First Skiing experience ever

Sat 27th Jan 07

After having snow for a while.... we are finally going skiing... not that i really looked forward to it... but well.. i guess it's something that u gotta try since it's snowing... so we set off in the morning... and went to Wildcat Mountain...

it was a first for me... and i din know wat i had to do... we could choose btw skiing and snowboarding... so i chose to ski...

signed up for this ski lesson... went to get my feet measured for the size of ski boots... and also had my height measured for the length of the skis to have.... then it's donning the ski boots... which i kinda have to get my legs squashed in... and it's hard to walk in those... i feel like i have walking disorder or something.. next u have to carry the skis... which are super heavy can... then when u finally managed to walk to the snow carrying ur skis... u try to click ur boots into the skis... and then it's where things get slippery... haha... a little movement can get u to skid a long way...

we proceeded to this beginners' slope... where we were separated into groups for classes.... we were taught how to go side ways... how to walk up a slope and not slip down.... how to ski and maintain our balance down the slope... how to change directions when skiing... well.. i would say i am the most retarded in my group.. or in the whole group for tat matter.... the same thing would take me ages to complete... if i am able to do it at all... or maybe half the time i'll be drifting somewhere else and trying to get my bearings back... hahaha....

well.. after the 3 or so hours of lesson... some of them decided to take the ski lift up to the top... and try to ski down... but the slopes look really steep to me.. and with my retarded skills... i don dare to go up... i just stayed at the beginners' slope and practise my going up and down the slope.. haha...

all in all.. skiing is very tiring for me... not used to lifting my legs with the heavy skis... not used to carry the heavy skis when i am not in them... and not used to being in skis and skidding around.. hahaha.... well... i guess we picked the wrong mountain to start our 1st time... cos Wildcat is said to be one with a really short beginners' slope.. which doesn't allow u to really ski much before it comes to an end already... and it also has one of the steeper slopes... so it's also not very suitable for beginners....

but it was an experience nonetheless... oh ya... one thing nice about being in ski bibs is tat... u can sit and lie down on the snow and not get all cold and wet... and that's pretty shiok... and we can make snow angels... hahaha....

One of the many photos I took with SH... till WY complained that we took so many of our photos on his camera... hahaha...

-jiahua

New Year Day

It's back to work after Boxing day... but i guess it still feels like holiday with lots of pple still on long vacation and everything... days went by.. and it's the end of the year! first new year in US... well... lots of firsts in US....

on New Year's eve... went to Pond Mill at downtown for some fireworks... parked our car... trudged through the snow to the pond side... walked along the bank to find a good spot... u see pple in their thickest coats and winter wear... huddled together in the cold.. just for the fireworks... we were one of them.. haha... rooted to the spot.. the fireworks was the usuals... nothing too fancifully special... but it was a 'celebration' nonetheless... better than having to spend new year all alone at home definitely... but at the end of it all... i thought my toes were all frozen... having stood there in just normal shoes and the cold of the snow seep in to my feet.... but luckily... i was still able to walk back to our car... and defrost...

nothing much... just a short moment outside (i don think we would wanna stay out too long... too cold!).. tat marks the end of 2006....

-jiahua

New York trip

New York trip on a X'mas weekend...

Fri 22nd Dec 06

We head on down to NY by bus via Boston... the bus trip was kinda long... about 4 hours... the longest so far since we haven really been further than Boston... so by the time we reached NY... it was already near dinner time... first thing was to unload our stuff at the hotel.. hmm.. not really a hotel.. but an apartment for short stays... it has 3 bedrooms... 1 bathroom.. and an mini kitchen (or food prep area) and a mini living room... it's near Lincoln Center and thus has the name... Lincoln Apartments... then it's heading over to our first destination... to watch Phantom of the Opera at Broadway! Super excited can! my first musical ever.... ok... mountain turtle again.... but it was really an experience... i actually quite like doing stuffs like tat....

