I'm auditioning for the role of the Big Bad in the next season of Buffy

And I'm gonna be a better vampire than both Angel and Spike because 1) I drink and 2) I have a tattoo that will put their fangs to shame...haha

So I've been drinking for the past 2 nights till like 2am...the first night was just beer. Nothing much actually. The 9 of us cleared abt 15 cans of beer that night...was slightly tipsy after that...couldn't walk straight but was still able to maintain myself

And so, we decided that the beer didn't give enough kick that night, so we went to VCC and got like...was it 3 litres of Barcadi...apparently it's hard liquor (40%) and the game is on. Got to drink quite a bit (because i had to drink like 8 mouthfuls of it after cassandra and another idiot gave me 4 mouthfuls each)...and i down like 1/4 cup of it because i really had to visit the bathroom and the only way to leave is to down the cup.

Was losing my bearings nearing the end of the game. Kaylen gave up midway through and i was forcing myself to last through the whole session. Couldn't really stand up at all and it was so difficult to focus on the game when the whole world is spinning. And due to the milkshake incident, everyone is preparing for me to puke (of course i didn't...I'm evil now). Managed to get back to my room and climb up to my bed (living on the top) and I'm not very sure why...but i came down and went up like 4-5 times and just paced around. The dizziness got even worst after the lights were off...it was like darkness spinning (i know it doesn't make sense...that's why it's called drunk)

And in the morning, there was a company trip to Virginia beach. Not gonna upload anything on the beach cos i thought it was terrible...the beach is overcrowded.

Anyway, decided to go our separate ways since everyone wanted to do different stuff. Some went to the sea, others decided to cycle around, and I went to explore on foot with Jia Pei and Pauline.

Haunted Mansion...LOL

Walked around the areas...there's a lot of eateries and tattoo shops around. Was pretty hungry (actually, we just had to try the pancake), so we entered a pancake shop and ordered an apple pancake. As usual, the pancake is huge...

There're supposed to be 3 pieces but Pauline took one already...imagine having all 3 to urself for breakfast...no wonder the Americans have a weight problem

Everything was fine until Jia Pei suggested that i should get a tattoo...and Pauline seconded it (they just wanted to see how it's done...and sadly, i was the only guy there). And of course i didn't agree to it immediately. My reputation as a mild-mannered, well-natured boy is at stake!!! Anyway, it took me a couple of streets down before agreeing to it. Virginia is pretty famous for their tattoo...so i thought i should give it a shot, so 我把我的第一次献给了美国. I wanted a pair of wings on my back but I thought it was quite expensive and the gals thought it was a bit girly. So i settled for a ferocious panther eventually. Had to walk around the street topless for more than an hour for the tattoo to dry...another incident to add to my most-embarrassing-list.

I know wat u are thinking...nope, it's not painful

Haha...they were saying that i look pretty tensed up (who wouldn't), so had to do a cute pose. Oh my, the tan line looks bad...:(

The almost finished product...a ferocious panther that casts fear into the hearts of my sworn enemies and those careless enough to cross my path.

Met up with the rest for lunch and shared 2 pizzas among the 11 of us...yup, once again, it was that big...20 inch per pizza if my memories served me well. It was pretty boring after lunch...just strolling around, trying to find a post office to send postcards but to no avail. Eventually just shopped around, had some food at Macdonalds and left for the dorm.

Priceless reaction from Elisa (it was actually staged-_-)

This is an official road sign in US...I think it means that drivers are not allowed to scold vulgarities or point their middle finger etc...the weird things u find in America..

And if u thought that was weird...these are traffic lights. They were hanging on a thread and swaying around and i dun even know how do drivers know which one to look at

This was actually very funny. Cassandra caught this man "walking his pet" and ran across the street after him like a patient from the mental asylum just to get a picture with his "pet". I got to touch it as well

And so, it was a pretty crazy 2-3 days for me...got a lot of alcohol in my system and got a tattoo for myself...I still think that I can go slightly more crazy...hope there's more to come:)

Mark the new mob boss in town (beware Angel and Spike...u are abt to get dethroned)

PS: Woah...all these blogging is really taking up a lot of time. Imagine working 9 hrs a day, 3 hrs in the kitchen...very little time is left to read, watch video and blog. But blogging is still an essential for this trip. Imagine a couple of yrs down the road and someone asked wat u did in America...and u dun rmb a thing or anything significant details...that would be very sad. At least, i have everything jotted down in pretty vivid details...and have something to refer to when i look back in time...

And I got my bank card as well. Pretty cool looking. I hope it doesn't lead to more shopping:-p

Have i written abt VCC before?

It stands for Virginia Centre Commons.

