I’m finally flying back home after 1 month (30 days) in US. I went to 4 different states this time round.

I started my journey in Chicago, followed by New York City, San Francisco, Berkeley, Scottsdale, Tempe and Sedona. That’s like 7 cities in 4 states (Illinois, New York, California and Arizona). I am in east coast, west coast, midwest and southwest of US and experienced 2 different temperature ranges of winters. Definitely quite an experience and I think I brought enough clothing too. In fact, there are some jackets I ended up not wearing at all. There’s also 1 jeans that I didn’t wear at all because it was already quite big. I basically reduce size in my waist within the first week. Lol… I needed to buy 1 more belt soon if this continues. Sigh. 

I came back with 46kg of luggage. I already finished the full bottle of First Care serum and also threw it away too. I ate all the snacks and took out everything that I don’t need to brung back to Singapore and I am still exceeding the weight limit for both luggages. Luckily I am flying back so they seem ok to let me hit around 46kg. Otherwise I think it is 45 or 45.5kg for combined weight limit… well, I came with 39.6kg so I definitely shopped a bit. Haha. I even had to wear my boots to make space and reduce weight for one of my luggage and I still can burst the weight limit. It’s pretty uncomfortable to travel long hours with boots but it is what it is…

I don’t think I want to do this again – flying to 2 places with such a wide range of temperatures. I basically have to cater from -15 degree celsius (Chicago) all the way to 25 degree celsius (Scottsdale). It’s crazy but I have a feeling that when I get the opportunity again, I will do it once again. LOL. But at least now I have 2 new Canada Goose jackets that can handle such wide range without too much layering (aka no need to bring so many clothes anymore). Shrugs. 

Now I hope my house is ok because the internet connectivity went down when I am in San Francisco, which is like the midway of my entire trip. So I cannot see the CCTV for the last 2 weeks which sucks big time. I also cannot start my robot vacuum to clean my house just before I reach home. Lol. 

I’m flying 4 different states in US in this month long trip. Technically 32 days if I include the time taken to fly to and fro. I went with 39.6kg for 2 checkin luggage and I wonder how much I will come back with.

US is so big that I am in 4 different timezones in 4 different states. I started my trip in Chicago for a work conference, then flying to New York City for holiday. Then I went to San Francisco to visit my friend, Gulabi, and also chill/vacation before heading to Scottsdale for work. Definitely counting my blessings and feeling thankful for the opportunities although I can’t help but to feel lonely at times and missing my Singaporean food. I definitely lost weight because my belt size has downsize by 1 hole within the first week. Now it is the end of the second week and I am like at the same belt hole (which is also the smallest) but I am feeling it is a bit loose… I got the 90cm length 13mm belt just last month and now I am regretting because I should have gotten the 85cm one. Hmm, maybe I need to get another one at 80cm. Sigh, the belts are expensive even though it works pretty well. I just spent thousands on 2 Canada Goose winter coats though. Oh well, if I am going to get another belt, I probably will get in NRT airport. But I am not sure how fast I will gain back the weight and my belly fats again. Aiyo. The food choices in US is making me lose weight too quickly liao lah.

Well, I am blogging while I am flying again. As I grow older, I realised these timings are like the most reflective moments – especially when I am flying alone. There are WiFi available on flights usually but somehow I don’t use it. I only post it on my blog much later. Haha.

I’m realising the benefits of being an adult and having adult money. I’m on a flight from JFK airport to SFO airport. It is a 6.5 hrs flight and I booked Delta Airlines main cabin initially. Somehow I decided to just pay for the upgrade to Delta Premium Select less than 12 hrs before my flight departure time. There’s no seats available at Delta One (first class equivalent) so I went for the next available tier which is Delta Premium Select. There’s upgrade got me 2 free checkin luggage which anyway, I also needed to pay US$80 for it with main cabin. I was worried that I need to checkin my hand carry luggage which was what happened in my last year’s trip (JFK – SFO). Well, I was one of the last few passengers and nearly missed the flight. The main cabin seats are pretty decent for US domestic airlines but the Premium Select seats are much wider and comes with an inflight meal which was served in ceramic plates and glass cups. I spent US$478.38 for the upgrade which is a bit pricey. 