Sat 23rd Dec 06

We set off pretty early in the morning... managed to do a fair bit of walking... taking in the sights of everyday NY streets.. in its quieter moments... with buildings with the fire escape ladders that u see on tv...

it was quite a lazy and carefree morning... with no rushing around to go to places... just wondering in the streets and stopping every so often to take lots of pic of watever... we even had time to visit one of the church.. or was it a cathedral... can't rem wat its name was though... but ya... we took pics all the way from the road to the large garden outside it... to the steps at the door... the inside... and out again to the garden on its other side...

then in the early afternoon... we went to the Julliard School of Performing Arts for a free session of violin... piano... and wat nots... recital... apparently our appreciation levels for such arts are limited... cos most of us fell asleep... haha... we finally decided it was too much for us... walking out in the streets wandering around would be better for us... more movement.. more fresh air... and the cold wind to perk us up... we even walked past the Trump World Tower... and by tat time... it was already evening...

so we went over to Times Square... and all i can say is... I LOVE IT MAN!! afterall i came from a city... and the bustling of city life... the hustling of pple in the streets... the large billboards.. the bright advertisements... the lights... the distant sound of siren of police car... ambulance or fire engine... tat's so New Yorky... just like on TV... totally cool man.... just so full of energy.... feel very revived to be in a city setting becos everyone is just hustling by... compared to the more slow paced life we are used to back in NH...

and it's a must to take a pic at the super huge x'mas tree near Rockefeller Center... and visting the shops in the area... our all time favourites... Hershey's... M&M's... Toys 'r' Us.... Nintendo World.... lots of souvenirs to get...

M & M's World....

Hershey's World... everything's big...

Sun 24th Dec 06

Got up early to go to the Liberty Island... with the thought tat.. if we are early... we would be able to get the tics to go up to the statue... but to our disappointment... they were out of it... super faintz.... but nonetheless... we made the most out of it by taking photos... again... we had every possible angle of the statue... since we started taking even before we boarded the ferry... so it's before we board the ferry... when we were on the ferry.... when we first set foot on the island... while walking towards the statue... we had the side... the back.. the front... full body... zoomed in... with pple... with diff permutations of pple... every aspect was covered...

On the ferry to Liberty Island...

Statue of Liberty!

Statue of Liberty... With us....

after we were satisfied that we got every shot possible... we took the ferry again.. which brought us to Ellis Island... which had the Immigration Museum... which showcases the heritage of immigrants in America... how they were screened prior to setting foot on America itself... pretty informative and interesting... kept us entertained for the whole afternoon... longer than we expected...

In the late afternoon... we decided to drop by Wall Street... but the faintz thing was... we weren't able to locate the Wall Street Bull... which means... we missed out on 1 photo taking opportunity.. and acting touristy... haha... the walk led us to Ground Zero... where the World Trade Center twin towers used to be... there was nothing much there... just an area of bare land where reconstruction seems to be on-going... the atmosphere was pretty solemn... so much so tat.... i feel even a smile on ur face would seem inappropriate... the tributes showed photos of tat day... and drawings from kids who lost their loved ones in 911.... pretty saddening.... but we din get to see the night skyline of NY from afar where they situated 2 beams of light that shot straight up into the night sky... where the twin towers used to be...

on a lighter note... we decided to walk across Brooklyn bridge... though our legs were all tired.. from the daily walkings in adverse conditions of cold and rain... we still decided to give it a shot... other than sore feets... it was a pretty relaxing walk... we could take in the night view of NYC... and adjacent bridges.

Mon 25th Dec 06

X'mas morning... most shops were closed... there's nothing much for us to do... so we end up walking in the streets again... today we are going to take a walk in Central Park... to me.. the 1st thing tat came to mind was an episode of CSI.. which they found dead bodies in the Park... hahaha... well.. we followed paths... past waters... and up to a point tat had a 'castle-like' structure called the 'Belverdere Towers'... it oversees the rest of the park... a lake... and a baseball field... after that... we extended our walk along the peripheral of the park... along a street tat has quite a few museums... then we went to look for this place called 'Tom's Restaurant'... which according to my fren... is the cafe tat was featured in the sitcom 'Seinfield'... i haven really watched the sitcom much... so i weren't really familiar with it... but wat the heck... it was featured in a show.. so it's a good place for photos... so u see the bunch of us taking photos outside this place tat wasn't even opened... hahaha...

