fun & fab trip to Houston - Part 1

what is the fun side of my job ? traveling!!though the timing has never been right as always, with ian just discharged from hospital and getting everything done with few working days left (CNY & Federal Day cuti). what the heck..who would resist such an opportunity.. mesti ramai yang akan jeles nih!!! is like indulging creamy ice cream on the warm & rich mud pie. i deserve this!

houston - a must place visit for any oil & gas staff at least among the technical engineers. i'm blessed, for being granted where i intended to go. this is going to be my first US trip. hooraay!! I never expected this soon, more so i'm here as a recruiter. arrangement has been done by Nisa, i'm just carrying it through and to manage both trips back to back.. both? ooohh, its going to be 10 traveling days!! forgot to mention the 2nd location is b-u-e-n-o-s a-i-r-e-s. yes!!! i have 34 candidates for interview for both locations and the preparation was so intense.

departure was on 7 Feb direct flight to LA with quick stop at taipei for refuel. i wasnt aware the dates coincides with CERA, so definitely you can't run away from having PTS staff everywhere - dlm lounge - flight - transit .boring jugak pegi ramai ramai ni..so awkward esp dgn big bosses. a short transit at taipei was not much but it's cute to see a small section of hello kitty area where the kids playground, waiting area and wall painting are all in pink with kitty faces everywhere. 4 hours transit at LAX, managed to grab a novel (as it's being a while from my last romance affair).

+kiutnye transit kat sini+

+ supposed to be my accompanied book to sizzle my long-cold flight, but I hardly

finished the first 10 pages. dunno where it is now. bought at $7.99 at LA airport+

arrived Houston on 7 Feb midnite - penat & lapar as expected.. checked in at JW Marriott late night after about 1 hour drive from the airport. Hazl as the driver, you are pretty sure will be well taken care off. next morning after breakfast (yang amat limited selectionnye) 1st target - to premium outlet about 45 mins drive from the hotel. bought coach. at USD 200. murah la tapi all of them are not from the current season. bila dah murah ni, macam less excited la pulak nak melaramnya considering that it has lost the exclusivity. few other brands available are carters, osh kosh, gap, kenneth cole, cole han, liz clairborne , nike, reebok, corningware overall price is definitely cheaper than kl with 30% off but not cheap as bandung cheap. selected items ada yang sampai 70% off. but, good shoes are great bargain. the guys bought cole haan shoes for less than USD100. lepas pegi kathy mills another super huge shopping area. bought some shirts for hubby. my conclusion for any US trip, bawak je duit seguni becos' that is the only fun anyway. we are so familiar with the people, the language nothing else excites me. the residential building looks great - apartment, bungalow houses with ranch area - just like in the movie. it's a big country, the highway are all in 4-5 lanes with flyover left and right. one store is away from the other. weather wise - it was very windy and sunny. so, seronok jugak wondering around.

+daily dinner menu at sheikh restaurant. memang la sedap terangkat. rahsianye ?
tu..minyak sapinye melimpah as you can obviously see..

interviews went well for the 1 & half day 9-10 feb. met micheal and alexis from worldwideworker learn some tricks from them. everynite, dinner at sheikh the halal pakistani restaurant that Hazl claimed as the best (and only halal briaani around). hari hari makan beriaani mau tak debab dibuatnye. considering i'm a vegetarian during the day, dinner is definitely a chicken meal for me (naan or briaani). but the guys are all having lamb, jangan sampai demam dah!after a hard day of interview, we went to wal mart post dinner. i guess i found my spot. this is far more better than premium outlet. shop baju yeyen (tak habis habis). his pjamas, few shirts and grab some pieces for for emmil, baby nia and kakak dina. bebudak ni jugak yang untungnye. on the last day supposed to go to macy, tapi i tak sempat as i had to pack every documents and clear all the bills. hhhmmm.. should have short more, but i was a little cautious as i have limited credit to spare. nanti, meeting bill tak settle kena tolak balik my coach bag. tak sanggup!!

Houston guide for dummies (with fat wallet) amongst others..

1.jw marriott houston: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/houjw-jw-marriott-hotel-houston/

2.premium outlets shopping heaven : http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=77

3. kathy mills shopping (definite leg & neck exercise for hard core browsing, huge!! ):
http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=1253

4. sheikh chillis restaurant for halal food :

address 6121 Hillcroft St Ste NHouston, TX 77081-1007. ph (713) 995-6768.
ada kedai mamak sebelah to buy prepaid caller card USD 5 for cheap rate to call Malaysia

..excitement tak habis lagi. to be continued