1. The cheap, cheap, cheap Sally Hansen, Stila, L'Oreal and Maybelline stuff. Did I mention that they were cheap? And you can buy these at *tah dah* 24-hour supermarts like Walmart's and Target! Whoohoo!
2. The endless sense of SPACE. The phrase [wide open wonder] suddenly seems to make perfect sense, as you gaze along kilometres (i REFUSE to say "miles", nyah!) and kilometres of undisturbed shoreline / horizon / roads stretching out into the forever-and-ever-ongoing distance. Carparks, too, well at least if you're NOT in San Francisco. Fantastic vistas for the photography buff.
3. The general sense of good-naturedness that people exude. Example: when you walk into a store, the attendants seek you out to greet you with a cheery "Good morning, how are you doing today?" The accepted answer, of course, is "Good / Fine / some other positive term" and when you begin to confess it, you really feel better! And you can take your time to browse and not buy a single thing and you will get just as sweet a smile as you exit. All this is done without motives; it's genuine good-naturedness.
4. The way people are flexible and go out of their way to serve you well. Like changing arrangements for airport shuttles, being able to return goods at the store, etc etc etc. The idea is really just to serve you better in any way possible.
5. The appreciation of art and alternatives. The country's not as straightlaced as many Asian countries are; galleries abound and so do museums. Alternative lifestyles are not looked upon with prejudice but rather tolerated, if not embraced. Seriously. I think sometimes white people might feel out of place in SF - they are probably outnumbered by Asians, Hispanics etc etc etc. Yet the city hums on with a happy contentment. You might be a hippie with the weirdest dress sense and say hi to a kid on a bus, and the kid's mother would probably smile and wave in return. That wouldn't happen in Singapore! This, by the by, is also one of the reasons why NOT, actually; will elaborate more later.
6. The education system. It is very student-centred and they take pains to make it so. Not the teacher-centred rhetoric that we in Singapore try so hard to acheive. Yes, our kids learn more and faster, and can recite facts and tackle tough math problems with much greater ease, but it is the American people who as a whole are more vocal and more able to tackle challenges; better able to think on their toes and better able to present their thoughts. Guess who, in the end, becomes whose boss. =)
7. The presence of things like CHOCOLATE MARTINIS (haha, not that I'd drink one, but that it even exists is amazing), IHOP (International House of Pancakes for you unfortunates who have yet to ever taste a REAL buttermilk pancake like the ones they make. Trust me, Mac's breakfasts are a pale shadow), baked potatoes that are are bigger than you can hold in your two hands (okay, I'm either exaggerating or have really small hands - you get to decide which is true) and BEN AND JERRY'S ICE CREAM (Yes! Ben and Jerry's rules the world!). This is the reason I get fat. Sob.
8. Feeling freaking small sized, anyway, regardless of getting fatter, when I go to buy clothes! Oh my gosh the people here are so HUGE, that the underwear shops have contraptions you might use to hold two watermelons. Or maybe draw the Stars and Stripes on and hang outside your window. mwahahahahahahahaha... clothes stores have evening gowns that look like tablecloths (and they wear like tablecloths too, I swear; I saw in Vegas!). Despite this, however, most American people carry themselves with a self-confidence and lack of self-consciousness I find sorely lacking in Asian people, myself included. Fat, thin, tall, small, Jesus loves us all, hey?
9. Cheap books! Oh my gosh! I will NOT elaborate any further, or I will miss my lunch, but books like Da Vinci Code go for $7.99USD (ie. about SGD13-14, sorry no calculator) etc etc etc.
10. The ease of intra-country travel. Travelling on Southwest Airlines is almost as easy as ABC. whoohoo!
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