Belvedere Towers...

in the early evening... we went over to Madison Square Garden... which brought me back to the time when i used to watch NBA basketball matches... and NY Knicks used to be one of my favourite team... but i've long lost touch with it... the pple on the team whom i'm familiar with... some are already in another team now...

later when we were passing by Grand Central Station... there was a lights show there... it was nothing more than snowflakes-shaped lights being shone on the walls and ceiling... with music to give a more x'masy feeling...

Tues 26th Dec 06

Last day of our stay in NY... we were pretty pressed for time... but we managed to squeeze some time to pay a visit to the Empire State Building... but when we got there.. we figured it was too foggy... we probably wouldn't be able to see much of NYC's view even if we went up... so we were satisfied just taking pic with the miniature statue of the Empire State Building... getting all touristy again... next we pop by Times Square for the last time... doing some last min shopping.. getting watever souvenirs tat we hesitated on getting the day before... and by the time we are done.. we were kinda behind schedule... rushed back to the apartments in time to check out... and it's the long bus ride back to Boston again...

and i actually planned to meet up with Esther when she came over to NH... but we didn't had a chance... so we figured we could meet up in NY.. since we were both gonna be there... but somehow.. we just din manage to do tat... it's the same when we were both in Aust... we didn't get to meet up either... i think we really have to meet up some time when we are in US man... somehow.... hahaha....

-jiahua

Get together week

Fri 15th Dec 06

Today we had a little get together of all the TAP pple and the Singapore project pple... to try to get to know each other more by spending time together... chit chatting... and of cos.. eat... for free! haha..

it was at a small pub near our place... which had pool tables... table tennis table... tv... table soccer... a live band... and of cos... beer.... turn out was quite good... and with the free flow of drinks and finger food... that just makes it better... haha... well... nothing much to talk about for this kinda setting... cos there is nothing much u can do put talk and eat and drink....

Sun 17th Dec 06

A fellow colleague invited us to her place for a little get together... and the funny thing is... i don even know her... but since she emailed every TAP... i just turned up... haha... we each brought stuff to contribute to the food pile... and i brought my usual Baileys bundt cake....

it was a pretty nice apartment... though a little small... but it's enough for her and her little daughter... about 2-3 years old maybe? all the while she was entertained by her on baby talking and playing with her toys by her mum's side while she prepares the food....

the food was great... and i particularly like the dumplings in celery soup... and to think celery is one of my no-nos... but wat i gathered was... after u cook it till it all softens away... the smelly smell of celery disappears too... oh ya.. and did i mention she was from the philippines... so well maybe her dishes did have a touch of asian in it...

well.. overall... got a chance to talk to the ang mohs... they get to know a little more about sg... and i get to meet new pple whom i probably wouldn't really come across at work since they are all in carpet world.... so on the whole... it was a pretty good session....

-jiahua

Gala Dinner 2006

Fri 8th Dec 06

Gala dinner on a Fri night... and I still gotta work till late... faintz... but well... managed to go home and bathe and pack everything tat i need and it's off to the hotel where we are going to stay for the night... all the guys got ready at home so when we reach the hotel... all the girls went into a room and helped each other dress up... well.. not much of a dress up for me... but had xy fuss all over my face and hair... and the result? not much difference.. -.-

not a fan of such 'dress up' events myself... had plans to get something to wear the week before... but in the end... settled for a tube dress a fren brought... hmm... tubes... not exactly my kinda thing too.. but watever... tat's all i've got... and faintz.. it did make me look pregnant... -.- and it was freaking cold can? dressed in a tube plus ur coat (which isn't much help) and walking in the cold Dec air from the hotel to the dinner place next door? Brrrrr.....

well.. by the time all of us finish dolling... the dinner already started for ages... sometimes i wonder why bother since nobody is probably gonna notice you anyway... well... not don bother... but no need to spend so much time... afterall.. it's only a dinner... basically just sit at the table and eat... plus taking lots of pics... followed by watever activities they had planned... and for our case... the opening of the dance floor... which i declined... cos i have no idea how to move around in the dress tat gives me the feeling that is it going to drop anytime i move too much... and the heels that i have no idea how to dance in.... so i retired to my room at about midnight...

we brought the drinking back to the room.. aparently we came prepared to continue the drinking... we were geared with coke and a bottle of jack daniels... it actually smells and tastes really bad.... we need tonnes of coke to make it more palatable.. well.. at least for me....

well.. tat pretty much sums up the day... spend lots of time dressing up in uncomfortable outfits tat restricts any activity... eat at a table and go back to room and drink...

