Due to some stuff.. I decided to delete my previous posts..

So.. after starting afresh

Some reflections =)

Wow, it’s first of June already. It’s a new month in Austin… Amazing =)
As usual, I’m more inclined to words than photos, so my blog entries in the future will probably be filled with words and hardly any photos…. =p So bear with my many words if you read my blog haha~

I was initially gonna let this blog die off again because I was so darn lazy to update again… But I thought, “hey, I should attempt to revive it! I want to read bout my Austin memories when I return to Penang” =)

Life in Austin is just greater than I ever would have imagined =) It’s like I’ve been suffocated for so long, and for the first time, I’m breathing~~ =) It’s truly God’s blessing and His great plan to bring me so far to the US, away from home~
I’m leaving all my problems and pain in Penang to just take a breath of fresh air, away from my unhappy past life and my daily struggles at home. It’s just wonderful to live for myself for once, to live for God and to really feel Him wanting me to grow according to His plan. I want to keep growing spiritually, and develop more confidence in myself, and in God =)

Of course I'm not naive enough to believe that this "i can do anytg" feeling will last forever, especially when I return to Penang and face all the problems in my life again... But I want to concentrate on growing spritually and in confidence here in Austin, that I will be stronger in handling my life's boogie monsters =p

God’s family is also so great here in Austin, the people at church are really friendly, and I hope to warm up to them and for them to warm up to me soon =)I still can't believe they have adult Sunday classes here *giggles* it's still so weird to me... haha~

I’ve also noticed that I can still remain soft here… Everyone was telling me to toughen up when going to America, I’m gonna get crushed if I still remain the same. But at the end of the day, I know God made me this way.. To be gentle… and soft-hearted… and still a bit playful inside despite my growing age *sigh* I’m determined to be myself even in a land of very assertive and loud people =) I used to hate being quiet among my noisier friends, but now I guess I'm content with who I am, even if it's hard sometimes~

I just can’t wait to see what the future days and weeks ahead hold for me~ I’m a little Penang island girl out on a Texas cowgirl adventure, and hopefully will update my blog when I’m not so lazy =D

Photos

Just a few photos to upload, of my apartment, and myabe a few others I can throw in before my dinner appointment..



The super pretty living room, it's so comfy~



My lovely kitchen with that pretty American oven I always see in the movies. I just had to have a photo with it =)



The super comfy beds that make my jetlag worse, cos I just don't wanna come outta bed, sigh ^^"


The lovely fireplace that I keep looking at.. It's not the nice brick type of fireplace I usually imagine, but it's still a fireplace *beams* =)


I wish I had more time to upload photos, but it's already 11smtg pm here, and I need to wake up early so I don't doze off at work tmr =p Goodnight~

Uh-oh: It's the homesick blue bugs buzzing over my head~

Today was my first day at National Instruments. I don't know how much I can blog about it since it's supposed to be all confidential info there, they had a briefing to talk bout privacy issues. But it should be ok, I'll just blog bout my experiences anyway, nothing technical.

My supervisor, who has been ever so kind to me since day 1, came by the apartment at 8am to pick me and Pui Yee up... I still can't get used to the driver's side on the left.. I wanted to sit in the passenger seat, but went to the wrong side >.< Was initially excited.. But a tsunami of homesickness suddenly hit me when I entered the orientation room. The room was filled with all the American interns, most of them from Austin so they were all so near home. And Pui Yee and I were the only ones who were so far from home. I still couldn't really click with the Americans yet, but I did talk to one other intern who was very nice, she's from Austin.

Then I got excited and couldn't wait to try out my work badge, after seeing my sister and brother-in-law always carrying their cool tags around, I finally have one! =) I got so excited everytime I had to scan it in front of the doors =)

Then the moment I had been waiting for: my cubicle!! I've got a pretty spacious and pretty cubicle just opposite the coffee maker, so I'm gonna be drinking lotsa coffee again haha (there goes my caffeine rehab). I've noticed that Americans are so friendly and nice, but they are so confident and strong in voice and personality that sometimes I feel a bit hesitant when talking to them. It's the inferiority complex I will need to break down when talking Americans.

