Here comes Sunday in Miami and the President of the University is holding a HUGE party at her residence for all new students. Yes... you heard me right... a party at the President's house...ha ha! Check out the pictures, it's a huge place she has. Our President, Donna E. Shalala, yes she does have a very interesting names is a also very influential in the United States. A really friendly, sweet lady as she personally greets each and every student by hand. Her residence priovided by the university is such a charming place. Behind her private residence, is her backyard (or rather, field) where I can imagine her holding receptions on behalf of the college. Every single person that was present was totally impressed. University of Miami sure goes all out to play host to the new students. Food stalls set up in every corner, fantastic food ranging from BBQ to seafood to Asian to Cuban cuisine. Along with free flow ice cream, drinks complimentary of the college. Not forgetting live music available throughtout the day. Amazing, were blown away. It was such a carnival. A classy picnic set on golf-perfect grass along a water body with yatch docked close by. What more can you ask of Miami?
Also, introducing the College's mascot. Sebastian, the Ibis. He's the man stirring up the college spirit as well as entertaining guests this afternoon. Thoroughly friendly and such a good spot in posing for photos!
JOEL , and the Hurricane hit @
11:59 PM
-----------------
My first weekend in Miami but due to the hectic schedule of the orientation, the beach probably gotta wait till the next week. Orientation is really power packed. Activites all through the day and all through the weekend. Today, there is a free trolley from campus that is gonna take us to Miracle Mile. Apparently, this is a stretch of high class shopping. Nonetheless, a few of us got together and went.
On reaching there, I would say we were not very excited as the shops here are way over the budget of us college students. We ended up walking around and exploring the area. Well, it's still fun walking around Miami (and outside campus) for the first time. It's such a hot hot day.
JOEL , and the Hurricane hit @
11:59 PM
-----------------
Today starts the official Orientation for the Fall semester 2007. For the USA, this is the start of the new academic year after the long summer vacation. And so, what's a better way to kick off the semester than welcoming all new students with a BANG! Literally, it came with lots of music, dance and performance that put us right into the core of the spirit of the Miami Hurricanes. All of us gathered into our orientation groups and proceeded into the BankUnited Center. This is like an indoor stadium on campus. A place huge enough to hold basketball games and even concerts. I am amazed that a university has a facility like that. Check out the pictures, for the people in Perth, it is bigger than the Challenge Stadium; and for my Singapore friends, probably half of our Indoor Stadium. The place is fully air-conditioned with surround stadium seatings as well as plasma screens.This is the Canes Kick'Off; an Orientation I call fully American head on. Just like you watch those American movies with the cheerleaders and their Big Band, I say they are no exaggeration at all. This is it, all the new students were welcomed by the student Government with the cheerleaders, Big Band, our Mascot (Sebastian, the Ibis) belting out the College cheers. It was just fantastice to watch. Don't think you can get this anywhere else but the States. I say, the cheerleads REALLY REALLY can dance and shake their bodies...ha ha! This was followed by a speech by the President of the University followed by various Deans and leaders. Wow... I say that Miami has really kicked us off on a really good note.
JOEL , and the Hurricane hit @
11:59 PM
-----------------
And I am finally in Miami, Florida. Took a red eye flight out of San Francisco via Houston,Texas to Miami. I remember just before I left, Daddy Bo bid me farewell and said from now on you are on your own. That sentence really struck me a bit. Now in Miami, really have a strange feeling. Cos I'm not here on holiday, so no holiday mood, and not like Perth as I need to really start from scratch. I landed at Miami airport this morning and I realised I am totally on my own. This is a strange place and I literally know no one in probably 500 mile radius or more. In my mind, my concern was just to get to my University of Miami, my home for the next 4 months or so, safely and I will figure it all out. Despite all my heavy luggage, I really wanna thank God that all of it got on the plane without it over weighting. Anyway, got my luggage, waited for a shuttle for half an hour and finally reached the university. Thank God for a really nice lady on the shuttle who talked to me and made me feel comfortable with this new place. Well... at least I know Miami is gonna be a friendly place. That will sound really really good to me.
The Lobby & My room! The shuttle dropped me directly off at my dorm, the Pearson Residential College. Once I stepped into the lobby, I am already impressed. The place is like filled with balloons and streamers making it really welcoming. The process of checking in was smooth and fast; and I was in my room in no time. Room #318 is it. Putting my bags down, I decided to go explore my new school and man am I impressed. Really huge campus and there are so much to tell. All of these will be revealed later on in my blog so you gotta watch out for it. 