Just us.....

With my sampat XY...



That's where we were... New England Center....

It's snowing!

Mon 4th Dec 06

The snow is finally here! we have been waiting for quite some time... apparently the snow came late this year... and it was forecast to snow early in the morning... about 3am... when I got up in the morning and opened my room door... i saw my back porch covered with snow... for a moment i just stood there... IT'S SNOWING!! first time i saw snow... haha.. a bit mountain turtle la... it just feel so new... something i've never seen before... when we were driving to work... the snowflakes just blow against our windshield... something u would never see in sg... but well.. since this entry is a super back back back-log... of cos after u have been thru the whole winter.. u kinda don't wish it to snow.. cos it makes driving more hazardous and the accumulation of snow and the hardening of them when they start to melt... is really not tat fun anymore... but anyway.. for this day... it was still quite a big thing to me... when we reach office.. i bumped into a few of them in the corridor.. and we decided to go out and take a pic... my first snow experience ever!

Portland

Sat 2nd Dec 06
Some of them wanted to go Portland because there is suppose to be Xmas lightings in the area... before we went.. we met at the Dairy Queen near our place... beside it is a place called Caboose Bagel... quite a cute looking place... it is in the form of a train carriage... we've been in US for nearly half a year and this is the first time I've been in it though we pass by it everyday...

we left for Portland after that... just walking pretty aimlessly along the streets.. checking out maps and asking around to find out where are the places we could go... in the end we ended at the Civic Center... supposedly there will be an ice hockey match tat night... and there was a team practising inside.. it's the first time i see pple playing ice hockey... and there is this guy at the entrance... he was pretty frenly... informed us of the hockey matches... about the place... and even allow us to stick around to watch the team practise...

then it was time for lunch.. we stumbled upon this place called 'Becky's Diner' which supposedly served the best fish chowder in Maine... but it turned out to be a watery potato and fish soup... how disappointing...

after lunch it's more walking around before we decided to go down to freeport... where the xmas lightings were... well... i would say that is an overstatement as well... it's no where near our lightings in Orchard Road... to put it simply... it's just lots of lights on trees... the only thing tat i thought was interesting was a big xmas tree... with nalgene bottles as the xmas lights... the bulbs were in the bottles and the lights take the colour of the bottles... pretty innovative though...

oh.. today is kor kor's bd... we got him a jacket... and came back by evening to have dinner with him... KY came with us too... and went to our house for a visit.. since she has never been to our house before...

so that concluded the day at Portland....

-jiahua

Montreal

Thanksgiving holidays in Montreal.

Thur 23rd Nov 06
Drove all the way to Montreal in our rented car... quite a neat car with a nice dashboard... i navigated our way to our hotel ok... hahaha... ok la.. the instructions were pretty straight forward... =P Reached hotel in late noon... about 3-ish... Hotel Viger! check in to our cramped.. supposed 2 bedrm hotel rm...unloaded and began our exploration of the Montreal streets... basically the whole trip had lots of walking up and down streets in the super cold weather... since finding parking was a prob... we resorted to walking... it was the coldest we have faced so far... since we haven even started wearing our down jackets in NE... explored the area.. with its churches and cobblestone road... decided on the 1st activity for the day... visit The Notre-Dame Basilica of Montreal... Went for the "And then there was light" sound and light show.... it was basically a screening of the history of how the church came about... shown on those canvas screens... and at the last part... the canvas fell... revealing the church... and wow.. it was grand... very pretty!

