Friday, December 30, 2016

Goodbye 2016...Hello 2017

Here we go again, wrapping up another great year as we welcome 2017. This year had been quite a smooth-sailing one, pretty much similar to the last year but certainly proud of myself for accomplishing some goals. :) Personally, this had been a busy 'work' year for me, especially the last 3 months and I'm starting to lose track of some of the things that we've done and places we've traveled to this year, coz it's been quite awhile since I had a break. Yes, I'm a millennial who can't function with all work and no play. :P Anyway, here's a quick recap of our 2016:

Travel
Started the year in Europe (Prague), Summer getaway to Central America (Cancun & Guatemala) in June, and revisited Asia (Hong Kong, M'sia, South Korea) during our home trip in September. Was able to lower our travel cost this year by using points and miles for the first time to fund our entire Central America trip. :)

Kicked-off the New Year traveling from Vienna to Prague


This year was also siblings wedding year...back-to-back weddings for SIL in Huntsville followed by twin bro's in Penang. Happy to see the fambam again after 8 months! :)

Summary of my travels for 2016 (work+leisure):
  • Number of hotel nights - 75 nights (SPG-53; Marriott-13; Hilton-6; Hyatt-3)
  • Number of hotels - 17 hotels (SPG-10; Marriott-3; Hilton-2; Hyatt-2) 
  • Number of flights - 14 roundtrips (10 Delta + 2 AA + 2 United)
  • Number of airlines - 9 airlines (Delta, United, AA, Copa, Cathay Pacific, Korean Airlines, SIA, MAS, Southwest)

Work
As I mentioned above, this year had been a busy year at work. Even though my 2nd work year here was more hectic than the 1st year, I'm grateful for all the new opportunities and thankful to be able to stay in town for majority of the year. I've had the opportunity to travel a pretty good bit for work this year and certainly enjoyed the perks that came with it. :P 


One of the perks for work travel. :P 'Achievement unlocked'...highest status for 4 major hotel chains...hahaha! :P Well, I actually killed 4 birds with 1 stone thanks to the SPG-Marriott merger. :P


Living
We decided to continue with our weekend/part-time job as gardeners again this year, which kept us busy from March till July. We got a lil' too ambitious and greedy this year, and ended up being overwhelmed by the amount of work we had to do during harvest. =.= Lesson learnt, we are scaling down next year. :P

Canned tomatoes, pickles, frozen zucchini noodles, and corns, which should last us for a year...lol!!

Study
After having to study for exams non-stop for the past 9 months, I was so glad and relieved to finally complete all 4 papers for the CPA exams without failing in June!! Officially a 'licensed' CPA here in the States...oh yeahhhh!! =)

Oh all the troubles and efforts that I had to go through to finally get this card!

Thankful for a great 2016. I don't usually have New Year's resolutions but I do have some goals and several things on my to-do list that I would like to accomplish. Not quite sure what's in store for us in 2017 but looking forward to more success (especially at work) and adventures with hubby!! 2017 is gonna be a special year...10th year of blogging and I'm turning 30!! :P

Monday, December 26, 2016

三周年‘特辑'...《我们的故事》

虽然过去几年来一直都在这里分享我生活的点滴,可关于我俩的事,除了那难得几次的见面和结婚影片之外,其实并没啥提及到。如今结婚三周年,并在一起生活了两年,想把我们这段六年远距离恋爱的故事整理整理并做个记录。


老实说,08年到美国游学之前完全没想过会在异地认识到能交往的对象(更别说是老外),毕竟短短的九个月后就得回到原来的生活。可人生往往就是这样,很多事都沒辦法预测,只有一连串的意外和偶遇,也不知道什么时候不小心就会和某个人某件事产生连结。缘分这东西,真的很玄,好来不来,偏偏等到我跑到这大老远的地方才来。


我们之所以相识是因为他是我室友的哥哥。还记得那时候才刚般进宿舍没几天,他妹妹就告诉我说她哥哥喜欢亚洲女孩。当初我还真的不以为意,觉得她纯粹想找话题谈而已。殊不知还不到一个月,他就借用探望妹妹为由跑到我们宿舍来,撮合了我们的初次见面。(交往后偶然发现他竟然有卧虎长龙的DVD,而且他的理想型是杨紫琼)。我们之所以这么快就开始交往,主要是因为我俩对彼此都有好感,也多亏他积极的追求。重点是他的审美眼光跟大部分亚洲男不一样,很多我自认为在亚洲标准上的不足,和所谓的强势,对他来说却是值得欣赏的优点。


