chatterbox replies and more...

nardnegoy> i think you need glasses =P
gracie> my lion's cuter than snowflake
minmin> thank you i have good taste *chuckle laugh* ARHAHA
bigben> here here reporting for duty sir!
lauhomo> not as good as your gay partner
ros> technically only 1: 1st nyc's my holiday, 2nd was rostered, & i cof for sfo.
sharon> haha yah! plus they're real nice! you're right about jnb =S
kza> haha it's fast beginning to be my fave too
jan> ah ok let you know when i'm next in london. you still have your sin mobile?
mark> i smsed AND msned you!!!!!! but you no reply me!!!!! =(

disappointing johannesburg

somehow my macbook suffered greatly on the ride here,
and now sports a massive, spiderwebby crack on the inner layer of its screen.
first on the agenda when i get home - a prompt visit to the doc's @ apple.
*heart pain*

my room here's like a suite,
complete with walk-in wardrobe and couches to seat six,
and i heart the free wireless internet,
but i didn't get to go sight-seeing
coz it's cold and the animals are supposedly hibernating,
plus we had some problems getting the number of a tour guide
who would not make us pay exorbitant amounts of rand.
sucks.

here are photos of the view from my window,
meaty dinner with the rest of the crew,
a very well-endowed and intellectual cow in the connected shopping mall,
and a picture taken with a giant nelson mandela:


i also acquired a pet lion named frika:


i took him to the movies (for want of something to do).
so cute.


last weekend

zouked for helly's birthday
erm, and didn't take any photos with helly.
but here're some of us with the new male louis vuitton model:


also caught up with the lamster (and friends),
and the two loons...


lam and feng do the nerd
and feng and i practised interview smiles...


lam is now my sista coz we went to get facials together.

BOOM!

chazz michael michaels and jimmy macelroy
had us laughing nonstop and rolling in our seats.
not since zoolander has a cinematic experience
brought so much hilarity.
SNOWFLLLAAAAAKKKEEEE!!!

san francisco - day 1

this hkg/sfo flight must be one of the best worktrips i've had so far.
i'm still recovering from all the fun/sleep deprivation.
it's also the first time i hung out with my colleagues so much -
we spent nearly every waking hour together!

the sightseeing kicked off with a ferry to alcatraz island,
a national park that was once an infamous federal prison.


we trooped up a mile from the dock,
taking in the flora and fauna,
the many gulls who call this island home,
and the spectacular view.



upon reaching the cellhouse,
we picked up our audio packs
and wandered about within the prison,
the narrator in our ears
regaling us with the rich history that once was alcatraz.


"you are entitled to food, clothing, shelter, and medical attention.
anything else you get is a privilege."
(number 5, alcatraz prison rules and regulations, 1934)

teeny tiny cells with minimum facilities and absolutely no privacy.
five feet wide, nine feet deep, seven feet high.
a windowless place where prisoners will spend 16 to 23 hours a day.
and pitch dark isolation cells that were even worse...


michigan avenue, broadway, time square and c-d street,
weak attempts at injecting a previous life of freedom into one behind bars.

gradually, cells became homes:


paintings, crochet and knick knacks,
even access to radio stations,
help lift the dread.

of course, a lock-down that housed imates
who were escape risks and troublemakers
wouldn't be problem free.
of the 14 attempted federal prison-era escapes,
most were discovered dead or alive,
and only five inmates were never found (and assumed drowned).


the view of the bay and of san francisco's amazing.
but imagine arriving alcatraz in shackles,
watching the lights of san francisco recede,
and from then on only remember, gaze from afar, smell and sometimes hear the city.

the dining hall was a cavernous area,
its menu board showing the last breakfast ever served in alcatraz
on the day the prison was closed -
21 march 1963.