After that... we decided to go for dinner... at this Chinese restaurant... with this cheena waiter.... then the other highlight for the night.... Le 281.... a male strip club... wahahah... went in.. settled at our table.. ordered our drinks... and watch the show... basically guys with great bodies just came on stage and started stripping to the music... well... it wasn't the totally nude kind... but nonetheless... with some 'exposure'... which get the table of ang moh girls seated in front of us really high! they stood up and dance and scream... we were like... erm... and in comparison.. it made us look really off.. like a bunch of asian sitting there with not much reaction... hahaha...

and when we got back to the hotel... the dumbest thing happen... was taking my shower... and the bathtub just happened to be really rounded.... and with the water... it was super slippery... so i slipped and fell OUT of the bathtub... tat part was funny... and the 2nd funny part was i landed sitting on the heater by the floor... there was a dent on the heater.. wonder if it was from me... hahaha.. but my rm mates were saying she saw it there prior already.. so i guess someone else fell too.. haha... and the shower curtain and rod came down with me... there was such a loud bang tat it startled all my rm mates... they were knocking on the door asking if i am ok... but i din give a response immediately.. cos i was figuring out how to put the shower curtain and rod back... despite the pain in my rear... -.- i guess i was the joke of the trip now....

Fri 24th Nov 06
Had our buffet lunch... where everyone stuff their face full.... and then we ventured a little further away from our hotel... went to the Biodome and Olympic Stadium area... they are just side by side... we din go into the Biodome... which housed exhibits of ecosystems of America... we went into the Olympic Stadium... which was the stadium for the 1976 Summer Olympics.... there were exhibits inside on the various Olympic parks around the world... then it was getting dark pretty soon.. so we decided to head up Mount Royal to see the night lights of the streets of Montreal... It was really pretty too... most of the buildings were low-rise... and u can see across a vast area of just glittering street lights... And to end the day with a bang... and be fair to the guys... we went to a female strip club tonight... called "SuperSexe" It wasn't as sleezy as its name suggest... mainly just women going onto a stage and take off their clothes... and the women weren't really pretty or had super good figure anyway... in comparison.. the male strip club was more interesting and the atmosphere was better.. more happening...

Sat 25th Nov 06
Went to the Biosphere... strolling along the park by the Biosphere where we found a lake or estuary that was frozen over... The Biosphere is a metal structure tat really looked like fullerene... haha... inside it is supposedly some ecosystem stuff as well... din go in cos it cost too much to go in... but the huge metal lattice structure kept us entertained for a while... trying to get diff angles of the sphere... outside and inside...

At night... we drove up to Mount Royal again... but this time we parked our car and took a trail up... it was really dark and we don even have a torch with us... just walked up the trail and saw this lighted cross... a little eerie though....nothing much except walk up in the COLD and look at the night lights again...

At the summit of Mt Royal...

Sun 26th Nov 06

Last day of the trip... on our way back to NH... we pass thru Vermont... the state home to the ever famous Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream factory.... went for a factory tour... and it looked a little like our plant actually... hahaha... but i guess the best part was the complimentary ice cream at the end of the tour... but very faintz.. never buy any souvenirs... -.-

That concluded the Thanksgiving trip... with and aching butt.... -.-

-jiahua

Rhode Island

Decided to go to Rhode Island for the weekend...

Sat 18th Nov 06
got up early... drove to Rhode Island... stopped over at a visitor centre where there was a conference going on... wow.. first time saw so many asian looking pple at a place.... haha.. our first stop was at a shopping mall... Providence Place... stopped over for some minimal shopping and lunch... ate at this place called Fire + Ice... it has an interesting concept... u get all the food u want... then u choose the sauce u want... then u Q up at this central cooking area... it is a big round hot plate... like those for Teppanyaki... the chefs will take ur stuff and cook around the hot plate... so u just Q in a circle and wait for ur food to be done... interesting idea though... entertaining for the guests too to watch their food being cook...

After lunch... we explored the surrounding area... took photos at the State House... went into a local library... very small.. but very old looking... like some place out of the Harry Porter movie... then we drop by Brown University... pretty much of a walk around day before we check into our hotel... Pineapple Inn... exactly the kind tat u see in "Me Myself and Irene"... rows of rms with parking lots in front.... and to save money... we bought microwavable food back... just to realise our microwave isn't working properly... requested a change... then halfway microwaving... something short circuit and we had a partial blackout... wahahha... but at least the inn pple were frenly and helpful enough... so it wasn't too bad... oh... there was supposed to be a meteor shower today... and supposedly we are positioned at just the right location to observe... and we have located a good spot to view... along the coast and dark enough with benches... but well... just not our night... the sky was overcasted.... too much clouds to see anything... so after 15min of wait... we decided to call it a day.... too freaking cold!!