当初决定交往前我最大的顾虑就是这段感情很有可能在我回国后就会结束,毕竟分隔两地后会发生什么事,谁也没办法预测。从一开始就知道未来很渺茫的感情,为何我们还决定开始呢?与其说是被爱情冲昏头,不如说是想活在当下,把握眼前的缘分。即便有太多的未知数,我俩还是决定把握那短短几个月的时间,给彼此机会多了解对方。


老实说,当初我真的不觉得这段感情能持久,也不确定他到底有多认真。刚开始交往时,我俩常常都意见不合,尤其当我们谈及文化或两地之间的差异,大部分时候都是冷战收场。这时候我就会反问自己,一个人千里迢迢来到美国虽然说是为了文化交流,可为何要自讨苦吃,谈什么异国恋搞得自己不开心。说实话,文化和想法的差异是改变不了的事实,尽管我们都尽量解释各自的立场和观点,可是文化差异这东西很复杂,也很难说到底是西方文化或东方文化比较好。从这些争执中我们渐渐学会了接受彼此文化和想法的差异,就算我们未必赞同对方的想法,至少我们开始学会避开这些‘地雷’。经过了8年的磨合,如今我们基本都不再因为文化差异而争执,反而价值观和生活模式都越来越融洽。


话说回来,真的让我感动并感受到他对这一份感情的认真,是当他开了十多小时的车北上到纽约,就为了跟我一起倒数跨年,也算是第一次短暂地见了我父母。然后那年的圣诞节他也花了一番心思准备了我的圣诞礼物,而我过后才从他妹妹那里听说他拜托他母亲和妹妹跟他一起去买我的项链。可能我单纯,不过我觉得如果他不是100%认真的话,肯定不会去探寻家人的意见买我的礼物。不过认真归认真,有一次因为他太白目,在我遇到一些事,最需要安慰的时候说了些不该说的话,让我觉得很受委屈。当时我真的有考虑结束这段感情,反正一两个月后我就得离开,短痛不如长痛。我忘了我们最终怎么解决这个困境,不过我们总算逃过了第一个分手危机。


09年5月终于到了说再见的日子,那天早上在机场道别时心情特别沉重、特别失落,主要是因为这次道别后我们都不知道是否会有机会再见。即使有机会再见面,又会是多久以后呢?说实话,我们也没把握能经营好远距离恋爱。当时我们也写了信给对方,纵使我俩都知道我们的故事很可能就这样结束,不过我们都抱着感恩的心,感谢这份缘分让我们有机会在短短的几个月里给彼此制造了许多美好的回忆。我们也达成共识,要是任何一方遇到适合的对象,我们都会尊重对方的决定。毕竟我们还是得面对现实,就算少了对方在身边,我们还是得过我们该过的生活。


接下来的一年半我们每天都通过网络聊天。对很多人来说,这么长的时间没见面还算是谈恋爱吗?而这样分隔两地又有时差难道我们都不担心第三者的存在吗?我还真的从来都不担心这点,除了道别时达成的共识之外,我俩的生活习惯都很规律,除了上班上课之外,大部分时间都是宅在家上网或玩电动。每天上网聊天渐渐变成了习惯,久而久之也建立了对彼此的信任。然后10年12月,他买了人生中的第一张出国机票到大马找我,也算是正式见家长。

那段旅程结束不久后,他就提出要结婚的念头。当我告诉父母关于结婚这件事时,他们非常反对,而我也被训了一顿。我完全可以理解他们的立场,因为我也觉得自己还年轻,没必要这么急着结婚。再加上我俩真正在一起相处的时间不多,要这么快做出人生重大的决定嫁到美国去确实有点太快了。另一方面我也完全能感受到他是因为真的很爱很珍惜我,所以才想要我们可以快点在一起。当时真的很懊恼,一方面的我当然想继续维持我们的感情,可我却还没做好心理准备步入人生的另一阶段 ,所以很自私地要求他给我多几年的时间。那时侯因为移民和结婚的问题,我们再次面临分手的危机。其实像我们这样的远距离恋爱要分开是很容易的,不过或许是因为我俩都太在乎太珍惜彼此,不想就这样结束这段感情,所以最终还是决定维持现状。


