Leah’s Cafe

The flight was leaving at 12.05 p.m. Left the hotel at 9.30 a.m, thought should have ample time for checking in baggage and browsing the duty free stores. However, the commuter train ride and walking from one end of airport(collected the baggage in storage) to the other end (United Airway’s checking in counters) were taking longer than expected. Ended up only have 40 minutes, after checking in the baggage and obtained the boarding pass.

Since the terminal was quite far (need to take a commuter train) and there were security check points to go through, didn’t have time to shop at all. The airline staff asked to see the brown envelope which contained the visa documents from US Embassy, apparently they need to input the data on the cover of the envelope into the system!

Anyway, was pleasantly surprised to get a complimentary upgrade to business class for the first leg from Seoul Incheon airport to Tokyo Narita airport. Nice!

I would have to put up pictures later as the cable is in another baggage in the storage.

The Korean girls got out the door to work at 6.00 a.m! I didn’t get up until 7.45 a.m and took my own sweet time to get out of the apartment since it was raining. Even manage to get a few paid posts done before getting out the door at 10.00 a.m.

Didn’t realise it was quite chilly outside, luckily had a jacket with me. I asked a girl for direction to the subway station, she brought me there as she was on her way to work and her office is next to the station.

It cost 1, 000 won (about RM3.20) to take the subway to downtown area. Visited one of the Palaces, a Royal Museum, roam around the market and a few fashion malls. Came back to the guest house at 8.30 p.m, must have walked at least 10 km today. Very tired right now, both legs and the back are aching, not sure tomorrow can walk somemore or not. :-)

Arrived at Incheon Airport in Seoul at 8.50 a.m local time. A bit tired as I did not really sleep much during the 6.5 hours flight. Claimed the baggage and went through custom smoothly. I do not want to lug the two big baggage around, so found a service that store the baggage until I come back here to take the next flight to Chicago. It cost 13,000 wons (about RM40) per day to store this two bags !

The transport system in Seoul is very efficient and convinient. Bought the bus ticket at the arrival hall, it cost 9,000 wons (about RM29) for the 1 hour journey to the city center, where I will be staying. The airport bus (what they called “airport limousine”) came within 5 minutes and left according to schedule, though they are only about 8-10 passengers.

The bus driver announced before every stop and came down to help unload the baggage! I got down at the second stop and found the guest house with the direction given. It was not too difficult to find.

Washed up and decided to go out for lunch. Found a small restaurant on my way out, saw a lot of office workers had lunch there, so I went in and had my first bimbimbard in Seoul.

Loom around the area around Hongik University, it’s a hip place with a lot of university students. Full of activities and small shops selling clothes, cosmetics and all sort of things that the young people in Seoul are into.

Found a tourist information booth at this area. Mr Kim who works there used to study in America and works as an English tutor now. So he speaks good English. He is very friendly, he got me a bunch of brochures and maps, very helpful.

After walking arond this area for 2-3 hours, decided to go back to the guest house and took a nap. The host of the apartment came home and was cooking dinner when I woke up from nap.

The guest house is actually an apartment, a few Korean girls live here! I guess they rent out the rooms to tourists to help to pay their rentals. That’s why they only accept cash payment and have do not have credit card processing like many other small businesses in Seoul, they are not a business!!

Anyway, the place is comfortable and the girls are friendly. The host Sherri speaks good English, she works at the city hall as town planner.

Going to stopover in South Korea for six days on the way to Chicago. Have booked a place at a guest house or hostel in Seoul for the first three nights. Will decide later whether to move on to another city or may just stay in Seoul for the entire 6D5N.

This is how the hostel looks like. The ground floor is a restaurant and the hostel is on the  upper floors. It’s very close to the subway station and cost 20,000 Korean Wons per night (1 000 KW equals to about USD1 or RM3.20). It’s slightly more expensive for accommodation in the same category, but it’s cheap compare to hotel rooms that cost at least USD120-150 per night. :-)

I am a cheapo independent traveler who doesn’t want to spend much on accommodation. Just need a clean and safe place to rest after all the sightseeing and walking. This  hostel which is catered for women has a 98% user rating on the booking website and all the comments said it’s a safe and convenient space for a woman traveling alone!

Many people asked me what do I plan to do in IL. We really do not have a concrete plan yet, we would have to see what comes along and take one step at a time. May eventually go for a teacher preparation program to get an IL teaching credential, but will work online and take up a part time temporary job as a start.