Sun 19th Nov 06
today we were supposed to go visit this stretch of street tat has lots of mansions of diff themes... but well... i guess we were too early and we din wanna pay to get into the mansions... so we just drove along tat stretch... and some had really nice gardens and high gates... very movie-like... after tat we went for a supposed scenic drive... hmm... very "scenic" indeed.... went to this Fort Adams... nothing more than a fort by the sea... pretty much like our very own Fort McClary... then we went to this place which supposedly has a lighthouse... and when we get there... we had a bit of prob locating it... and later we found out why... the lighthouse is super "big"... we were on this slope behind it... and we literally look down on it... so well.. i guess tat wasn't much of a sight for us... guess our york beach one is much better... or maybe our Fort Constitution one.. where we could go in...

Walked around the Newport area... before we went to Newport Vineyards... my first time at a vineyard though... paid $5 for a vineyard tour... tat brought us around the place... though it's not the right time of the year to be there since all the leaves have fallen and grapes harvested... so we pretty much was just looking at rows and rows of branches... and listening to the history of the vineayard... as well as the wine making process... the tour was pretty worth it... cos it included a wine tasting session where u can choose any 5 wines to taste... and we could each bring back the wine glass we used for the tasting... oh and i really like the small round biscuits they provided with the wine tasting... very milky taste.. wonder if i could get it anywhere...

pple ask me if Rhode Island is worth the visit... well... i don know... i would think it's someplace slow.. just like NH... with pretty much the same things... scenic drives... lighthouses... churches... but just a nice experience to get away for the weekend....

-jiahua

Back dating # 6

Shall keep my entries relatively short to catch up with times...

Sat 11 Nov 06
The validation director for the sg plant is in town... organised a get together at our place... potluck again... sweet and sour pork and chocolate cake from our house.. and of cos... as usual.. we supplied the alcohol...

normal get together... eat.. drink... talk... some serious.. some.. well... crap... but anyway.. too much alcohol made pple go weird.. nonetheless... an 'interesting' experience.... don wanna comment much on the day....

The bridge group...

5 on an armchair... yes we are slim... wahahha...

-jiahua

Back dating # 5

Tue 31st Oct 06
Halloween! After work we went to downtown for the Halloween parade... the wait was super long... and the parade was just less than an hour... but nonetheless it was pretty interesting to experience something new... probably won't get to see it in sg.. unless maybe some arty farty council decides to promote it... we might get there.. but maybe not yet... Halloween's still not tat popular in sg...

the parade was just a 'march past' or pple or groups that signed up to parade... there were loads of pple waiting to watch the parade.. they were all dressed up too... and after all the wait.. the parade finally started in the accompany of the police... it was pretty fun.. with everyone just swaying and dancing to the music one of the parade band was playing...

Even the pets were all dressed up...

The paraders...

The parade band...

Sat 4th Nov 06
Went to the Museum of Science in Boston.. yet again.. but this time we did get to go in finally.. and tat was the only thing on our agenda.. so no side tracking... the place is pretty much like our Science Centre... with all the science stuff teaching kids the different theories... physics laws.. blah blah... not too bad.. there was a mini demonstration of Benjamin Franklin's kite... lightning.. electricity.. blah blah... hmm.. interesting..

then we went to watch a show at the Omni theatre... Alaska... pretty cool visuals.. seat was super comfy though...

ok trip la... got to finally go to the museum after many attempts at Boston... and can get to eat at Chinese restaurant... though no roast duck...

-jiahua

Back dating # 4

seems like i am never gonna backdate finish... but shall attempt to catch up to date...

Wed 25th Oct 06
we had a QC party.. at portsmouth brewery... supposedly we thought we couldn't meet a dateline and then we managed to... and everything worked out fine... so i guess it's something worth celebrating... we booked the whole basement and had it all to ourselves.. could drink watever u wanna drink... provided they have it la... but i think the bar counter was pretty well equipped with all kinds of liquer.. there was a pool table.. and something called a shuffleboard... something like the game of pushing beer glasses on a smooth surface.. but it's a small metal pug on sand... push too soft and u can't reach the line... too hard and u fall into the sand pit beyond... had an ok time there... taking photos with colleagues (supposedly QC has quite a number of shuai guys) and had a chance to talk to our QC Director (he's shuai too =D)

The QC TAP girls at Portsmouth Brewery...