很快的一年半又过去了,这次轮到我飞到美国找他,顺便跟他家人一起旅行。后来我才从他那里听说原来我那一趟探访,让他和他家人看到我也是认真想继续维持我们的感情,也让他更确定想要和我一起过下半辈子。然后半年后他带着母亲一起来到大马,我也大概猜到他那一趟旅程的目的就是要求婚。当时我们算是已经交往了4年,而阔别第一次提出结婚也已经过了超过一年半的时间,我父母也看到他在过去3年里认真努力地维持我们这段远距离的爱情,所以当时他们也不再反对,选择尊重我的决定。对我来说,即便我还是没做好心理准备离开家人,不过我知道我当时的选择将决定我们到底是在一起或者就这样结束一切。毕竟他也多等了整两年的时间,我也不能这么自私不想放手却要他一直痴痴地等。


所以我们在12年年尾终于订婚,然后接下来的一年就忙着策划在大马的婚礼和婚宴。由于我们还是分隔两地,所以很多事都必须由我处理,庆幸这个过程中有家人的帮忙。说到结婚,外国人不了解聘金这东西,而美国人的婚礼费用大部分是由女方承担。这个完全相反的文化真的让我头大,所以我们的婚礼没有聘金,而‘聘金’就用婚宴来代替。在大马办婚礼比美国便宜很多,而且他也知道我很实际不想要奢华的婚礼,所以在费用这方面也不怎么计较。


结婚后他回到美国开始办移民手续,所以我们依然分隔两地。原本打算等办好婚姻移民签证后才搬过去,不过因为上司帮忙联系美国那边的人事部,让我能够转到美国的公司继续上班,而公司还帮忙办了工作签证,所以我是蛮自豪自己是靠着实力来到这边工作。


时间过得很快,不知不觉来到这里已经两年了。分隔两地的六年说长不长,说短不短,可是因为过去六年里聚少离多,让我们更珍惜能够在一起的日子。我们这段远距离恋爱的长跑,虽然一路上有一些波折,也曾经不被看好。如今终于修成正果,全靠对彼此的信任、耐心、和多年来用心的经营。结婚三周年不用什么特别庆祝,最重要的是我们依然很恩爱很幸福很知足,感恩每天都有对方的陪伴。<3

P.S. 这篇文章从两年前就开始草稿,很高兴这个假期终于把它完成了!!

Monday, December 19, 2016

Minneapolis Winter Work Trip

My last work trip of the year came as a surprise just 1 week before the trip. They were looking for someone to help with some work in Minneapolis for the week of Dec 12, and so I volunteered and got the job. Most people probably didn't want to travel up north to the Midwest in winter but since I've never been there, I certainly didn't mind the cold. 


Lucky me, the weather forecast showed a coast-to-coast winter storm the week I was traveling. Packed all my winter gears to prep for the cold weather. This is probably the coldest place I've ever been so far...and that's celcius btw.



A snowy welcome to Minneapolis! It was snowing all day right before I arrived and it didn't snow at all the rest of the time I was there. =.=

Hotel hopping...W, Marriott, Westin. :P

I definitely overpacked when I found out that I was able to stay indoors pretty much the whole time I was there coz almost the whole city center is connected by the Skyway, including the hotel to our office. Skyway all the way!! 

View of the city covered in snow. =)

Room service for first night's dinner but very disappointed by the food, especially the whole bouquet of uncut broccolis and cauliflower. Lunch was catered so that saved us a whole lot of trouble.

The partner made dinner reservations for the team well in advance. Good for me I didn't have to help think of dinner options. =P Had 3-course dinner at Alma... Celery Root Flan, Layered Rice & Curried Prawns, and Duck Two Ways.

Filet Mignon and XXXL size brownie dessert at Manny's Steakhouse. 

Farm-to-table cuisine at The Bachelor Farmer. The menu was so 'fancy' I didn't really know what to order...lol! Top: Fresh cow’s milk cheese, pancetta-onion jam, toasted seeds, honey. Bottom: Pork meatballs, ragout of chestnuts and root vegetables, pickled mustard greens, duck broth.



The bosses saw that the weather was gonna be bad on Friday (snow) and since we've completed our work, we were told to change our flights and get out one day earlier. :)


This trip was a short one but I was fortunate to be working with a team of nice people. Definitely a great learning experience. :)

Sunday, December 18, 2016

November in Auburn

Just as I thought I would have more free time now that I've completed my CPA exams, and busy season wouldn't start until January, I was absolutely wrong on that. Been so busy with work since October and unfortunately, there is no sign of slowing down until next March.