I then went for the drug test where I had to... ahem... in a cup and then proceeded back to my cubicle. Then suddenly all the tiredness from the past 3 days just bursted out.. I've only been having 3 or 4 hours since coming here due to all the things I hv to do to settle into the apartment and all... Was so tired I just sat down in my chair, stunned. I guess it's OK for the first day of work? I'm sure everyone experience first day work blues?

I have no idea what I'm going to do tmr because my PC has problems logging in, so I might just be staring at my cubicle walls... I'll probably go disturb my supervisor at the cubicle tmr, I hope he doesn't get tired of 'babysitting' me the whole week.

I'm feeling a bit pressured already when he sat down with me today and listed down all the goals he'd like me to achieve during this internship, and also all the monitoring that's gonna take place. I guess this internship is really good because it's gonna really test me on my ability to communicate with other people. My introverted nature makes me sigh when I think of going out of my cubicle to talk to other ppl... ESPECIALLY since it's my first time working, and it's in a foreign land with foreign ppl I can't quite relate to and understand yet....

But I must push myself to start stepping out of my comfort zone and perform in this internship. So that during my mid-internship and end of internship review, I won't be crushed by bad comments from my managers..

I miss my big sister.. I just read her blog, and it made me so homesick, she transferred her blues to me... I miss you too, big sis =(

What a long blog post with so many words.. will try uploading photos b4 my dinner appointment later.. I just want to crawl into bed and sleep =( But this is the time to make connections in the business world, not hide in my room~ ok, gonna browse through my photos now~ =)

My Austin adventure: It begins! =)

I'm in Austin! =) The journey here was something I'll never forget, and which I will not remember with much joy =p 30smtg hours traveling was incredibly exhausting! The journey was so hectic..

Penang to KL: This was a sweet memory, said bye to my family and my friends Isaac and Chuang Ki who were nice enough to wake up so early to just say bye to me for 5mins at the airport!! My lip were wobbling a bit when I waved goodbye to my sis, aunt and uncle (hmm maybe even my big bully brother-in-law), but I didn't cry, yay =)

KL to Hong Kong: Disaster begins. Only one hour to find my way around the huge KLIA before my transit flight to Hong Kong. Arrived on time, but the lady at the transfer counter was a new employee who kept chewing on her lips, figuring out how to print out the boarding pass >.< After she finally printed it out, I only had 20 mins to board the plane. Ran like mad to the Aerotrain, ran like made to the boarding gate, and managed to throw myself in the plane before they leave without me =p

Hong Kong to San Francisco: Nice and pretty. Only stopped here for a bit, had fun listening to the Hong Kong slang, it really sounds like TVB!! But was so upset when I found out Malaysia airlines didn't send my luggage to San Francisco, it was lost somewhere. Was so tired from travelling that I wanted to cry, but couldn't. Luckily my friend Pui Yee was around, so I didn't feel so upset and alone. They told me to report my luggage at Austin

San Franciso to Austin: This was really smooth. Ran to the baggage claim counter to make a report, but they couldn't do much, since it's MAS fault, sigh. I was so upset, but luckily me and Pui Yee's supervisors were there to meet us at the Austin airport. It was so nice to see someone walking towards me with a card saying 'Genny' when I was feeling so tired (hadn't slept almost 30 hours) and suddenly feeling alone without luggage in the huge US...

And now I'm in my apartment. It's so beautiful, it's like a magical place I've always dreamt of since I was a little girl. Small and cosy, carpeted, and it has a pretty fireplace! I won't be using it of course since it's summer, but I love looking at it =) There are such beautiful trees outside the apartment, it's like a fairytale~ I've had no time to take many photos, I'll be snapping away when I finally have free time =)

Spent the whole day shopping today to replace the things I lost in my baggage. Spent so much T.T sakit hati-nya~ But I think MAS will compensate if I keep the receipts. I'm gonna seriously go bankrupt if I have to buy 5 months of clothes in the US if I can't get my luggage.

I start my orientation in National Instruments tomorrow morning at 8am, I can't wait =)I hope I'll have time to keep updating this blog as often as I can~ =)

Will be uploading photos soon when i hv free time! =)