So every evening, we get a choice of 2 places to visit, either Walmart or VCC. VCC is sorta a shopping mall (a very teeny weeny one though, unlike Singapore's Orchard ION or IMM etc). However, there are quite a number of shops down here (we are given only abt 1 hr down here...quite impossible to finish walking the ground given that there are so many affordable shops there.

I must say, even the entrance of a lousy (compared to other US stores) shopping mall like VCC looks so posh

Was trying to find out what VCC means. Finally got a picture of it!

There's a Chinese restaurant there! Authentic Chinese Food!!! Not the instant rice we have every night, or the pre-cooked heavily seasoned chicken...it's real roasted chicken with rice, chinese style. The stall owner is from China, and always look upon us as fellow countrymen when we visit her stall. It's so nice to meet a fellow chinese even though she's not a Singaporean (It's even nicer since she serves us authentic chinese food...i'm becoming a glutton:))

Look at these...how can i resist visiting her stall every time i go to VCC. It's tons and tons of sinful, authentic, chinese roasted chicken

Haven really had time to visit around but there's Victoria Secret there...and it's really pink. I dun know how can the staff working there stand all those pink in the store...it's really just pink, nothing by pink, pink and more pink!!!

And there's this store (my favourite) called Burlington (weird name though) It's something like the OG, Isetan of Singapore, selling various brands. The only thing different is that it is really cheap. I got 2 beverly hill polo club shirt at $12.99 each (I think this is of similar quality and more value for money as compared to Ralph Lauren, but u are paying for the horse when u buy Ralph Lauren), got a pair of Levi canvas shoes at $24.70. They really do have many brands there but i've bought too many clothing during my trip here (still way less than the female half of the population).

I remember this being in one of my marketing case study. It's so good to see the topic for ur case studies in real life...Walmart, Payless ShoeSource, Victoria's Secret etc

I think my mom will finally stop nagging at me to take care of my wardrobe and appearance. It's not that i dun appreciate nice clothes and fashion, but i just find them not worth the money, especially since my book list is ever increasing...and clothing really falls way below books.

Mark the Shopper (I am totally in over my head)

PS: I am finding it very hard to resist buying clothes now. Bought an old navy shirt cos i though the quality was very good and it cost only $6.99. I hope it does not become an addiction:(

We really have to count on each other...for food

I find it very interesting to see how my diet has changed over the weeks...ur diet keeps improving as u get to know more people.

The first week was sheer torture...it's cereal in the morning and energy bars throughout the day, even for lunch and dinner. That first week was horrendous...i think i can get away with it if i sue the theme park for ill-treating me.

Then came the 2nd week...where my roommie and I finally decided that we are pretty sick of energy bars. So we decide to move on to canned food and microwavable food. It's still pretty bad...but at least it's still convenient and taste to it. So it was like cold ham in the morning, and microwaved pizza for dinner.

And now, we are finally in the third week. Things have gotten way better. Now we have a big spread for breakfast, there's cereal, milk, bread, ham, sausages, eggs, peanut butter, blue berries etc etc. As for lunch, someone made lunch boxes for everyone to bring to work and we had fried rice for dinner as well (it tastes horrible but the chef spent 3 hrs on it...so must applaud his effort)

Alex's lunch box for yesterday...it really taste very good. I think he marinated the chicken on his own. So there's veg, meat and RICE (i miss eating rice:(

Anyway, things have gotten a lot better, at least in terms of food and nutrition wise. Got to know everyone around and learnt abt each others' specialty dishes. And it's more convenient for one person to cook in bulk and share rather than each person cooking their own stuff...saves time and money. Alex is generally very good with food so he's covering lunch. I rmb Kok's soup to be very tasty as well

So since i'm always the first to be awake, got appointed as the one in-charge of making breakfast. Like this job...have always been interested in making little stuff like cakes and cookies...very suitable for breakfast. And there's Alex who's making lunch boxes for everyone everyday (I admit he's a better chef than me...but i'm learning:)), and dinners is usually on our own (since we reach back at abt 10pm everyday, no one really has the energy to cook) but there might be surprises if someone came back early.

So i made this for my first breakfast. As u can see, i microwaved some ham and sausages, fried some pancakes and did scrambled eggs. Took less than hour to prepare all this. Need to think of new ideas for breakfast

Apparently, they were quite impressed with my scrambled eggs...were asking for the secret ingredient i added in to the eggs. Nothing special really...the secret lies with milk.