I am wearing my new Canada Goose expedition parka which I got it in New York City for the flight since it is heavier than my existing The North Face jacket. The coat has better backpack straps which makes it really comfortable to carry around. I can carry it like a backpack instead of lugging around on my arms. I really like its portability for sure. 

Couldn’t have done all these if I don’t have adult money for sure. I’m feeling fortunate that I have money to do and buy all these stuff and experiences. This is my first solo trip to NYC. NYC is really quite expensive so I am glad that I can afford to do 5 nights here.

I’m on my second business trip for the year and yes, I am back to US again. This time it is earlier than the usual time because I managed to get selected for the last minute slots available for Grace Hopper conference in Chicago this year. So I am flying to US earlier and staying for a month until I am done with all the work required in US. Technically I can fly twice for conference and work but nope, I am not subjecting myself to such long hours of flight 2 times in a month. Lol. Doing that for twice a year is already making me question reality. It’s a blessing to represent my company in both Women in Cybersecurity and Grace Hopper conferences this year. I’m thankful for the opportunity but a part of me is like…. Why am I doing this to myself because I really do not like long and numerous flights… I had 8 flights when I flew to US in April and now another 8 flights in November. Well, at least it is a month duration so it is not as jam packed.

However it is also because it is 1 month long that makes me quite anxious. It is my first time preparing to fly while staying by myself. It is also my first time leaving my house unattended for more than a day. Maybe I should have tried something like 1 week vacation first before doing this 1 month business and vacation trip.

I haven’t got chance to blog about my trip in April and I don’t think I blog about my last November trip and now I am off to US agin. Wah everything is very delayed… This time round I will be in 4 states/cities in 1 month, starting Chicago, New York City, San Francisco and finally ending in Phoenix. Yup, that’s like east coast to west coast then centre of US. Quite like an US tour. Now I feel like some singer/musician flying around for tour performances. 😀 Nope, I have not change my job hahaha.

I am going to Chicago for conference then work for a few days in Chicago office before starting my vacation in New York City and San Francisco. Then I have to head to Phoenix to work in the Scottsdale office before heading back to Singapore. Well, I have to take vacation in the middle because I am only expected to be in Scottsdale on end of November and my conference is on the start of November in Chicago. I do want to visit New York City again, in particularly Central Park since I wasn’t able to explore more of Central Park last November. I was having a massive blood flow from my menses – like need to change my pad every 30 mins. So I got no choice but to listen to my body and cut short my Central Park exploration. Very glad that I am going back now again.

I’m now on my 7th flight for this trip and is in the middle of the journey to make my way back to Singapore. It has been a short but hectic trip for the past 8.5 days in US. I was in  Dallas for the first 5 days 4 nights for the Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) conference. I didn’t manage to attend most of the sessions since I still have work meetings to attend, as well as socialising with my colleagues. My manager and my director drove over 3hrs just to meet me so I had breakfast, lunch and dinner with them over the 2 days they were here. I also helped out in the career fair and met several graduating students who were looking for a job in my company. 

Then I flew to Chicago and met up with Gulabi for 4 days 3 nights for my personal vacation. It was my first time going to both Dallas and Chicago. They are very different from All other states/cities that I have visited. Grapevine (a place in Dallaswhere I was mostly in) feels almost like Scottsdale but more green than brown. There are more greenery than desert sand. Chicago, on the other hand, was a pleasant city full of city vibes. It is similar to Singapore in terms of the road structures and public transportation. New York City is the closest match to Singapore except for dirty streets and public transportation. Chicago is much cleaner than New York. Chicago is a city of midwestern vibes which is a different change from what I am used to. I am used to the California vibes.

This time I didn’t manage to go to San Francisco. I have been going there for every trip to US except for this trip. Well, it is also my shortest trip ever with only 9 days 8 nights in US in total. Just look at the sacrifices I made for my new home. Lololol. It will be too much of a stretch to to extend further given that I have pre-renovation work to do before my renovation can start. I tried to clear as much as I can just before the trip and also clear quite a bit while in US. Every morning spent on catching up on vendor updates and every evening is spent on making deposits for booking the various contractors’ services. Just imagine how crazy it will be if I don’t have an ID. Lol.

Every time I come to US, I will gained a deeper appreciation of Singapore and how lucky I am to be based in Singapore. It’s a bubble living in Singapore and coming to US so often is giving me frequent reminders of how lucky I am.