Fri 27th Oct 06
We had a mini Halloween celebration for the Lonza staff kids... so by 4pm.. u see lots of kids dressed up in their fav costume appearing... they are all so cute... we walked around the whole plant.. following the trick or treat path to the various stations to look at their decorations... something new... something u don get in sg... the kids go round the office cubicles with their little buckets... collecting sweet treats... it's cute to see how diff kids react differently... some are very sure of wat they want... they'll go to the sweets pot and take wat they want... some are shy and their parents had to help them get the candies... and others... well.. they are probably still too young to know wat's going on.. and why are they being dressed up like tat.. hahaha... jas was saying the kids are so cute... she would want kids too... then can dress them up... hmm... i'm not sure about tat... shouldn't u want kids because of some other reasons and not because they are cute? hahaah... Halloween seems like a really big thing here.. u see all kinds of decorations when u pass by other pple's yard... and there is really the trick or treat going on unlike in sg.. where Halloween is too commercialised... and it's more like an adult thing in pubs and places like tat...

Beverly and her little clown...


The cute kids in their outfits...

Our very own clown... she's the receptionist... but heard she is a professional clown and entertainer... not forgetting balloon artist... she makes very nice balloons... heard she is rank top 10 or something in NH...

Sun 29th Oct 06
WY's frens came to visit from Boston... so we brought them to Mt Major for a trek... the trek was a pretty managable one... with your fair share of gentle paths and rocky bit... the initial part was ok.. just some gentle path... then when u reach nearer to the top... it get a little steep and rocky... and it was so freaking cold... and the wind was super strong... esp at the rock face on the summit.. with no trees to block the wind... we thought we were all gonna be blown away... when we reach the summit... our face was like totally no feeling... numb with cold... and any sudden movement we were afraid our face would crack... hahaha... but the view at the summit was nice... and we can see a lake... there was a rock shelter at the summit... and we hide there from the wind... but we figured we gotta take a shot no matter how strong the wind is since we are here at the summit already... so we ran out... took the pic and ran back to hide... after tat we made our way down the mt in small groups... holding on to each other in case we get blown off by the wind and cos it was pretty steep on the rock face.. not much grip... when we reach more managable path.. i trudged on and on... had my fair share of slips and falls... damp leaves, branches and loose stones doesn't go well together... make it really slippery... slipped a couple of times but managed to maintain my balance... but i did fell on my butt though... went on for a while until a certain part where i suddenly realise... i am all alone in the forest... for a moment i did think... if i got lost how... but i thought... nvm... we'll figure out when i am really lost... so i followed the blue markers on the trees... and yes.. i made it... i am 3rd to reach the foot ok! everytime we go for such trekking trips.... everytime i see a lone trekker... i would always wonder why would pple wanna come trek alone... not sian meh... but i guess i know why now... it gives u quiet moments by urself... to think about things... i guess tat's wat they call 'Solitude'

Gentler walking path for starters...

Almost there! Great View!

Rocky part at summit.. with silhouette of 2 'action' pple...

At the summit! Where we risk being blown away to take this shot.. all huddled together...

The part of the forest when i realised i was all alone...

The top 3 places goes to.....

The lake tat we saw from the top of the mountain...

-jiahua

Back dating # 3

This week was quite a fruitful week... learned something new... finally got PM-ed on the ELISA test... so we could run samples on our own from now onwards... yippie!

oh and i am now a very qualified barber for short hair... wahahha... had my 2nd customer... my 1st customer YM was pretty satisfied with his hair... but this 2nd one very ma fan... and i don care.. he better be happy with his hair... haha.. to quote his own words 'i will only get better' so next time i'll do it nicer for u k... *wink* wahahahahah.....

Me and my 'proud' 2nd product... wahahaha... come find me if u need ur hair cut.... haha...