Working part time at a temporary job while getting to know the place and adjust to the new environment is the plan.  Since the holiday season is lurking around the corner, guess part time retail jobs and holiday extra helps are not too difficult to find.

It would take a few weeks for me to get the social security numbers (which is required when you apply for jobs). Then would start taking tests for driver license. Public transportation in most of the cities in America are horrible, driving is essential so you can get to work!

Many new immigrants may find themselves taking jobs that beneath their qualifications and past work experiences just to get one foot into the door so to speak. I know of a Japanese woman who decided to enroll herself to a beauty school like those beauty schools in texas so she can get American qualification and American experience. Though she used to ran a successful saloon in Japan!

Though the economy in America is not the greatest right now, it is fine when T has a  steady job and we are not in debt. Our plan is to continue to stay out of debt and save up cash for emergency during a recession like this.  That’s why we would not buy another car on payments though we  may have to work around our schedule.

So many people in America are living paycheck to paycheck and carry a balance on their credit cards. The financial crisis and recession  hit this group of people the hardest, some are going through bankruptcies,  foreclosures, or some have to consolidate debt and change their lifestyles. On the other hand, the sluggish real estate market is the buyer’s haven right now. It’s a great time to pick up a bargain for people who have the cash. We hope to save enough money to buy a house in 2-3 years time!

In the last four years, have only been to the theater 2-3 times., could not even remember the last movie watched!  However, in the last few weeks, have watched three movies in the theater, kind of a personal record breaking!

When I was down in PJ attending the medical check-up and visa interview three weeks ago,  went for dinner and saw”Money no enough” with my sisters. Last week, saw Babylon A.D alone. And this weekend, met up with my good friend SP for farewell, we went for lunch,  spent the whole afternoon yakking, then watched “Mamma Mia” before we moved on to her house to say goodbye to her mother and sister. SP made a resolution to visit me  in IL next year. :-)

Done with the packing and waiting to leave for South Korea tonight. Was able to pack quite a few things included a wok within the 46 kg (100 lbs) free baggage allowance! I wanted to give the wok to my sisters, but they did not want it because they already have a similar one. I have spent good money on the wok, instead of buying a new one, why not just bring this along since there is still room for it?

However, all the heavy stuffs like books, recipes, teaching aids, craft and sewing tools would have to stay behind. May bring them along when we come back for a visit next time, which will be at least one year from now!

After being separated and living 6000 miles apart for close to two years, we are finally going to be reunited in IL next week. Since the visa was approved three weeks ago, have been very busy with shopping, packing and farewells with friends and family. There are  so many more things to do than initially thought.

Mom was nagging me today, told me not to leave things till the eleventh hours. She thought we have  to leave instructions for dad to pay the mortgage or take care of all the other banking matters. Told her not to worry because we have already setup standing instruction and have that taken care of.

Compare to 10 years ago when internet banking  is still at its infancy, today, most of the financial matters i.e. mortgage payments  and fund transfers can be pre-arranged and taken care of  remotely. Could even Order checks online and have them delivered to the doorstep though internet. We rarely use checks, so we only order a small box each time, but they’re still a necessity when some small businesses do not accept debit or credit cards, as we do not carry much cash with us.

We have been ordering checks through the bank, which is convenient, since they deduct the payment right from the bank account…but they’re not very cheap! Furthermore, the bank only offers ONE design while they are several different designs to choose at VistaPrint. We can even get 25% off by using the coupon code Checks25 during check out!

My flight is on Wednesday 1.15 a.m, so will be leaving for the airport on Tuesday night. Packing is almost done. Two of the bags are still within the weight allowance, so going to pick some craft books to include in the luggage tomorrow.

Will be making a stopover of five days and do a little traveling in Seoul before flying off to Chicago on 09/30.  Should have access to internet at the hostels, but not sure whether will have the energy to blog after all the sightseeing and walking.:-)

Many of my friends have expressed interest to start a blog. They asked me many questions, from how to get a domain to how much they have to pay for a hosting plan. However, none of them took up blogging after all the detailed explanations.  Guess they were overwhelmed and did not know where to start!

Maybe next time could just point them to a site that has articles and tutorials, so they could read up and follow step by step,  from domain name strategies, how to choose a web hosting plan to DNS name server as they need it, to avoid information overload. :-)

Went to stamp the tenancy agreement at the Inland Revenue Department. Reached there at 3.35 p.m, they have already close the counter collecting cash for stamping!!  What the hell, it didn’t make sense! The afternoon office hours are 2:00-5.00 p.m , do they need one and half hours to balance the account? What to do? Drove out to post office and bought the duty stamps and got the stamping done.

