Leap Day

Some time ago I got to know about NATAS Travel 2008.

And I know the last time when my family went to Melbourne to attend my brother's graduation ceremony, my dad got our tickets from Chan Brothers.

So I suggested to Ivan that we go on the first day (I'm kiasu whaaaat) and he informed Chui Ying who brought Dai Jing along. I knew Chui Ying from SOW 2007, and Dai Jing last semester in tutorial, she's Jing Yi's friend.

We were supposed to meet at noon today, and guess what. I overslept! (What's new?!) I woke up only at 1207 when Ivan called. Ooops. And I rushed and took a cab ($5.20) down to Singapore Expo. So sorry I was late.

No photos were taken because the layout of the exhibition wasn't the point.

The point was. Cheap tickets! Cheap tickets!!!

Ivan, DJ and CY inquired at Diner's Travel and oh my the tickets were expensive. SGD 2700+ for SIA. Faint. I can't remember the price for other airlines.

When I reached they were queuing for CTC Holidays. Waited for quite a long while.

The agent who served us was this experienced auntie who advised us nicely what to do and what not and what we should do.

We were first offered Thai Airways at SGD 1550, it was the cheapest then. I partly objected to Thai Airways because of some unsatisfactory experience. We were also looking into other airlines, like Cathay (SGD 1590) and SIA (SGD 1800+). The deal for SIA is good, because it's about two hundreds bucks more but we get to take our country's airline!! Usually it's more than $2000 ma. But the dates were lousy, so were the Cathay ones. We'll return only after school starts.

Therefore we're left with Thai. -____- And this time our initial offer was taken up, so we were offered another one at SGD 1590. Therefore we're taking Thai Airways, no personal TV =(, and we'll transit at Bangkok. Sounds familiar. (this was exactly what happened when I went to Europe last year!!! SIANNNNN I don't get to experience another airline.)

And the thing is I have to change to a new passport!!! Going to USA is the problem =( I must change to the biometric one else it'll be very troublesome. Oh bother. I still can use my passport for the next seven years! And it's gonna be another cost!

I'll be leaving on June 18 and will return on August 7.

A total of 51 days away from home.

Submission of relevant documents

We had to submit a cheque as deposit, a photocopy of passport, and a photocopy of the bankbook to the office by tomorrow, 20 February.


At ~1600hrs

So I got the stuff ready and went to submit it, and I had to sign a name list that verified that I've submitted the documents.

And I saw 'Liang Zhi Wen' below my name.

Isn't that Ivan's name?

I called Ivan immediately and he was like "真的吗?!"

-_-

So I informed the office that Ivan didn't receive any email and asked them to send him again.

A while later Ivan called again. The email that he should've received on Friday was actually in his spam mail.

I don't know how something from the Dean's Office will land there.

And I was guilty for days.

KNS. Liang Zhi Wen you better watch out!

And now I felt guilty that Eve isn't going to UCLA with us. Though she preferred UoT.

Sighhhhhhhhh.

Results!

At ~2300 hrs

I checked my school email when I returned from tuition today.

I received an email from the Summer Programme unit.

Dear Students,

Congratulations! We are pleased to inform you that you have been selected for the University of California (Los Angeles), Summer Programme 2008.

YEAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was more of relief that I get to go =)

Evelyn was having her Chingay performance tonight, so I didn't call her first and called Ivan instead.

After numerous clicking, it seemed like Ivan didn't receive any email. =( And I felt horrible because I get to go and Ivan didn't and it was Ivan who asked me to join him in the summer programme.

So I got really guilty.

I called Evelyn to tell her about the acceptance, thereafter she called me back and said she's accepted to UoT.

And we're all going different ways. I'm going UCLA, Eve's going UoT, Ivan didn't get anything.

I felt a bit lost because I didn't know who I was going with.

Evelyn has got Yanru and Jia Yan, friend and acquaintance from Meridian.

Interview for UoT

At 1030hrs

I guess we wanted to go everywhere.

And we went for the University of Toronto interview as well.

The interviewer seemed to be frustrated with all of us, i.e., people in the same interview slot.

He said, 'None of you said that you will contribute the FoS when you return.'

And I felt so shitty after that.

Interview for UCLA

At 1030hrs

Evelyn, Ivan and I went to the Dean's office for an interview with the in-charge of the Summer Programme.

We were told that for every person that they accept, they have to reject another two.

I don't know how we did, it's pretty hard to gauge whether we have a chance or not.

This journal

This journal is set up to record Erina's Journey to the West.

Everybody does this.

But I don't care.

I think it's useful. So I'm gonna do this. Yea.

Erina's Westward Journey - Sojourn in the West.

Dictionary:
Sojourn
–noun
1. a temporary stay: during Erina's sojourn in Los Angeles.
–verb (used without object)
2. to stay for a time in a place; live temporarily: to sojourn in America for 51 days.