5/22/2006
Wooww long time no blog...yeah internet access is very limited now that I am in Asia. Thankfully, I am staying in a hotel in Guangzhou now so internet access isn't a problem. Let's pick up where I left off after I quit my job
1. Freaked out two days before I left upon informed that my F1 visa would be turned down if I'd ever applied for greencard which I did through my ex-employer. I sulked all day long coz my ex-employer's attorney wasn't returning my call. My boyfriend was kind enough to do research for me (while I sulked) and found out that as long as I have not filed for I-485 or whatever it is after the labor cert stage then I am ok. We confirmed the next day by walking into the attorney's office (and praise God she's very nice and didn't charge me a penny)
2. Got my F1 visa (phewwwwww) and the nice officer gave me a-5-year visa. It wasn't without a hurdle. He had interviewed me (only 5 mins: why are you taking an MBA, what do you plan to do after an MBA, who's financing it, and why berkeley. All my supporting documents weren't even touched) and was about to pull up my file when the computer suddenly went down. I have to came back 2 hours later. Standing in line for hours and hours under a scorching tropical sun at a heavily guarded US embassy is anything but painful.
3. Began my vacation in Bali with my boyfriend. We liked Bali a lot, it has nice beaches, cool hang out venues, fine restaurants, fine arts, and hundreds of years of history but it was pretty empty probably due to the bombings. My BF liked it so much except for the weather, he was oooing and aaahing over the heat and extreme humidity. Things got even more hilarious when we went to Jakarta and Medan where my family lives. My house isn't a modern house i.e. we use a squat toilet and showerless bath (haul a water from a tank into a bucket and pour it over your body) so going to a bathroom was very adventurous for him :)
4. Went to China with my parents. We are hoping for a major medical breakthrough for my dad. He's doing much better and much more cheerful but his speech is still impaired. He can repeat what we said but can't produce his own sentences when he wants to speak. Hopefully the east meets west medical treatment will do some good.
Guangzhou, where I am right now, is so much more modern compared to what it was 4 years ago when I last visited. It even has a rapid transit system like subway. People there are also very fashionable (kind of resembling their hongkong neighbors). One complaint that I have is that people have yet to take rules seriously. I was standing in a "8 items or less only" check out line at a supermarket with three bottles of water in my hand. A couples of guys with a lot more than 8 items obliviously stand in that line albeit the sign. I was about to give a lip service to the check out lady (who didn't even refused service to the aforementioned people) when the guy behind me started barking at her...it created a little drama but he'd surely saved my breath.
1. Freaked out two days before I left upon informed that my F1 visa would be turned down if I'd ever applied for greencard which I did through my ex-employer. I sulked all day long coz my ex-employer's attorney wasn't returning my call. My boyfriend was kind enough to do research for me (while I sulked) and found out that as long as I have not filed for I-485 or whatever it is after the labor cert stage then I am ok. We confirmed the next day by walking into the attorney's office (and praise God she's very nice and didn't charge me a penny)
2. Got my F1 visa (phewwwwww) and the nice officer gave me a-5-year visa. It wasn't without a hurdle. He had interviewed me (only 5 mins: why are you taking an MBA, what do you plan to do after an MBA, who's financing it, and why berkeley. All my supporting documents weren't even touched) and was about to pull up my file when the computer suddenly went down. I have to came back 2 hours later. Standing in line for hours and hours under a scorching tropical sun at a heavily guarded US embassy is anything but painful.
3. Began my vacation in Bali with my boyfriend. We liked Bali a lot, it has nice beaches, cool hang out venues, fine restaurants, fine arts, and hundreds of years of history but it was pretty empty probably due to the bombings. My BF liked it so much except for the weather, he was oooing and aaahing over the heat and extreme humidity. Things got even more hilarious when we went to Jakarta and Medan where my family lives. My house isn't a modern house i.e. we use a squat toilet and showerless bath (haul a water from a tank into a bucket and pour it over your body) so going to a bathroom was very adventurous for him :)
4. Went to China with my parents. We are hoping for a major medical breakthrough for my dad. He's doing much better and much more cheerful but his speech is still impaired. He can repeat what we said but can't produce his own sentences when he wants to speak. Hopefully the east meets west medical treatment will do some good.
Guangzhou, where I am right now, is so much more modern compared to what it was 4 years ago when I last visited. It even has a rapid transit system like subway. People there are also very fashionable (kind of resembling their hongkong neighbors). One complaint that I have is that people have yet to take rules seriously. I was standing in a "8 items or less only" check out line at a supermarket with three bottles of water in my hand. A couples of guys with a lot more than 8 items obliviously stand in that line albeit the sign. I was about to give a lip service to the check out lady (who didn't even refused service to the aforementioned people) when the guy behind me started barking at her...it created a little drama but he'd surely saved my breath.
posted by hokidoki | 8:23 AM
2 Comments:
i wish your father a speedy and successful recovery....
and i wish you a boat-load of fun while you are at home. you should pile up a lot of energy...because people say that mba is a lot of work ;)
Hi! I came across your blog through admissions411. I will also be attending Haas in the fall and just wanted to drop off a quick greeting. Hope you're enjoying your time off from work! Tomorrow's my last day of work and I'm more than ready to be done!
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