post-Austin visit

After so much grumbles on LA I made in my previous post, I, to the least expectation, made good friends with local Application Engineer Rick in Austin. Getting what I had in the Tom Bradley Terminal, you should know how little I would expect from everyone else in the States. Rick, however, changed my biased judgement on this. I had a great time walking down the 6th (not 7th as the internet told me!) in Austin, the The Live Music Capital of the World! It was a rushed trip, as I was only scheduled to stay two days in Austin, including a customer visit which needed some troubleshooting and instrument setup. Nevertheless, it ended up very well thanks to Rick!

Btw, this is what I have from the internet!

Austin was selected as the No. 1 Best Big City in "Best Places to Live" by Money magazine in 2006, and the "Greenest City in America" by MSN. [7][8] Also, according to CNN Headline News and travel and leisure Austin ranks #2 on the list of cities with the best people referring to the personalities and attributes of the citizens.

There must be a reason for everything then.



Lake Travis, from Oasis.


The restaurant owner's mansion


Rick and the chips.



The 6th Street, tonnes of music bars.


The capital building




Somewhere by a river/lake. :D

Austin

I have finally made it here to Austin, after an rather inhumane secondary inspection at the Tom Bradley International Terminal. All these originated from the interviewer back in KL far back in 2004, which he said he wanted to inspect more on my secondary school named Sekolah Menengah Jitra. This would never to be cleaned, even with a new Visa and Passport.

I am travelling to two states that bordering the Mexico: California and Texas. I have decided not to write even a tiny post (or I am rather tired) from LA, nor to spend even a penny of my own there. Just, dont feel like too. I even think "somewhat compulsory" giving of tips is a commendable culture: there is a Chinese （Cantonese) saying: 数还数，路还路 right? Not to say that I am stingy that I dont want to spend my money giving away tips, but the dilemma it creates - whether to give tips or not, how much to give, should I give some or a lot if I take away the food from a restaurant - is simply confusing and detrimental, in my opinion, to a strong sense of economic structure looking from the individuals, leading to a macro view.

Also, what leads to such a predicament that so much of bureaucracy blooms, with snail-slow and certainly faitugued-about-life officers that are stationed for secondary inspection? The United States is supposed to be a country that cares a lot about human basic rights. No? (Sound like Rafael Nadal is asking :P). In the "no-bathroom-access" area, I saw verbally-crippled old men and women (mostly look Islam) sitting in worries and anxiety. Adding to this, no bathroom access? no bathroom access for 2-3 hours, sometimes up to 4 -5 hours?

A Chinese-looking pilot/staff named something like Muhamad Ali from SIA sat next to me more than two hours. Nevertheless, nobody will, however, know my name, because, the American Korean officer pointed to me holding my passport, "YOU, COME".

I rather made a trip to Tibet, if I have had the choice. Rather than seeing a lazy woman taking chips while overseeing a gang of like-culprit-treated civilians from claimed third-world or menacing countries. I guess it will be never ending for Uncle Sams, for, this thing, reitirates.

I'd better start worrying about my customer meeting tomorrow, and about whetehr 3.5 hours is enough for my transit at LA back to Singapore. You know, the waiting, can just easily take up 2 hours or more.


ps: to Uncle Hor, I rather choose to inhale the toxic air in Beijing.