Spring time
Somewhere along the way, promised daily posts, the usual weekly posts, and the occasional fortnightly posts have now turned into monthly posts. Albert offers his apologies. But now, the frozen streams are starting to thaw(hopefully the same goes for his creative juices) heralding the coming of spring, which it seems, is an eternity late. Even then She takes her own sweet time, slowly, gradually melting the snow away

3 months later

well sure, when you look at it like that it doesn't seem quite so long. But really, Albert has had enough of snow. Sure, living in a tropical country, you wouldn't mind looking out your window to this

but braving the -40 c cold

is a whole different aspect of yours(and Albert's) dream of snow. The conclusion he has reached after going through what officially is one of America's coldest and worst winter: Its no more than ice. No love lost there between him and snow, and good riddance to winter, and HELLO SPRING! Well since Albert owes you around 15 blog posts that should be up by now, he will instead give you a pictorial of his experiences so far(hey, a picture is worth a thousand words), besides, theres no way he's going to sit through 15 posts worth of writing. First of, David's place, where Albert lives:

it looks small from the outside, but its actually quite spacious on the inside, with a basement that has a mini kitchen/workshop, laundry room, bedroom, and a entertainment room. The 1st floor is the usual kitchen, living room, dining room, Albert's room with an adjoining bathroom:

excuse the mess. Then the upstairs has another bathroom with a bathtub, David's room, Gigih's room, and the computer room where there's hidden stairs leading up to the attic room which is another room in itself. Looking at the house, nobody would think it contains 5 rooms and 4 floors. Then there is Starkweather High,where Albert "socialized" with his fellow seniors


He will leave Gigih for the official introduction to Starkweather High. Everyone, this is Gigih:



With half the "vacation" gone, and spending more than 30 hours on the road driving



(there really isn't any public transport here) its fair to say that he's been here, there, and everywhere Highway 20 can take them to. Here's a recap of everything he has done so far:
Going to a casino for the first time


Going to a sleepover(1st timer)


Cheering the school basketball team at regional competitions


Giving a presentation of Malaysia in a college in front of lecturers and students


Watched one of the best American hockey teams play


Went skiing


the orchestra


Hanging out in a farm


Visiting world famous hunter John Beckstrand's home

who was invited for dinner with 2 different American presidents(he rejected, TWICE), apparently, he was too busy.
going to the rodeo


going ice fishing


and just yesterday, the museum


With the temperatures regularly at 10c, and slowly climbing, he can finally go outside with just a T shirt and shorts, which goes to show you how far he's come since he stepped off the flight that landed in North Dakota with 7 layers of clothing on. Plus now that winter is over, its gone from 10 hour's a daylight to 14 hours of daylight(which means that Americans turn their clocks one hour forward, its called Daylight Saving Time). Its an American thing, don't ask why. Spring also means sowing season, which means its time to whip out those huge machinery that have been sitting in the barn and start working on the land. Its almost as if everywhere nature is finally waking up, thousands of geese are migrating to the pond in his backyard, the streams you never knew existed is flowing by the highway, draining into the numerous bodies of water in the area. There's also ducks, eagles, prairie dogs, deer, rabbits and other animals that are starting to appear. Totally different from the iceland that it was for the past 3 months. Forget winter, Spring is THE season.

One month of criminal negligence.


Theres something about living in a super small town on the other side of the world that makes it so difficult to blog.

Not that theres nothing happening, he was invited to a college to give a talk about Malaysia(Tourism Malaysia's powerpoint slides are a lifesaver), been to a casino, gone to a wildlife conservation park, had a sleepover/Halo 3 party, played in a volleyball tournement, been cross-country skiing, watched one of the best hockey teams in the USA play a thrilling, televised match in front of tens of thousands of fans LIVE, watched a lunar eclipse, and finally, to top off the 1/6th slice of his American Adventure, watched Lost season 4 before Malaysians get it on TV. Not bad for one month. What did you do this past month?

But even as Albert is half way around the world, he still cant help but get pre-SPM Results jitters. It could be out as early as next week. All those painfull, repressed memories of questions left unanswered or just simply answered wrong, start coming up the surface ripping right through the layers of comfort and security of having actually getting over with SPM. All thats left is how well he "got over it". Maybe its a good thing he's half a world from his parents.

