finals. 'You nailed it, you got the top score' OMG. I was lost for words. I was like sorry? Top score? 'You got an A+, I'm not supposed to tell you so pretend you didn't hear it.' :') He even said even though I don't speak up alot in class, I'm hardworking and have always done well. I'm so encouraged by his words. Seriously, why don't such things happen to me in Singapore. I expected myself to do decently well, but definitely not expecting to top the class at all. This is really a bonus. I'm so happy and thankful :>

Food Hunt

Since I am leaving soon, I have been exploring more food places around Saint John.

Sesame crusted seared tuna loin with wasabi aioli

Tuna was supposed to be medium rare but it was a little too cooked when they served it

Wanted to try it medium rare :O

But still not bad a dish.

Montreal style smoked meat sandwich.

Love the generous portion of meat since I am a meat lover!

I like it that it was more moist than the one I had in Montreal, 

but it tasted just like ham instead of smoked meat.

Agedashi tofu, so-so only.

Spicy salmon roll

Fired spicy tuna roll with avocado, teriyaki & spicy mayo

My Korean friend recommended me this and it was really good!

Shitake roll

Seafood sashimi salad with salmon, tuna, octopus, prawn & squid

Finally got to try tuna!