Spent my entire November traveling to Auburn for work. I do enjoy traveling for work but certainly prefer 'flight' travel over 'drive' travel, coz personally I feel like driving (and not being able to do anything else) is such a waste of my time. In order to make better use of my 3.5 hours drive each way, I discovered podcast. I know podcast is nothing new but I'm not so 'millennial' and haven't really found the need to listen to podcasts in the past. Anyway, I was glad to be able to find some interesting podcasts that talks about travel and financial independence to keep me entertained during those boring drives. =)

My 'workplace' in Auburn and the road I drove through every morning to work. The campus looked pretty with all the fall colors. I felt old walking around campus surrounded by university students...lol!


'Home' in Auburn for 3 weeks. No SPG in Auburn but thanks to the merger, Courtyard Auburn and Marriott Opelika were good alternatives. :)


Had dinner at Chong's BBQ (Korean) almost every evening. The food was good, loved the side dishes, and lady boss was super nice. Fixed all my cravings for Korean food...grilled mackerel with soybean paste soup, ginseng chicken soup, short rib soup, kimchi bulgogi dumpling, jajangmyeon, seafood pancake, dolsot bibimbap, soft tofu stew with seafood, and stir fried marinated squid...yumsss!!!

Tried another Korean restaurant (Seoul BBQ) right beside our office building the last week I was there. Soft tofu stew and kimbap. :)


One of the dinners was Jap food with colleagues. Definitely loaded myself with all the Asian food I could get while traveling for work. :P




And of course I didn't just survive on Asian food the whole time I was there. :P

Here are some other updates from November aside from work...


18 Nov 2016: Our office's Fall Farm Party. 'Hiong ha' event for 'hiong ha' office...haha!


28 Nov 2016: Visited relatives at Oneonta. Hubby and his childhood buddy, Scott.


Finally received this in the mail on Nov 24. Officially a 'licensed' CPA here in the US!! =)

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Thankful for 2 Years!!

It's been exactly 2 years since I moved here and as I celebrate 2 years of 'survival', I decided to write this blogpost to recap some experiences and thoughts. I've written something similar 6 years ago but it's time for another self-reminder. I've been chatting with a friend who moved to the US recently and was reminded of all the nuisances that I had to go through to get settled with the new life here. But I do admit that my journey was a lil' easier thanks to hubby and his family, and I'm certainly thankful for that.



A lot of people back home only sees the monetary perks of working here earning USD. While it is true that we do indeed make a lil' more when we take into consideration currency conversion, living and working in a foreign country is not always a bed of roses, there are also a lot of challenges and obstacles that we have to overcome. There were times when I would question myself why am I so 犯贱, choosing to uproot my entire life and move so far away from my comfort zone, but obviously I did it in the name of love (and marriage)...haha! Besides, this is not the first time I did this so I guess I'm just really 'hiao'?? :P But honestly, I do think it's good to get out of our comfort zone and challenge ourselves. It takes a lot of courage and optimism to make this leap, but when you push yourself outside of your comfort zone and start everything anew, you'll learn and grow so much as a person. Here are 6 important lessons I've learned/discovered:

1. Never take anything for granted
When we're accustomed to the same environment, going through the same daily routine, we tend to switch to autopilot mode and allow life to go by like it's 'supposed to' with the assumption that nothing will change. Same applies to relationships with our families, we tend to take people around us for granted just because they are 'always there'.



When I knew ahead of time that I'll be moving away from home, away from my family, it served as a strong reminder that there's an 'expiry date' to this status quo. With that awareness in mind, I started making conscious decisions to spend more quality time with people around me, going on family trips, and make an effort to spend as much time at home as I can whenever I go back for home trips. The weird thing is, the further away you are from home, the more you'll think about all these things, and the more you'll appreciate your loved ones. 


2. Appreciate the little things in life
This echoes the point above. All the nuisances that I had to go through before finally settling down made me appreciate all the small things that I was used to back home. Small things like applying for social security, opening new bank account, re-taking driving test (after driving for more than 10 years), getting car insurance, applying (and getting denied) for credit card, etc, can be overwhelming and very annoying at the beginning, especially when you are having to re-do all these just because you're in a new country. Worse still, you may be stressed out trying to deal with all these things all by yourself but people around you don't empathize because they've never been through your path. But once you've gone through all these, you'll have a great sense of accomplishment knowing that you're capable of adapting and thriving in a brand new environment. 


Being in a brand new environment also made me appreciate random small things such as blue skies, blooming flowers, warm weathers, smooth traffic, and all the benefits that the firm provides. Moving from a developing country to a developed country definitely helped put things in perspective, and constantly remind me to appreciate all the little things in life (and complain less) coz I know that I'm already very lucky as compared to many people in other parts of the world.