Then again theres nothing much Albert can do right now, so, its best that he just enjoy his stay here and simply not to think about it too much. He'll be happy with 7A's. But not 6, its just not acceptable but then again on the other end 10 would be somewhat overly ambitious eventhough getting 10 A1 these days isnt a big deal anymore what more(or less?) 9,8 or 7 A's? Ok stop. Albert is on a holiday, a nice 6 month holiday which he is obligated to himself to enjoy to the fullest.

For God's sake he's turning 18 tomorrow and the last thing he should be doing is worrying about something that hasnt even happened yet. He should be celebrating his 18th birthday since he is now legally an ADULT. Dude, under 18 doesnt apply to you anymore, you are eternally emancipated from childhood, you have reached the Holy Grail of every kid who ever wished they could grow up(plus you dont need to lie about your age anymore when signing up on those overly cautious sites): YOU ARE 18 ALBERT.

It feels weird. Right now Albert is an hour and 14 minutes into legal adulthood and, to sum it up, it feels weird. He's been subconciously been waiting for this day but the unforeseen circumstances just makes things feel....weird. Its going to take some getting used to, you know, being 18. It sort of just sneaked up on him, one minute he is the average 17 year old teenager then WHAM! He's 18.

Well he isnt particularly fond of celebrations especially if its about him so all he'll do is go to a concert, have a nice dinner, worry some more and retire to bed. Thats what happens to you when you become an adult.

Wow

Wow. Everything has just happened so fast that Albert has hardly been able to understand the full gravity of this situation that he has found himself in. No. This is far beyond the time he almost dislocated his brother's chin with the coffee table. No. This is far beyond the first time he sat for an Add math test. No. This is far beyond the time he got kidnapped for looking like a criminal. No. This is far beyond the time the received the tissue with a lover's words strewn all over it in bad grammar which he mistakenly shrugged off as a joke which turned out to be all too frighteningly(and embarrassingly) real. No. Well maybe not way beyond for the last 2, but still,

WOW.

About a year ago, he filled out a preliminary form to join the program which he thought would never happen. Fast forward to now, he is sitting in front of a computer, with a faster Internet connection than all you suckers in Malaysia, in a small double storey plus basement house, on a farm, in a small town called Starkweather, in North Dakota, IN THE U, S OF A !!

Well, one of the biggest things that hit you(and hit you very hard), is the WEATHER. Usually when its -20 here, you consider yourself lucky. Simply because the temperature can very well dip to -30 or more, then, and only then, can the weather be considered "cold". But its not too bad really, Albert has acclimatised to it, as long as he has his 3 inch thick winter coat, he'll be fine outside(for about 10 minutes or soo, after that icicles start forming). But if you stay INSIDE, then theres nothing to worry about, in only gets chilly when its -30 c or colder(of course in case of the usual blizzard, theres a nice little basement to shelter in). So its all good.

But hey, snow comes with a price right? Not to mention ice skiing which he tried out yesterday, and after almost twisting his ankles and being buried in snow, he actually was skiing for a whole 5 seconds before falling. Not bad for a beginner. Close to bad but not there yet. Theres still snow mobiling and ice fishing still to come.

He also saw REAL snow actually falling from the sky, which wasn't as magical as he thought it would be, but in all fairness it was a very light one, so he's still waiting for some proper North Dakota snowfall(or blizzard, which ever comes first).

Then theres school. At first he really was anything but impressed because its was soo small it made SMK SS17 look massive. From grades 1 to 12 theres only 95 students. It was a small town anyway. But on the flip side everybody knows you and you know everybody here because they practically see each other in every class. The "see" part needs to be emphasized here because, surprise, surprise, there are quite a few blond bombshells here, and they are so friendly! How often do you get goodlooking blonds that aren't a b@#$! eh? They sure make up for quantity with the quality. The school itself is not too bad either, there's free lunch(which is great because at least if the food sucks, at least you know you didn't pay for it, which is what happens a lot of times in SMKSS17's canteen). The food here by the way, is much better that the usual school canteen fare back home. Nevertheless theres nothing that readily available salt and pepper cant fix when it comes to American food.



