DC : the first week note...

It was a relaxing weekend indeed. Nothing much yg aku buat kat sini last weekend. DC ni sbb kan Bandar pentadbiran, weekend selalunya dipenuhi ngan pelancong asing lah kot. Its my first weekend.. tak sempat buat apa pun except pusing2 mall J

Sebelum aku banyak citer pasal apa aku buat, aku citer dulu pasal DC. Sbb setiap kali aku chat ngan org… definitely akan tanya ‘so how’s DC?’ anyway, apa aku citer ni korang blh cari kat Wikipedia n other websites lah… definitely.

DC ni bandar pentadbiran, mcm putrajaya. The main building here is the Capitol (ke capitol hill) tu lah pusat pentadbiran (betul ke?) and pusat pemetaan bandar ni. Selain drpd tu, kat sini ada gak white house yg mmg famous tu. Dan kementerian-kementerian lain.

based on what I’ve read n peta yg aku tgk tiap2 hari, tempat lawatan kat sini mostly (and definitely) monuments and museum… semua monument peringatan perang ada, WWII, Vietnam war etc etc… memorial utk Iraq war n Afghan war belum lah ada lagi. And museums, giler2 banyak… ada yg based from Smithsonian Institute dan ada mcm2 lagi… like National Air n Space museum, International Spy Museum etc…

Basic orientation on the city… i.e. pasal jalan dan arah… nama jalan yg bernombor like 14th street, 22nd Street, 7th Street run north – south. Manakala jalan2 ikut huruf… dari east to west… and bila dah sampai W (takde jalan J, X, Y Z) jalan2 tu jadi nama, first batch ngan nama with 2 suku kata like (A)dam, (B)ellmont.. kalau habis gak jadi nama ngan 3 suku kata like (A)llison, (B)uchannan. Kalau kat Malaysia nama nya jadi (A)hmad, (B)edah then jadi (A)bdullah, (B)adriah…

So to answer how’s DC.. based on my first week here… agak bosan… aku tahu ada satu shopping mall je yg blh access through metro… yg mall lagi besar kena ambil bas utk sampai… nak g outlet mall… kena ambil teksi…yg most probably will cost me 30 – 40 dollars lah kot.

And since aku duduk dekat ngan office. Jalan 10 minit je ke office aku, area hotel aku ni gelap (bukan tak de matahari) kiranya takde org lepas jam 8 malam. Ada lah org jalan sana sini, but very minimal… semua jalan pun menuju hotel masing2 kot… kalau nak jumpa nite life kena lah keluar dr bandar… oh.. the near u to town i.e. jalan A dan 1… kiranya dekat ngan pusat pentadbiran… the further u out of town… 1 dah ke atas… 20, 21, 22…..M, N, O…. br lah ada ramai org… office aku plak kat K n 16 street… still in town. So setiap hari jam 8-9 aku dah plan balik ke hotel...

Sbb bandar ni boring.. aku tak banyak ambil banyak gambar… anyway, since this weekend aku akan di DC sepenuhnya… I’ll go around n try to snap more pictures… J (ye lah… nak g NY tak dapat!!! Rugi betul…)

So near but yet so far...

ooh... am planning to go to New York over the weekend... i mean this weekend... but too bad... before i could say/ask about it... the head requested me to stay... huh... but anyway, tomorrow will have another meeting which we'll decide whether do i need to be here over the weekend or not... hmm...

New York is just 4 1/2 hours away... rugi jer kalau tak dapat pergi...

btw... anyone from New York??? hehehe.. cari2 gak mlm td kalau2 ada org dari NY... blh gak tumpang tido semalam dua... hahaha...

Happy 30th birthday to myself..

Actually this year birthday's wish came early for me... ye lah.. since am in DC, the wishes ni kind of dtg 1/2 day earlier... sbb by the time 12am on 28 Oct kat Malaysia , kat DC ni baru je jam 12 tghhari ... :-) (kiasu!)

therefore... masa aku tulis email ni, aku still ada 5 more hours to enjoy my life while am still at my 20s... (ok end, the very end, the last end of my twenties... hehehe)

so here i am, joining org2 berumur 30 tahun... hahaha... wow I am an old man already... hehehe... (julia roberts dah 41 hari ni, lagi tua kan...)

so happy birthday to myself...