"will you live by the rules and leave alcatraz when your time is served?
will you be caught and punished?
will you die in a shower-room or recreation-yard stabbing?
or will you escape?"

it was an amazing experience,
and i was glad i got out without having to go through the worse,
or having to take a plunge in the icy cold waters.

back at fisherman's wharf,
we had lunch at wipeout surf and grill at pier 39...


before seeking out the many sun-tanning seals,
and the smallest island in the world (according to jason).


forbes island is so tiny, it has a small restaurant on it,
some trees, a flag pole, and not much more.


after i got my ben and jerry's fix,
we hopped on a cable car
and rode up and down the amazingly steep streets of san francisco,
to the crookedest street in the world.


lombard street was very very crooked indeed.
i would have killed someone at one of the turns if i'd been driving.
the expensive houses that line the windy street weren't at all crooked though,
and most were quaint and pretty apartments that i wouldn't mind living in!


we caught another cable car after walking down the crooked street,
and headed back downtown to union square
to have dinner at the cheesecake factory.
i da-baoed a cheesecake coz i didn't have space for dessert.


didn't eat the cheesecake in the end,
due of unforseen circumstances
(like lack of fridge and many other things to eat),
and had to dispose of it in hong kong *grimace*

san francisco - day 2

ting came to pick us up bright and early
and we drove to the other end of the city
for a sumptuous breakfast overlooking the pacific ocean.


it was so good to finally catch up with ting again,
and trust her to introduce us to such a beautiful place
that served the most delicious popovers ever.
buttery, crisp, melt-in-your-mouth,
add to all that the zing of home-made marmalade.
*drool*


i would have been satisfied just having them popovers alone
but her clam chowder and my yummy scrambled eggs went down well too!


the bistro was an amazing place for a meal
and we spent happy (and full) minutes outside after that,
braving the cold winds and
snapping shots with the great ocean.


it's much colder than it looks!
what with all the sun we got,
the wind carried with it a deep chill
that superseded most of the warmth the sun had to offer.


drove to the golden gate bridge next,
and took in the sights around this san francisco icon.


there was a flower-lined walking trail to an edge
that provided a clearer view of the bridge,
and the bricks on this trail had individual names/words carved on them.
i spotted a cool one that read "get offa my brick"!


ting the fantastic tour guide then led us to the palace of fine arts
where the breathtaking palace grounds totally bowled us over.


there were expensive-looking houses overlooking the whole area
and us girls were all hoping for a handsome bachelor to come out and invite us in!


wishful thinking, obviously.
we did meet a handsome little guy on his police bike though,
wheeeeeeing down one of the slopes
with his grandparents watching over him.


went for a chocolate fix at ghirardelli after a nice stroll,
and learnt of the chocolate-making process,
while munching on the complimentary square of yummy dark choc.


was so tired i was nearly asleep on my feet
but still managed to drag myself about union square
and did a spot of shopping before a last thai dinner with the girls
and bidding ting and san francisco farewell.

hong kong

didn't take photos when we passed through hong kong
before we headed up to san francisco,
but we did so on our return leg.

twice, we yum cha-ed,
and on one of the nights,
we went to the bay and watched the laser display.
we missed out on the fireworks coz it's raining,
and the lights didn't seem as spectacular when it's all foggy
and you're huddling under an umbrella,
behind other umbrellas.


spent most of our time eating and walking about aimlessly,
trudging through the rain and trying to make the most of everything.
we discovered ka ka lok and da kuai huo,
sought refuge in harbour city,
and traipsed through the pasar malams in mong kok,
where we had yet more shui liu shan mango
and drank gui ling cha without even knowing it was gui ling cha.


the incesssent downpour thwarted our plans to ocean park/big buddha,
and we ended up visiting the museum of arts,
and watching "mystic india" at the science musuem's omnimax theatre.
the museum of arts turned out to be rather fun,
after we discovered the hands on sections,
and mucked around making imprints.


one of the curators said my picture's HOU LENG ok!

there was also a chinglish exhibition going on,
and it was lots of fun with a piece that had two huge screens
with a whole lot of moving characters on it
that will follow you about if you get on camera.
we kinda looked like idiots messing with the words.


