Thursday, August 30, 2007

toilet troubles

I am officially the problem solver of the apartment - i fixed the internet, (well, actually Jordan fixed the internet but I fixed by proxy) i dealt with the phone company so now we can get a phone line and most recently, i fixed the toilet. i've also been know to perform feats of strength (ie. opening mayo jars, lifting beds and moving desks...) *thank you sifu for all that strength training* hahaha! Those Korean girls really need to eat some MEAT.

yay! internet!

it's 8:30am and i'm waiting for my PIN from the school to be sent via email so i can register for my classes this Fall....so are the other 300 people in the AAS programs as well. so today is the glorious day when the whole world of new students at AAS register, i'm wondering if the school servers can handle it...the last thing we need is a major crash in the system *touch wood*

good news is: the furniture is finally coming today! so i'm going to be home for most of the time to ensure the furniture gets placed properly. last night, i had a heck of a time with the internet but thankfully all it needed was a call to my very, own, very personal IT support over in Boston and all is well with the wireless in my apartment! *thanks baby!* i still need to settle with the telephone jack issue though...there are none in the apartment! so i need to figure out how to get those installed...

yesterday was another day filled with advising appointments, socializing orientations, international students orientation and a campus tour. discovered several canadians, mostly east coasters though. no singaporeans as yet, although i did hear there was 1 malaysian from the UK but i don't think she's in the Fashion program.

i'm happy to report that my area is very convenient, littered with grocery stores, restaurants, delis, bagel shops, pharmacies, dry cleaners, banks etc. the subway is less than a 3 minute walk from my front door and there are bus stops all along the street. its supposed to be an up and coming area, it feels very Yaletownish but at the same time, it also feels like a University town too and you gotta love 'em squirrels..hahaha!

and i just received this email:
Dear AAS Students,I understand that you have not received your alt-pin for registration yet. No students have been emailed alt-pins yet; you are not the only one. All students will be emailed the alt-pin list by 9:30am. We apologize for the delay.

its undergrad all over again...

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Pooped

So no furniture yet. But I met my room mates - they are both korean and aimable. They brought everything though...rice cooker, pots, pans - all in 2 suitcases! I on the otherhand, sheepishly lugged in 3 suitcases of nothing but clothes, accessories and shoes. Much to my roomies amazement. Hahahaha. In true fashion style. Hee.

I forsee our apartment being furnitureless in the living and dining room - my roomies aren't going to be around for more than a year so investing in furniture isn't worth their while. But we still need a place to eat! I'm looking into renting furniture possibly or at least a large coffee table and some throw cushions.

Went shopping today. Note to self: make reservations for car rentals. No IKEA or Target today cos, no car :( So Bed, Bath and Beyond it is to purchase only the basics. I'm leaving the rest to my trip to Jersey. Ventured to Chinatown as well - I was overwhelmed by how huge it is! It felt nothing like North America - it felt like I was in Asia! Everything and everyone was asian, chattering of foreign tongues and Chinese characters on all the store signs - it was like Hong Kong all over again! Note to self: bring all visitors to Chinatown! but not on weekends... After getting lost - we eventually found the absolute necessity of all Asians - an Asian supermarket. (Thank God for Google maps on my phone!) My respects and gratitude go out to TNT - Deluxe and Dynasty Supermarkets are nothing compared to TNT back home! TNT I MISS U! Even managed to steal a drink at a cool bubble tea spot! ;)

Orientation tomorrow. I'm pooped.

Hello New York City!

This blog is a chronicle of a new chapter in my life for family, friends and anyone else who cares: My little life in large Mahanttan - being away from home for the first-time, attempting to feed myself and educate myself on Big Apple living and lifestyles.

Finally, I'm here.We arrived late last night and went to the deli across the street to buy some food.After our showers, we settled into our lovely Marriot hotel room on Lexington.
It is an old hotel and very much a beautiful one too, with an old world, black and white art deco feel. Our beds are soft and fluffy, typical of all Marriots.

This morning, we went to collect the keys to my apartment. After a line-up and photo-taking Aftering lining up for keys and photo-taking for ID - we went to scope out the apartment. Its located in the East Village about a 15-20minute walk to school. The building is old, but everything inside it is brand new! The smell of fresh paint permeated the rooms and I was relieved to find air-conditioners in every room!


bedroom
kitchen
living/dining
bathroom

After checking out the apartment, we decided to take a walk to find my school. The streets are lined with old brick buildings, small stores, rod-iron fire escapes, very much like how you see it on television. It is hot and extremely humid. We're working up a sweat just walking! We find 5th Ave in Downtown, after going through Union Square and several weekend markets to look for an AT&T to activate my new NY cell phone - and eventually find my school, not before stopping by H&M and Coach and walking by many familiar US stores like J.Crew, Banana Republic, Kenneth Cole, Juicy Couture etc! And this is just 5th Ave downtown!! Not even close to mid-town or uptown! Geeee....


Lunch is at a pasta and pizzeria. Yum yum....

Took a subway back to Lexington (trains are ACed but stations aren't!) and retreaed from the heat and humidity. I signed online to set up my phone with iTunes and registered with AT&T. After an hour of trouble shooting - I finally did it. And then it was off to dinner with my Dad's friends at Picholine and then back to the hotel to watch some National Georgraphic, as we are doing now!