Ah, and his new family. His host family.His host dad, a 62 year old bachelor, Mr David Ericstad, and his host brother, Gigih(another exchange student from Indonesia) are a real sweet deal. David's only rule is that all rules are negotiable(if only all parents were like that). But he really has been very nice, and he is a awesome cook too. Albert has had lasagna, pumpkin pie, muffins, this thing they call hotdish and a whole load of other good, delectable home cooked American food that David whips up. And Gigih, well he's been here 5 months before him, which helps make the whole adjustment process for Albert as painless as possible. Just the first week in, and Albert has already been to birthday parties, basketball games(theres an awesome girls team here) and the lot, because Gigih here is like a ticket to a social life. Where he goes, Albert goes, his friends, are Albert's friends.

Although he lives on a farm, its just crop, so theres no animals or anything like that like you'd imagine on a farm. Even then, theres nothing much to do in winter time other than staying indoors, so Albert has yet to experience the farm life yet, but he's in no hurry anyway, after all, theres a good 6 months to look forward to.

And by the looks of it, its going to be a blast.

Touch Down

Well saying Albert arrived in the United States is very much easier said than done.
You try taking a 5 hour plane trip to Shanghai that ended up being a 12 hour one, and rushing through busy airports, clearing customs and immigration, getting on the same American airlines that crashed on 911, flying over the pacific with nothing more than movies you've already watched on your previous flight for entertainment, then rushing upon landing, clearing customs and immigration again, getting on another flight to Washington DC and moving around having the handle broken off your 20 kg luggage which you had to drag around thanks to the guys that check your luggage.

But yeah, he's now in the United States.

There was an orientation in DC with the other 40 students that traveled with him and they got to visit the Washington Monument(the white pointed tall building you always see on TV), the Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol building. In between there was an interview with the the 8tv people and many other moments that were caught on camera which will probably make it to your TV come the end of July if it survives the censors.

The funny thing was before everyone left for their respective host families, a lot of them cried and hugged each other and you would have got this feeling that everybody would have rather stayed together throughout their 6 month stay rather than split up the way the acted. Even those that put up a brave face had dampened spirits. All this even when the have only spent 10 days together throughout the interviews, camps and orientations that they did together. Strange how fast they bonded together. The last couple of days especially for Albert as he shared a room with Daniel(that British Malay guy), Andrew and Joe(the rapper) who were absolutely hilarious. The last time he had so much fun was when he was with Boon, Tim and co in school. Sigh.

Nevertheless, they all had to split up, and there was the all too familiar promises to keep in touch which everyone agreed to do, but it was comforting to know that they will be together again before they leave the country(and hopefully even after that).

A couple of flights later(and a very nice American called John), Albert landed in Fargo, North Dakota where he was greeted with -10 c temperatures and AFS people. But he came prepared, had 7 layers of clothing on, which he soon discovered to be unnecessary, so he was all snug even with that kind of weather. He also got to see live snow for the first time. It didn't snow there though, but it will soon. He hopes.

Right now, Albert is living with his host dad and brother(an Indonesian guy who is on the same program) who have been extremely welcoming and friendly. Right now they've got a movie going, and Albert is supposed to join them. Its time to do something American anyway.

4/5sc1 memorial( a compilation of all their moments in pictures only FOR THE LACK OF BETTER WORDS)

You know, they’re probably the worst best class in this school’s history. They’re probably the least liked class among teachers. They’re probably going to pull the SPM statistics to an all time low. And they’re probably going to come back and blame the teachers for it. For that, they’ll be legends of SMKSS17 folklore.

At least Albert hopes they will. Because if there’s anything worse than leaving school, it’s being forgotten. But of course, it’s going to take quite a while before THEY fade out of everyone’s consciousness. With all that he's been through with this crazy bunch of people over the past 5 years, they are people he certainly couldn't possibly forget, even if he tried. They’re a small bunch really, who mostly have been in the same class since Form 1, spending 5 hours a day in a classroom 5 days a week, for the past 5 years. So yeah, they’ve bonded, and it’ll be hard for him to imagine life without them. And so as a tribute to them(and also because Albert just can't let go), so the following will be a compilation of all their moments in pictures, simply FOR THE LACK OF BETTER WORDS, because some things just can't be said(or typed).

How could he forget the fearless(shameless) valiant heroes, who rebelled against authority,


slept through classes,




especially those rebels without a cause, unless their cause happened to be side-splittingly, outrageously funny.




And they were really good at that.


He's got the six packs to prove it.

Or how they rallied endlessly against punishing, overwhelming, soul destroying homework.


Some of them simply choose not to do it all, which curiously worked just as well.