The Inland Revenue office is temporary housed at the mall that has a Cineplex. It was pretty hot outside, my car on the rooftop parking lot was probably heated up like an oven.

“Babylon A.D”  was starting in five minutes, so bought the ticket and hid inside the air conditioned theater for two hours. The heat subsided by the time I got out at 6.30 p.m. Babylon A.D is quite a bad movie, with broken plots and the ending was abrupt and careless.  Though the trailer looked great, it is one of the worst movies that  I have watched in the past few years!

Was packing the documents this morning and realized that I have only photocopies, the original SPM certificate is missing! Guess most likely won’t be asked to produce this certificate as post secondary ones are available. Won’t have time to apply for a new copy. The district education department is corrupted and inefficient. I doubt they will process the request without asking you to run in the circle for a few rounds.

At the moment, I have not decided and have no idea what kind of jobs I can find in IL. If I want to teach in the public school system, will need to take the teacher certification course and sit for the licensing exam. In that case, will have to get the academic transcripts send directly from my Alma mater for evaluations. That will be a headache because the academic records department in UM will take months to do that!

The immigration paperwork hopefully is all in control. As soon as I enter US and activate the IR1 visa, the SSN and green cards will be processed within a few weeks. I should be able to apply for driver license after receiving the SSN.  But, the big boy will need to add me onto the auto insurance before I can drive. As a first time driver in US, auto insurance is going to be expensive! But shopping around and asking for auto insurance quote online> can probably get us a better bargain.

Took out all the winter clothes to wash because they have stayed inside the suitcase for the past few years! Wanted to get rid of the smell of moth balls before packing them. It’s a headache to pack all of them as they can be bulky and heavy.

After much consideration on the space and weight limit, going to leave behind some heavier and bulkier ones,  would need to buy new ones. Only going to pack two winter coats and some woolen sweaters.  The woolen sweaters are light, but can take up space.

Called Korean Airlines to figure out the latest baggage allowance for US bound flights. Apparently the information on their website is not the latest, they have revised the maximum baggage allowance for economy class to 23 kgs (50lbs) from 32 kgs (70 lbs) per bag!

check-in 2 luggage= 2 x 23 kgs =  46 kgs (100 lbs)

carry-on =  12 kgs (25 lbs)

That means  can bring 58 kgs (125 lbs) of stuffs in this three luggage without paying for excess baggage!! Let’s see how that can be done! :-)

My sisters bought some paper lanterns and candles. We hang the lanterns on the potted plants and along the fence, it lighted up the entire front yard. We even switched off the porch light for better effect and it was very pretty!

However, candle lights are hard to capture on pictures. I do not have the camera skills to do that!

My niece happily posed for me with hair wet and missing front teeth.

The other models wouldn’t pose for me, could only captured their backs. :-)

The lantern party ended at about 10 p.m. The children wanted to continue, but we  couldn’t as there was no more candles.

As the departure date to US gets closer, there are more errands to run and stuffs to buy. Have been busy shopping for food stuffs and packing this few days.

Bought a few packets of pre-cooked sauces, curry powder, spices, anchovies, dried shrimps, Malaysian coffee and tea last week.

I usually prefer to cook from scratch using fresh ingredients, but decided to buy some pre-cooked sauces, as some ingredients may not be easily available or will be expensive to buy in the area we live. This pre-cooked sauces will be handy when the crave for Malaysian food strikes or when I am tired of French toast casserole. :-)

Added more to the stash today. Decided to buy a few for some of the sauces and another pack of Ipoh Old Town white coffee. I actually don’t drink coffee. Since I don’t have time to shop for gifts for all the relatives, thought these premixed coffee sachets will be gifts for those who like coffee. Also bought some herbs for Bak Kut Teh and spices for green curry!

Gosh, they weighted about 5 kg (11 lb) now! Gotta stop buying food stuffs, else, may have to pay for excess baggage!!

We agreed on the date to fly and the big boy finally made the reservation and paid today. I needed him to pay with his credit card because the site did not accept Malaysian credit cards.

Will be flying out to Seoul on 09/24. Making a stopover for 6 days in  South Korea, and flying to Chicago on 09/30. It serves two purposes for doing so: to break up the long haul flight into two shorter flights, and to visit Seoul.

I have wanted to visit South Korea for sometime. So, I just jumped on a chance for a stopover when I found out the air ticket  for KL-Seoul-Chicago is cheaper than KL-Seoul! or KL-Chicago! In fact, KL-Seoul-Chicago-LA is even cheaper, something that never seems logical about this travel business!!