3. Keep both feet on the ground
Leaving my life in Malaysia, moving to a brand new country and starting everything from scratch was a humbling experience. Whatever I've achieved or accomplished in the past 4 years didn't matter because nobody bothered. It was like pressing the reset button, having to start over, to establish myself from nothing, to learn new things faster, and to work two times harder to prove myself. On top of all these, I also had to study for CPA exams, because my previous qualification was a piece of useless paper here. One thing I noticed in our industry is that as people gain more experience and seniority, they tend to forget what it was like being at the bottom and become conceited. This experience is definitely a good reminder to keep both feet on the ground, be humble, and be willing to learn.


4. Look ahead and don't dwell on the 'what-ifs'
Life is a series of decisions and once you've made the decisions, you just gotta keep moving forward. When we chose to embark on this new journey, we also chose to leave the past behind. But thanks to social media, it's hard not to stay connected and be constantly updated of what you left behind these days. The next thing you'll think about, especially at times of adversity, is 'what if' I didn't leave...I may have been a manager by now, I wouldn't have had to take the CPA exams, or life could have been much easier. There could be a million what ifs, but all these don't matter, and it ain't gonna change anything. Might as well focus our efforts on overcoming any obstacles ahead, coz once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in.


5. Be open but be yourself
The reality of being in a new place knowing nobody is that it can be challenging and lonely, even more so for people like me who are more reserved or introverted. Besides, you are no longer in the university environment where your peers will at least have some interest in knowing more about different countries/cultures. Being the 'minority' (only Asian) in the office doesn't make you any different from others, which is both good and not-so-good. There's always a pressure to blend in, to behave a certain way, to be more outspoken and social, or to join in a conversation that you probably have absolutely no idea about. It takes time to get used to the new environment and culture, but keep an open mind, observe and learn along the way. There may be times you'll feel left out, there may be times you get lost in a conversation, there may be times you choose to just nod and smile. But no matter what, always do your best to look and act your best, and stay true to yourself. Most importantly, be happy being your true self.


6. Count my blessings 
Despite having to adapt to the different work cultures and the fact that starting over from scratch can be annoying, I must say my journey thus far has been quite a smooth sailing one. Having the opportunity to travel for work (while getting points and miles), being able to still stay in Huntsville and work remotely at times, I'm really in no position to be complaining at all. I'm also relieved and thankful to be able to complete my CPA exams in less than a year without failing. Of course, I'm very blessed and thankful to be surrounded by supportive families who have helped make this transition a smooth sailing journey. =)

Enough of random ramblings. Happy 2 years to myself and Happy Thanksgiving!!

Sunday, November 13, 2016

Autumn Weekend in Gatlinburg

We don't really have any more travel plans for the rest of the year after returning from Malaysia but the parents-in-law had a week-long stay at Gatlinburg and invited us to go over for the weekend. The last time I visited Gatlinburg was with the university back in Feb 2009, and we thought this would be a good time to revisit and catch the end of the fall foliage at the Great Smoky Mountains. Thanks to the PIL for the free accommodation! :)

4-6 November 2016: Autumn Color in the Smokies - Gatlinburg

Nov 4: Drove 4.5 hours up to Gatlinburg after work on Friday to meet up with the parents. The 1-bedroom villa at Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa was well equipped with a full kitchen and ample space, perfect for the 4 of us. Best of all, great view of the smoky mountains from the balcony.

Nov 5 (Sat): The itinerary for the day was to drive through the mountains. Thanks Donny for driving us around all day. Since we were there late in the season, the leaves at the higher elevation areas have already fallen but fortunately, there are still some colors at the lower elevation areas such as Newfound Gap Road and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, all within close proximity to Gatlinburg town.

Stumbled upon the beautiful Chimneys Picnic Area along Newfound Gap Road.

Beautiful creek full of boulders


Huge log perfect for photos. :)



So pretty!! Oh this is actually a washroom...haha!!

 
I was busy being the photographer while waiting for the rest to use the washroom.


Love the colors of Fall!

Panoramic views of the smokies.

And of course, photos to prove we were there...lol! :P

Back in the crowded Gatlinburg town for a free tour of the Sugarlands Distillery. 

Dinner at Cherokee Grill & Steakhouse. Had our dinner the night before at the Smoky Mountain Brewery.

Mom bought this jigsaw puzzle and we completed it within one night, while watching the Alabama game. :P


One last pic to wrap up this short but relaxing weekend trip. :)