Or those tales of romance, of Prince Charming and his maidens,

whose love was forever, but usually expires 2 weeks later. And how Prince Charming moves on to the next, and the next, and the next, and the next damsel in distress(or anyone single).

Or the secret affairs of an unlikely couple,
much to the envy of other admirers.



Only God knows how this happened.

Or the knight in shining armour with a centre parting of which he is particularly concerned of(also don’t touch his shirt or you’ll face his wrath), whose lady is almost as important to him as his hair(touch his hair and face his wrath too). Oh how their dalliances annoy the world to no end,


but nevertheless, everyone hopes for a happy ending for them. And for everyone else's sake.

How can he forget the gorgeous ladies of 5 sc 1. From the intellectual, to the athletic, to the loud, downright narcissistically proud, to the hell hath no fury like her scorned type,

don't be fooled by her pretty face. Or her wit. Or her intelligence. Or her refreshing frankness. They just don't make women like that anymore.

And of course, the nice ones.


How he will miss her wit, or her arrogance, or all their dazzling smiles, or her cold practicality, or her wacky craziness, or her feminist ideals(as sickening as it may be) or the way you generously gave him your tie,


or the way you beat Boon Han in that Need For Speed race.


Seriously.


Ah women, what would we do without them? Or the awesome guys of 5sc1 . From the metrosexual, to the heterosexual to the others with a similar suffix.


Lets not even go there.

How can Albert forget how you diligently accumulated your “slip lewat”, breaking the record for most number of “slip lewat” along the way.


And the way you played bully, and they cheered you on.


And how you always were around the girls,especially since you were a cheerleader,



They hate to admit it, but they were probably just a little jealous……







































..or not.

How will Albert forget the way they soaked each other and half the school after painting the class(and got away with it)?



Or how they skipped English and EST for debate(sure as hell was worth it)



Or how they filmed The Blair Witch Project 2 around school grounds(he's still waiting for the video). And pictures for that matter.


Oh and what about the parties?


The chicks


The dudes


The booze


The drinking


And more drinking


And eventually getting drunk(this always happens)


Then finally, stripping(its customary you see)


Of course, the food, the eating


and more eating


topped off with a little camwhoring


The weddings(actually its only one)


Of course, just because she was their (hot) tuition teacher didnt mean they ALL were always sober.


Anyone remember the Prefect's dinner they we're duped into attending? Which of course turned out to be a good thing since the "actual" prom was a disaster.


Who's that idiot in the middle? Look at Albert, on the far, far right.

There were the surprise dates


The surprise emcee

hey, thats the dude in the picture before!

The prom king that should have been.



hey, they didnt serve alcohol, just juice, right?




OK, maybe the juice was spiked.

Of course, of all the things they did together, the one thing that never failed to instigate yelling matches, pose logistical and similarly paradoxical problems, and play out the occasional drama of soap opera proportions, would be the Interact Club. Since the day Sean became president, everyone knew this was going to be an extraordinary batch of Interactors.

How they worked self-lessly for the romantics on valentines day


Slaved through the night


Well almost all of them


Working out their little, professional diferrences along the way


Transport was never a problem again(hey if clowns can do it, anyone can)


And he has to put up with them.

Poor Sean.

Of course, it wasnt easy on him either.

But for entirely different reasons thats for sure.

Of course, there were the highs


The lows


but generally more highs

Not to mention wide....her orthodontist would've been proud.

Then there were times they actually acted like science students


Made startling discoveries

(thats a foetus in his hands)

Some of them surprisingly were not cut out, and some of them surprisingly were.


Sean and his team of surgeons did Science 1 proud when they executed a flawless frog dissection(unlike another *cough* science *cough* team)







They’ve been through everything together, from their childish Form 1 years to puberty to their awkward teenage years. So fast those 5 years, it feels like just yesterday they were kids. Some of them still are. Somewhat reluctantly, they all grew up(eventually) along the years. And now, as their schooling life ends, as they discard their uniforms, they would no doubt slowly come to realize that they are now (gasp) adults (GASP!). Its quite horrifying to think that some them are actually going to be released into society, with the right to vote, and worst still drive(yes, in that order).

So this is a tribute of sorts(before its too late), to all those people, that Albert has the honour(or peril, it all depends on your perspective really) of calling his friends. To the heroes, knights, and idiots of 5 sc 1,



Albert salutes you, legends.