Tried to have my sister joined me for the trip by offering her free lodging and air ticket subsidy. :-) But we found out round trip KL-Seoul cost as much as flying to US and the special offers on Cathay pacific have already sold out! My sister decided not to join me, so it’s going to be a lone trip.

Bought a Swiss Polo 20″ carry-on luggage yesterday, but need another two luggage for check-in baggage. Was at JJ today, decided to drop by The Travel Store to check out the luggage again.

The sales girl introduced me a 29″ Eminent luggage that went on 50% discount.  It was a good quality one, but paying 300 ringgits for one luggage is out of my budget, especially I need to get three, not just one luggage. So I told her I would think about it and come back later.

Before leaving the store, I asked  the sales girl whether they happened to have other stores in town or even in KL/PJ that might still have stocks for the luggage that went on 70% discount. Glad I asked, because they do have a few more stores in town and one is just  opposite JJ and they have plenty of stocks for the luggage that went on 70% !!

I thanked the girl and walked right there to buy two more Swiss Polo luggage. The size 28 inches Swiss Polo luggage was 144 ringgits and the size 24 inches Swiss Polo luggage was 126 ringgits, after 70% discount !

Both came with with TSA recognized baggage lock.

TSA recognized lock

They are the same model as the Swiss Polo 20″ carry-on luggage bought yesterday. Some of the cheaper priced luggage looked a bit flimsy, but these three do look quite sturdy,  hope they were valued buys that will last a long time ! !

That mean I am set with one carry on and two check-in luggage. All stretched to the maximum free baggage allowance.

I could have bought another size 28 inches, but after second thought, better play safe, because some airlines as a limit for the sum of the linear dimensions of  273 cm (107 ins). The linear dimension for size 28 inches luggage is 57 inches, two size 28 inches would have exceeded the limit!!

I must remember to come out with a math question based on this real life problem when I have a chance to teach math again. :-)

Most airlines have introduced new rules about carry-on and check in baggage allowance. I have to buy new luggage as my old luggage doesn’t meet the  new requirements.

Was at The Travel Store at JJ to check out the luggage yesterday evening. They were all so expensive! I bought one Swiss Polo size 22 inches carry-on luggage, which was 108 ringgits after 70% discount.

The other sizes in the same series that went on 70% discount were all SOLD out. I didn’t buy the check-in luggage yet as they were all so expensive!

The US bound flights allowed 2 pieces of check in luggage, and they are many restrictions on the size and weight of the luggage.

Korean Airline’s website says this:

US bound economy class passengers are allowed two pieces of baggage provided that the dimensions (the sum of the length, height, and width) of each bag do not exceed 158 cm (62 ins), the weight of each bag does not exceed 32 kg (70 lbs), and further, that the sum of the dimensions of the two bags does not exceed 273 cm (107 ins). 

The United Airline’s website says this:

US bound economy class passengers are allowed two pieces of baggage, the weight of each bag does not exceed 50 lb(23 kg) and the dimensions of each bag do not exceed 62 linear in (158 linear cm)

Since it’s very likely I will be flying Korean Airline for the first leg and United Airline for the second leg, will have to find out whether to follow Korean Airline or United Airline’s baggage allowances. Korean Airline seems a little more generous in term of weight, but the maximum dimensions of 107 inches means I can’t have two size 28 inches luggage. Pening!

My mom’s cousin’s wife passed away today after a prolong illness. She  was 76 and had a surgery few weeks ago. She was at the ICU for a couple of weeks. Then she asked to be discharged yesterday. She passed away at home today at about 3.00 p.m, with most of her children and grandchildren beside her.

We are sad but glad that her sufferings ended. She was a kind aunt who concerned about everyone and remembered every occasion to buy gifts for everyone. Her kindness and generosity will be missed.

Have called a few travel agents to inquire about the airfares. The prices they quoted are generally about five hundred to one thousand ringgits more than what I found online. The profit margin so high!!

The cheapest fare is found on united.com, $826 for a one way ticket! But I don’t like the itinerary, it requires an overnight transit at Singapore Changi or 11 hours transit at Tokyo Narita airport. I definitely prefer the one that has four hours transit at Seoul Icheon airport. But, that itinerary is not bookable on united.com.

The websites that offer this itinerary do not accept Malaysian credit cards. Need to talk to the big boy about using his debit card or credit card to purchase the air ticket.