Update 76-01
Update 76-01
Back To Life
5th September 2006
11:15 PMI'm in another motel now, that isn't that bad. Its actually pretty decent. Contrary to my initial beliefs, there IS internet. Lucky me. Now for bad news (Which usually comes with good news). We'll only be able to move into the appartments on Friday. Manager promised us to expedite it but it doesn't look that hopefully. I can't wait. Ah well. Just gotta tahan a bit more of this living out of a suitcase lifestyle. To look on the bright side, at least I can give more random insights into my new American life. What should I rant about today? Hmm let's see... We just came back from shopping, rather scouting, for stuff. I don't think we can buy anything until we get the appartment. I'm feeling rather alienated and in a somewhat surreal holiday mood; simply put, not at all settled. My life here still feels quite temporary and makeshift. With the appartment, hopefully we can buy stuff for reals and make home seem a little more like home.
Anyway, enough about the appartment (Or lack of). Its a very mixed feeling buying stuff all over again. Comparatively speaking, it was much easier moving into a new place in America compared to Singapore. It only takes one day to settle your car and a week to get your appartment whereas it takes approximately a month or so in Singapore to get the same results. Nontheless, from big ticket items like cars and houses to everyday things taken forgranted like toothbrushes and cutlery, buying all this stuff again is both exciting and somewhat depressing at the same time. Its exciting cuz you get to start all over again, redesign your house to look the way you want it to be, add new furniture, customize the way your room looks, etc. but its a completely waste of time and money shopping for stuff you already have back at your old home. Sorry. Random rant.
On that note, I think it would be moderately interesting to discuss a little observation that I've made ever since moving here a mere 4, 5 days ago. They call Singapore a 'shopping paradise' but surprisingly enough, I somehow hardly ever feel compelled to buy stuff over there. Down here, on the other hand, I feel really tempted to breeze through Wal-Mart loading up my cart with stuff. Maybe its because I just got here and need to fill up an empty house... But really, I feel this sublime, yet pertinent urge to buy things here. Ironically enough, America, not widely recognized for its convenience, is a very easy place for shopping cuz its often the case that one can one can find anything and everything from groceries to gardening merchandise under a single roof; epitomized by hypermarkets like Wal Mart, K-Mart, or Target.
I've been doing alot of thinking, especially when shopping around for cars and what-not. I sort of wonder where my parents are getting the money to fund all these things. Shipping stuff here: $8,000. Plane tickets, including return tickets which we cant, and never will use: $5,000. Rent per month for upmarket appartment: $2,200. New sofa set: $3,000. New dining table & chairs: $1,000. Beds & Matresses: $2,000. Desk, chair, cupboards, lamps, other misc. furniture etc.: $2,000. Cell phone charges a month: $100. Cable & Internet fees a month: $150. Needless to say, its not exactly your typical budget vacation.
So as we hunted around for cars, I decided to be neutral on the decision-making process and not demand too much on my parents in terms of a high-end, prestige-luxury cars as I did when I was a superficial, materialistic kid. I believe I begged my parents to get a BMW or something just to fit into ACS a decade ago. Hopefully alot has changed since then haha. Sighs. Although my scholarship pays me a fine $300+ every month, it doesn't even come close to covering all our expenses. Out of a job for nearly a year now, I wonder what my parents have been doing to make ends meet. So yep. Sighs.
I don't intend for this to be another emo post - Considering it's just mostly random rants about the States... I suppose I just needed to articulate and get thse sentiments out of my system since I have no one else to talk to around here. I reckon we live really enchanted lives in Singapore. All our needs are taken care of and everything's so stable to the extent that it seems that all one needs to do there is just study really really hard. Trading liberty for security, I dare say I've led a rather fairytale life in Singapore. Because of that, I guess I've been taking that everything else forgranted. Hmm. Probably job searching for myself soon, the harsh reality that we're by no means financially well off is slowly sinking in. Guess it took 10,000 miles and 18 hour plane ride to wake me up to realize that. Life has never been this real.