p/s - am going out for my birthday dinner... sorang2 kat cold DC...
p/s 2 - update... i went out... tot of goin to this one place... keluar2 metro... area tu gelap n takde org pun, although kedai tu i think a block away, but me dont dare to walk alone there... so masuk balik ke dalam metro n balik hotel... hahaaha... end up makan sandwich subway... asyik makan tu je since sampai sini.... teruk lah dc ni, lepas jam 8 je gelap...

thanks for the wishes my frens... :-) (utk sapa2 yg ingat lah... hehehe)

DC : citer hotel

This is the hotel I’ve stayed in DC (but only for one day…) its St Regis, which cost me USD330 ++ per night… hotel ni, office aku yg book kan... tu lah dia pilih hotel yg dia senang book je... yg surely ada bilik...
pic 1 - bilik 323... pic 2 - sofa at the side... pic 3 - katil yg tido sorang2... pic 4 - side table with Bose radio n charger utk ipod pic 5 - toilet... pic 6 - tv kat cermin dlm toilet hehehe... aku kagum skit tgk tv ni... tp useless je sebenarnya... hahaha... bawah ni.. muka penat setelah 13 jam flight n menempuh process kat airport :-)

Mmg cantik hotel ni… tp since office aku bg allowance… aku berusaha cari hotel lain on the second day. tp makan Breakfast serve kat bilik dulu...

Seawal jam 8.30 aku keluar n cari new hotel… Jalan2 awal pg kat DC... hujan renyai2...

g masuk semua hotel yg aku jumpa online… and at last I settle at a cheaper hotel with average service lah… :-) it’s a simple hotel aku pun nak katil je kan… and give Wifi free… what else do u need kan… :-)

DC : the travelling day...

Ok… aku memang terlebih excited for my travelling ke US. Yup, I’ve never been there… and aku jakun lah sbb dapat g… :-) and plus… dapat travel kan… hehehe… tp sebabkan all the whole planning n peluang ni berlaku within 2 weeks… I don’t really plan anything… aku tak sempat pun study map DC and book hotel pun to the last minute… and mcm mana nak g hotel dr airport and mana tempat nak shopping.. semua aku tak tahu… tak pernah aku travel without all these preparation. siap bag pun dlm 45 minit je.

So pepagi 24/10 kimi hantar aku ke airport. Flight aku ikut kan 14 jam 20 minit… long flight, and aku duduk kat economy je… so aku assume, sakit2 badan lah jawab nya bila aku sampai DC nanti… and aku really look forward nak tgk movie kat dlm flight :-) hehehe…

Orang kata nak travel ke US antara problem nya ialah imigresen n kastam… and aku mmg expect the worst. Dr airport doha lagi mmg dah slow dah, nak check in flight beratur panjang… and siap kena cek visa semua dah… n counter asing dr cek in flight2 QR lain. It took abt an hour to check in, otherwise selalunya 15-30 minit dah boleh check in.

Ok bukan kat check in je panjang… nak boarding pun sama… macam kat UK, kena keluarkan laptop, buka tali pinggang, buka kasut… baru lah boleh boarding… hmm… then br lah blh naik flight…

Flight Boeing 777-300 (betul ke ni hehehehe). Tak penuh, oooh masa check in, aku ada gak minta upgrade, tp tak dapat hehehe… aku minta isle, and tgk akan ada org duduk sebelah aku… dah plan dah nak cari seat lain yg ada kosong… but yg best nya… 2 org yg duduk near the window decided utk g duduk tempat lain… so I got all the 3 seats for myself… hahaha.. aku siap tido baring melunjur guna all the 3 seats :-)

Actually bukan lah 14 jam flight, we reached early… 45 minit lagi awal then schedule… apa aku buat kat dlm flight… hehehe… 5 movies in a row… 2 kali 1-hour nap… makan 2 heavy meal (2 je depa bg… tp ada snack in between upon request)… and pada aku tak lah penat sgt n tak berapa terasa… either I was really excited or mmg movies tu best… and since aku duduk 3 seats tak terasa lah penat… citer apa aku tengok… hehehe… 1. sex and the city (hahaha, br tgk, itupun sbb ada dlm senarai), 2. hancock (will smith as superhero… menarik citer ni tak mcm citer superhero biasa) 3. the happening (m night shyamalan show… as usual… apa ntah citer dia ni) 4. the confession of dangerous mind (ni citer last year) 5. get smart (comedy yg tak best mana). Jam 4.05pm (waktu DC – 12 difference compared to KL, 7 jam ngan Doha).