In the evening, I had a welcome dinner for all exchange students. This is my first phase of making friends. Well, because I'm on exchange, I kinda have an identity crisis when we have the mass intro session. I'm from Singapore but I'm an exchange student from Australia. So I guess is something really cool and unique at the same time. There are many exchange students from Australia (only me from Perth), we have the whole European Union there, some from Hong Kong, Korea, Japan and only 1 guy from Singapore. After the session, I ended my day hanging out with my new found friends; Igor and Bruno from Brazil, Masa from Slovenia and Yuki from Japan.
JOEL , and the Hurricane hit @
11:59 PM
-----------------
It's already my last day in California and I don't wanna leave. Times seems to fly so fast when you are having fun...ha ha! I did had lots of fun and I don't wanna leave to go to Miami knowing that college is going to start again soon. But, least I'm going to Miami for college so I should be excited for it though. So today before I left, I had again 2 really sumptous meal again. Went to a mall with Samuel in the afternoon to look around and spot some stores people has been telling me to spot, like GAP, Abercrombie & Fitch, Victoria's Secret (gosh, they are everywhere). Hmm... well, none of them are really that cheap even here in the States, unless they go on sale. Nontheless, discovered some things that I know will get some people excited. Like the candy store here sells M&Ms by the colour, 24 in all... ha ha! Anyway, had a Japanese buffet lunch with Samuel at the Mall before going back home to pack up and get ready to go at night. This was followed by dinner at Bo Happy which again, had too much food for my consumption...ha ha! Still full from lunch, I just picked from the dishes on the table. They are good nonetheless. So I guess I have tried all the best dishes of "Bo Happy" for the duration of my stay here. 
Like I said before, Daddy Bo used to work for Apple Computers and so on our way to the airport, he insisted that he will personally take me on a tour of Silicon Valley...ha ha! Just some info; in this part of California, the cities are divided into the various valleys they are located. The Bos stay in the city of Pleasanton located in Tri Valley which is just next to Silicon Valley. Anyway, Silicon Valley is like THE place of opportunity where all ideas become reality here. And what better place to show than the headquarters of Apple itself. Yes... the HQ for Apple Computers is right here in Silicon Valley. Daddy Bo enthusiastically showed me all the different buildings of Apple and insisted that I must take pictures of them. So here are a few. Standing in front of not an Apple store but THE Apple store...ha ha ha! By the way... the iPhone is awesome(seen, touched & played with it). I want one for Christmas!
JOEL , and the Hurricane hit @
11:59 PM
-----------------
I promised Maria that I will help her move house. Well, she studies at University of Calfornia, Berkeley and was back home for the Summer break. Today, she moved back as school be starting again soon (mental note to myself). So Mommy Bo, Maria, Frances, Samuel and me packed all the stuff into their SUV and off we go to the College Town of Berkeley. 
Upon reaching there, we had lunch at this really famous pizza restaurant, Zachary's. It's Chicago-style pizza. Nothing like I ever seen before. The pizzas here are neither thin or stuff crust. In fact, its a DEEP, THICK pizza. And no, I'm not referring to the crust but to the ingredients. Check out the pictures! The pizza is as thick as a pie! It's an upside down pizza. Ingredients all stuffed below followed by cheese and the tomato paste on top! It was good. A must try. We had 1 large and 1 small and went around us all! The small here is like large in Australia and Singapore (pic 1st from right)!!! 
After moving all Maria's stuff to her apartment, she became our tour guide and showed us arounf Berkeley. UC, Berkeley is just beautiful. Check out the pictures! The library resembles those posh European Museum and not forgetting the full siza T-Rex skeletons from the paleonthology museum as well. 
Samuel wanted yoghurt and so we all proceeded to this place called "Yoghurt Park". Another round of ice cream for us. The Yoghurt's here is great. But just check out the size man! I ordered a small and it's DEFINITELY not a small at other parts of the world lah! It'll be a large in Singapore and Ozzieland man! I ate half of it and gave up. Oh trust me, I'm NOT Super-Sizing man! No way!
JOEL , and the Hurricane hit @
11:59 PM
-----------------