were so tired after all that walking
and we were all seriously sleep deprived,
but jason's cousin (who lives in hong kong) came down to meet us
and we gladly followed the local to a wanton mee joint,
before going to shi mo fang for the best zhi ma hu with sago in the world.


i was so exhausted after this trip
that i slept from 2-7pm, then 5am-4pm after i got home.
still managed to squeeze blades of glory in in the evening though.
SNOWFLAKE!!!! =)

yet more uncle moments

"excue me. do i know you?
no
then make flens lah. no hum.
i don't think so"

"hi are you singaporean?
yes
oh you look japanese"

seriously.
and they both happened when i was walking alone IN SINGAPORE.
i have an auntie face. *help*
no hum no hum. you think i char kuay teow ah?
-----

ah to collapse into bed after a long day (or two);
stretch and feel the aching muscles cry out,
try releasing those knots,
crack them bones and find short relief,
then fall into a deep slumber.

played baddy last night and i'm suffering (gladly) for it right now.
i find satisfaction in an aching, sporting body.
my old shoulder problem is back though,
and i really need a massage. any volunteers?
-----

off to hong kong later,
then onward to san francisco (woohoo!)
where i will FINALLY see ting again.
this is my month of america and i'm enjoying it! =D

uncles love me

another china, another old man.
this time he wanted my MSN.
he's older than my dad.
seriously.

anyway, it has been a rather hectic couple of weeks,
what with returning to new york,
then flying off to shanghai after only a day's rest.

new york's so different now.
flowers bloomed within the short week between my trips,
and the sky was blue and sunny.
i visited magnet:


who greeted me with a lick,
frantic wagging of his tail, bites,
and a pile of poo.


took photos while dogsitting
and waiting for mun to be done with his paper.

some shots taken downtown,
and while walking through columbia uni.


those branches were bare just a couple of weeks ago.

didn't take many photos in frankfurt,
since all i did was have spinach, pizza,
crispy duck rice, not-very-good thai,
and walked about downtown.
but here's one of a quaint area near my hotel,
with the lovely evening sky in the background.


went to sim lim and nerded with the girls when i got back.
we hunted for webcams and found pink minnie mouse ones,
searched for headphones and bought bright pink and blue ones,
and "mei you ah? mei you jing wan chu qu lor".


took photos while waiting for ang
coz we realized that the lighting's pretty good.
*hiao*

finally satisfied my huo guo craving at tian tian
where "soup is my downfall",
"the can still have, the ice don't have",
and we got so full that i waddled out of the shop.


we copied feng's dad's signature pose,
and i did a waitress.


off to feng's to nua and watch dvds
and we tried out the new webcam
that turned out to be a pretty good choice
(though i still think minnie mouse would have been better).


paris je t'aime,
followed by music and lyrics.
i was a happy (and tired) girl.


even got a free ride home
though i surprised myself by getting into a stranger's car.
but as singapore is so small,
he turned out to be an ac swimmer.
very qiao

there's something wrong with my safari.
and my msn.
and singtel mio internet connection.
and my toenails.
yucks.

may day may day

since it's labour day,
i got off my ass, went gaigai, and decided to blog.

specially for pecked:


cornelius (finally) and his twin, the runt with more hair.
thought i'd be nice and put it out right on top.

those were taken when we had dinner at da paolo,
before a rather miserable one-prawn fishing session:


i caught the only puny prawn muahaha

spent some time in sydney after new york:


so tourist we stopped in the middle of the busy road and took photos.

it has been raining wherever i go
as though i have a pet rain cloud on a leash.
new york, singapore, sydney, singapore and now new york again.
fierce lightning, angry thunders, furious downpours.

did you know that static electricity branches out visibly
on a cockpit windscreen
when you fly through a big black cloud?
coupled with actually seeing lightning flash randomly below you,
it was a totally amazing experience.


on one of those quiet thunderous crazy magical wet nights with feng,
i fell in love with singapore all over again.
(i also stuck my straw into my nose,
and my munny took over the esplanade).