And so we have a lot to plan for the upcoming week. I am supposed to come up with something special for breakfast on my off-days. Currently only have waffles in my mind. But we are moving on to greater stuff...there might be Bak Ku Teh on the way. Can't wait to see what kind of dishes we will eventually progress to. But seriously, cooking is a hell lot of fun, especially cooking with and for others:)))

Mark, the budding chef

PS: There's potluck dinner on Sunday, so I need to brainstorm and showcase my fine culinary skills...gotta leave an impression:)

Shopping craze!

I didn't know i have this craze in me...until i reach this shopping paradise called Williamsburg (I know...weird name)

The day started off pretty interestingly...so basically 4 of us went to get the cars. Zhi Chuan and Alex were the driver...Erlisa was the point of contact and I guard the dorm's reserves (basically...credit card holder).

The car i'm primary in and drove the next day

So off we went to pick up the rest of the group. The initial drive back to the dorm was pretty dangerous. The cars were like in the middle of the road cos everyone was quite unsure abt the road orientation. Alex nearly got into a head-on collision for being on the wrong side of the road, Zhichuan's car skidded a little. Went to the petrol station and spent some time learning how to top-up petrol. After that, it was my turn to get onto the driver's seat...only drove for like 200m and got into my first near accident. Missed a turn and tried to turn in, causing the car to skid and crash into the bushes (heng ah). Quite terrified of driving after that...dun wan to jeopardize the lives of the passengers in the car.

It was pretty squeezy in the car., 5 in each, and off we went to Williamsburg. it's abt an hour and a half drive away. So Zhichuan and Ah Seng took over the steering wheel. We had a GPS and both car reached Williamsburg smoothly at around 12pm

The 3 girls decided to shop first (as expected) while the guys went to have lunch (kinda expected as well). Decided to meet at 3 for Ben & Jerry's at 3pm and then leave at 7pm. The range of outlets is pretty much everything top American brand. There's Ralph Lauren, Nautica, Kate Spade, Coach, Fossil, Oakley, Nike, Adidas, Converse, Crocodile, Lacoste, Hush Puppy among many others. If i'm not wrong, there are abt 40 different outlets there.

Some of the signboards showing the factory outlets...easily over 30 of them...all very established brands

Was done with my shopping at abt 3pm...spent abt $200 USD and was very very guilty abt it. It's a very conflicted feeling. U will feel very happy getting all of them at such a bargain, but u can't help feeling guilty for buying so much. So conflicted!!! Anyway, got to Ben & Jerry's with Ah Seng and Zhi chuan. Needless to say, no one else was there.

So we continued to shop...was getting very exhausted and sick of all these boutiques (i take my hat off for the female population for such stamina). The 3 of us decided to go for a drive...went to top up some petrol and wanted to visit a museum (ripley's) but it cost $15 so we decide to give it a miss and head back. Eventually, we concluded that everyone is likely to be late, so we took a short snooze in the car.

Ah Seng and Zhi Chuan at the petrol station

The two cars...in the evening

Everyone was pretty much slghtly late, but i was so relieved to hear that Jia Pei and Cassandra spend over $600 on themselves. At least now i can answer to my parents...i spent $250, but there were these bunch of ladies who spent like over $600 each. We managed to leave Williamsburg by 730, with Jia Pei whacking me throughout the ride for gloating over her expenditure. Guess where we are headed to...

THE VILLAGE CAFE (if u dun remember, it's the place where i had the milkshake). I think my puking incident left a very strong mark in everyone. They wanted to try the milkshake for themselves so we went there for dinner. The portions was pretty ridiculous...i could only finish half my pasta. We end up playing open numbers with food. So a bowl was passed around and everyone added some ingredients or sauces into it and the loser will have to eat it. Play for a few rounds, was lucky that i didn't have to eat any (although i volunteered and eat a small mouthful on the last round...sounds crazy but i just have to try it:) That's me!)

My pasta at the village cafe. See that coin over there? It's about the size of a 20 cent Singapore coin...crazy portion

I volunteered to help my friend with this...cos it was one whole piece of bread. The sour cream taste was overwhelming

So we drove back after dinner...on the way back, we passed by a cinema...and somehow, the car directed itself towards it. Only X-men first class was available and we caught the 11pm time slot. The movie ended around around 130am. X-Men first class is a pretty darn good movie, but i still hold my opinion that it is not an X-Men movie. Reach back around 230am, took a quick shower and headed to bed around 330.