Citer nak lepas imigresen lagi panjang… sbb mmg lama… it took 2 hours dr arrival (keluar kapal terbang) sampai keluar airport n beratur ambil teksi. Lebih 30 minit kita org duduk kat dlm shuttle bus, sbb tmpt imigresen tu penuh ngan org and ada 2 bus lagi yg nak ke loaded utk kastam n imigresen process… dpt masuk… panjang giler barisan… tp pengurusan queue mmg bagus… cepat je movement barisan ni… but still took another 40 minutes ++… then bila tiba giliran aku… as usual tanya dtg buat apa… stay mana… keje apa kat sini… berapa lama stay… tp lama gak lah dia enter data… n pastu aku kena go through 2nd check kat custom… ok… aku follow je… suppose 2nd check tu akan kena buka beg… tp ntah, officer tu kata ok je… cop passport and am free to go… :-) and beg pun dah lama sampai and aku straight cari mana tempat ambil teksi. Masa beratur ada gak org2 lain tanya whether nak tak teksi ke DC… tp aku assume org ni mcm KLIA yg tak berlesen or something like that… I prefer ambil yg official :-)

no pic masa kat visa/kastam/imigresen... sbb tak nak kena soal siasat plak nanti. hik hik hik...

Sejam perjalanan dr airport ke hotel… it is a very good hotel… which aku akan citer semula… jam 7.30pm aku sampai hotel…and aku tak larat nak keluar dah tgk around DC and enjoy the hotel… it was 12 degree kat luar… tp aku tak rasa pun… sbb duduk kat hotel je… (which aku rasa the next day aku kena tukar…)

Next… on hotel…

US visa...

Panjang citer ni... tapi takde gambar.... heheeheh....

The past 2-3 weeks sejak raya… mcm tak byk update kat blog ni… maybe sebab masih mood balik kampong… so mcm semua benda buat kat Doha tak de lah menarik… tak se best bila duduk kat Malaysia :-)

Anyway, itu bukan lah punca utama… tp sebenarnya my mind was distracted sbb ada mission yg tak accomplished masa tu…

As per my previous blog entry, aku demam panas on the 2nd day hari raya… so mmg tak keluar dah, first day je lah yg excited beraya… hari raya ke 2 sampai ke 4 aku demam… in fact… sebabkan demam tu, aku kena ulcer mulut yg remain sampai lah aku balik doha.

Actually balik2 je aku ke Malaysia, aku dpt email dr boss aku yg nominate utk aku g ke Washington DC utk help out coverage US election. Aku dah jadi excited dah sepanjang raya sbb aku ada peluang pergi ni, but masa tu aku malas lah nak cite panjang2 lagi masa tu sbb peluang2 macam ni mmg selalu dpt… tp sebab dah belajar dr pengalaman sudah, tak nak heboh and terlebih expect sampai betul2 jadi sbb nanti sakit hati je. So seminggu lepas raya tu aku pun g ke US embassy kat kl utk dapat kan visa.

Procedure nak dapat visa ni tak lah susah mana, and the information is very clear kat website embassy tu. Follow je, settle… basically what u need to do.
1. bayar kat Alliance Bank USD131 ++ = RM490 utk visa n processing fee. Kena bayar dulu, and the next day br code bayaran ni activate.
2. then, kena book interview date kat website, once dapat interview date. Pergilah embassy dgn bawak semua doc.
3. what do u need to bring, surat dr company (this is easy), and then other supporting documents. Utk aku, depa nak surat je. Basically semua supporting document tu perlu utk tunjuk u ada keje sini, ada org sponsor or mampu travel ke sana, byk obligation kat Malaysia which means u have to come back. Kiranya mcm depa tak nak lah kita g sana n cari keje sana. As simple as that.
4. gambar pun kena ikut size dia n background putih.

Aku dpt interview date hari khamis (9/10), 2 hari sebelum aku balik doha. Urusan dpt visa ni sepatutnya kejap je. Kalau masa interview dia approve, the next day aku dah blh collect the visa. Tp nak jadi cerita, visa aku approve… tp dia kata aku tak dapat visa on the next day sbb kena go through administrative check. The check akan mengambil masa 60 – 90 days, and ada kemungkinan akan dpt visa even lepas election… hahaha… aku rasa bengong je kalau dpt after election. There u go, aku dah agak dah… tak perlu nak excited… L

Aku bg tahu office, and org KL office aku berusaha nak push utk dpt visa seawal boleh… but still they received the same answer… but ada lah skit some light, kononnya by the next Wednesday, aku blh dpt visa tu… sbb tak dapat visa, aku pun balik doha (12/10) ngan mood yg tak best (tu lah jadi entry bored tu, hehehe)… and dah agree ngan embassy n my KL office, kalau dapat visa aku courier je passport aku, and I take the risk kalau jadi apa2 kat my passport.