The Cinema

The Movie ticket...apparently, it's free seating in Virginia

Reveille was at 630am cos we need to return the car by 9am. Left the dorm at 715 and went to topup petrol. I was driving with ZC in my car with Alex on the other wheel and Ben in his car. Alex is a crazy driver...turning into the wrong roads, going in the wrong direction. He turned into a major road but in the opp direction and did a U-turn while i was waiting for him on the other side of the road. He came over, and off he went. I shifted my gear, tap on my accelerator, look in front of me, and his car was no where to be found! HE HAS THE GPS!!! So it was basically just me and zhichuan in the car, finding our way based on memory. Had to stop and get down to ask for directions a couple of times. A 15 mins drive became a 1 hr drive...but i admit i enjoyed the drive...a bit anxious because we are lost, but regained the passion of driving and reveling in the adrenaline from the speed!

So there I was, haven driven a car in 1 year, drove at 150km/h, "hor landed" in a foreign land, with a left hand drive car and roads in opposite directiom...perfect recipe for a car accident. But luckily, i discovered that i was still a pretty competent driver after all these time...afterall, i was the one who managed to locate the rental company. So there Alex and Ben was, waiting for us in their car...gave them a short chiding for abandoning us...apparently, they were driving at 100 miles/hr...abt 160km/h.

So all in all, it was a pretty happening and crazy day, spent money like crazy, ate dinner like crazy and drove like crazy...really having the time of my life here!!!

Mark the Tai Tai

PS: If anyone is stil concern abt my nutrition, fret not. Been starting to eat well since we got to know each other better. 5 guys in the kitchen cooking is actually a lot of fun...had spaghetti, marinated chicken, corn, carrot and pork soup, mushroom, strawberries and root beer for dinner. It's really a nice feeling, everyone coming out of their dorms with a little something, and then proceeding to the kitchen to see wat we can do with the little things everyone has.

Trip to Richmond, capital of Virginia (Part 2)

Alright...let's forget abt the embarrassing moments in Part 1

So my very nice American supervisor brought us out for breakfast at Aunt's Sarah...and we finally learned how to tip properly there. So the waitress comes up with a receipt and an expected tipping amount. The bill came up to abt $32 and we gave a $4 tip. So we brought all $36 to the counter and paid for the bill. Confused, she looked at us and returned us the $4. So we told her that it was for tips and gave the money to her. So there we are, pushing the $4 to and fro from one another...until Christopher (American Friend) came over and realised wat was going on. Apparently, we are suppose to leave the tips on the table and not give it to the counter...slightly embarrassed, though still not as bad as the night before

So this is Aunt Sarah's...there's free wifi:) and the pancakes and breakfasts are really delicious

I had this for breakfast...$5.99. Couldn't finish it...we all know why the Americans are at least twice my size

Ben's breakfast...very generous serving for egg and ham

So he dropped us at the Virginia Science Museum and went off to work.

So this is the Science museum...paid $5. Was $11 initially but apparently there was some event on that day and the ticket price was sponsored

Demo on rats playing basketball. I was expecting more...like a 2 on 2 and real shooting. But it was just 2 rats taking turns to jump through hoops with the ball

Tarantula...nice

I know...why are there no pictures of me. Here's one! Love the globe behind me

After the museum, we took a public bus to capitol building. Got to experience some American hospitality on the bus. The bus driver was very helping in showing us the way...but i was more touched by the passengers. The bus fare was $3, but we only have $2 with us. Our next smallest change is a 10. So we were just abt to put the 10 in when someone approached us on the bus. Then everyone on the bus started to pool their coins and shillings together to help us make that dollar. Eventually, we got someone to break our $10 into smallest note. Interestingly, none of them wanted their coin backs. So, that's some American hospitality for us.

My Iphone's cam sucks...but I'm on a public bus

Thought it was interesting...cos it was a pedestrian crossing and a red man. Follow the red man.

Cannot rmb wat this is

It says "United States Court of Appeal". SO EXCITING

I think this is Capitol Building...not too sure. Looks like a church

It says Washington there

And that's me and Washington

Silver Fire Hydrant...exquisite

So we took a 45 mins walk to the American civil war museum and the James river...The roads are pretty easy to navigate...straight roads. So was like asking around for directions, how far is it, how many blocks down etc. We met 3 Singaporean students at the museum and decided to travel together...since we are living in the same area and going to the same place

That's one of them...got her in the picture accidentally

Washington and me, BFF

Suspension bridge at James river...it links to another island

Me again

It's shaking~

And so, those 3 girls heard abt the puke-inducing milkshake and wanted to try it...so it was another 1hr of brisk walking back to "The Village Cafe"...it started drizzling and we nearly missed the bus (if we were to miss the bus, the next bus will come in 5 freaking hours)

The Jefferson Hotel

I wonder wat is that doing on the side of a building

A close-up of it...anyone recognise who this is? u dun just stick a random face on the side of a building

Mark the Photographer (I admit i suck at it)

PS: It's actually a very boring place...nothing much to see. Please find some where more interesting to visit if u ever come over