Setiap hari setelah aku balik doha aku mengharap kan call dr embassy, and my boss pulak tiap2 hari tanya update…:-( sampai hari rabu (15/10) pun tak de apa citer… and aku pun dah tak berharap dah and divert my attention utk buat road trip (ooopsss.. ni entry lain plak).

In my mind, and org pun kata, since aku muslim and single and age bawah 40… mmg akan kena random check ni, so aku tak dpt rasa lah blh dpt visa awal… and hari jumaat minggu lepas (17/10)… aku siap chat with my fren and kutuk polisi ni… hehehe… but to my surprise… masa chat tu (pepagi jumaat kat doha) aku terima call dr US embassy and katanya aku dah dapat visa clearance… Wow!!! Aku happy giler!!! :-D… hahaha… telahan aku tak betul… and aku jadi excited semula…
Aku dpt tahu yg ada colleague yg akan g kl, so I pass my passport to him utk bg ke KL office. And hari isnin (20/10) my office hantar my passport ke embassy and the next day they received the passport with the visa. 10 tahun multiple entry visa!!! :-) it took 2 days for DHL hantar passport tu kat aku… hari khamis (23/10) aku dapat visa… and there u go… hari jumaat (24/10) aku ambil flight ke DC. And now… aku dah kat Washington DC.

Frankly, seumur hidup aku… tak pernah aku terfikir akan jejak bumi Amerika ni… dalam perancangan aku nak travel pun, tak pernah langsung aku masuk kan US as one of my dream place. Ntah kenapa… takde lah bercita-cita sgt ke sini. Tapi Alhamdulillah… ada rezeki plak aku ke sini….

Stay tune… aku akan update ngan citer perjalanan aku ke US and other stories…

Am waiting...

Lambat plak nak tunggu document ni tiba... Harap2 selamat tiba esok... :-)

Accomodation wanted..

Ada tak sesapa tahu a good hotel/apartment kat

- Dubai, UAE
- Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Nizwa, Oman
- Muscat, Oman
- Musanddam, Oman

yang best dan murah... which can fit approximately 20 ppl in it (including 6 kids 4-10 years old). I mean fit in 20 ppl tu bukan lah dlm satu bilik... 2 - 3 apartment or perhaps dlm 8-10 bilik ke.. :-) and those unit tu... kalau blh available between 5 -12 December 2008!!!

please let me know... a big plan is on the way... am getting excited... :-)

Bored...

Aku dah sampai kat Doha since ahad lepas... and seperti biasa minggu pertama lepas balik dr kl mmg membosankan... u know... the kind of feeling yg rasa malas betul nak duduk doha ni... and lebih baik duduk kl... i have that feeling setiap kali balik dr Malaysia ke Doha... but this time, this feeling makin kuat... rasa mcm betul2 nak blah dr sini... hmmm...

anyway, dulu aku ada cite yg aku balik tgk umah aku... masa tu belum buat apa2 lagi... now dah boleh duduk dah... siap cat semua, a friend of mine stays there at the moment, sambil2 jadi umah singgah my parents and my bro kalau depa turun kl. actually, bila dah ada umah sendiri ni lagi lah rasa macam tak nak balik sini... hmmm... bila lah dapat merasa tinggal kat umah sendiri ni...

preview of the house... or shall i call it home...

yeah i know its green.... :-) but the rest mcm simple je lah... umah bujang, bukannya umah mak datin... hahaha...

Raya...

Raya was great... cuma aku je demam panas starting 2nd day of raya.... for me demam panas no hal... tp yg tak larat nya sakit tekak ya amat menyebabkan aku tak makan pun masakan mak aku kat umah...

Seperti biasa, raya pertama mmg hari visit org2 tua... adik beradik my parents. on 2nd - 4th day duduk kat umah dan org datang visit. mak aku masak nasi tomato n laksa (aku tak rasa skit pun :-( )

since this is the first time in 3 years kitaorg dapat beraya sekeluarga... sessi bergambar lah paling best :-)