Sat 21 Oct 06
Went to Tilton for some retail therapy... this is the only factory outlet place tat i think we actually went into most of the stores and really scutinise everything.. and there are lots of shops selling shoes... and with all those choices... of cos i managed to get something cheap and nice.... though our KIV-ing kept SOMEONE rolling eyes all the time... wahahha.... but wat to do? of cos u must compare all shops and all prices before u decide on which one right? but the funny thing was... we KIV-ed 2 pairs from 2 shops but bought a pair in the 3rd shop... wahahah... well... =D

Proud buy of the day... cost me only $36....

Sun 22 Oct 06
going to Walmart to buy the winter stuff for the car... on our way out to the main road... we saw Shihui coming back from her jog... so we stopped and asked her if she wanna go shop with us.. so we drove her back to get her stuff.. then we set off to downtown portsmouth Rite-Aid to check out some fleece blanket... but it is thinner than we expected.. so din get tat... then went to Hannaford... then back to Walmart... got the scrappers for the windscreen... antifreeze for the gas... shovel for the snow... de-icer for the keyhole... and fleece blanket for me... for the car la.. but i think i'll be the only one using it.. hahaha... saw those super big and cute bedroom slippers... i like the ones shapes like sneakers... looks just like u r wearing shoes.. haha.. but of cos ur feet look swollen la... tempted to get those... but i gathered i wouldn't be walking around much at home.. so don even care if the floor is cold or not... so just got long socks instead... yup.. quite fun shopping with Shihui... haven been going out with her for some time.. i like her.. always so funny... brightens up my days... should hang out more often!

-jiahua

Back dating # 2

Initially wanted to just do a super long entry... but seems like it takes too long to even summarise 1 day... so i guess i need to back date a few times to give an acct of the past few weeks...

Fri 13 Oct 06

today we had a gathering at PP... the PP pple never had a house warming since they moved in.. so we took this opportunity to go visit their place... the gathering house was Vega and Celest's apartment... it was supposed to be a potluck dinner... so everyone brought something there... for our house... kor kor made choc brownie... i made chicken wings and our house supplied the liquer for the night... starring YM's flaming lambo... everyone had a shot of tat at least... except our house.. haha... cool to have such gathering with lots of pple... and as always... such gathering comes along with loads of food... lots of chit chatting.. laughter... fun... had a chance to visit XY's place... was quite a good gathering... all PP pple and us Kittery pple...

Sat 14 Oct 06
we went to Boston again! this time with the plan of visiting the museum of science since we have free tickets... so the big group of us took 3 cars and drove down... after reaching... took really long to get to chinatown... then take super long to go to the cheap carpark... then took quite some time to get a seat at the place to have lunch... so by the time we sat down.. i think it was already 1+.... we had roast duck! nice! don know how many thousand years never eat duck already... after lunch.. i think it was already 2.30pm... then we decided to take a walk from chinatown to museum of science... and the walk was nice... walking thru the city... but it was quite a long walk... by the time we reach the museum.. it was already 4.30pm... and the museum closes at 5pm.. -.- but the omni theatre closes at 10pm.. so we decided to buy tixs for the 8pm show... then we took the T back to the shopping area to shop... went to Filene's Basement... wow the stuff there so lok kok... reminds me of Mustafa centre can... can't stand it.... met up at 7pm to get together for dinner... had a late lunch.. so thought we could just grab a bite at some bakery... left at about 7.30pm.... but little did we know tat... we would lose our way again... ahhaah... missed the turn or something... then took a super long way to turn back... by the time we reach the museum.. it was already 8.15pm... show started... cannot go in already... so we went to ask if we could change the tix for a later show... and the person suggested a 'very nice' laser show... so we went... it was shown in the planetarium... it has a dome for ceiling and seats that lie all the way back down... the laser was emitted from an equipment at the centre... the show was unbelievably boring can!! i was telling them... it just feels like we are sitting in a big windows media player... watching the laser shapes change with the music... and not to mention.. the music sux too.... ahhaahah... we were thinking since there's already laser lights... standing up and dance.. treat it as a pub or disco would be more happening... ahhaaha... it was very dark.. so i was wondering.. after the show.. how many would have fallen asleep.. hahaha... after 45 min... we were all seh already... haha.. so started on our drive home... so much for a day in Boston and never achieve wat we set out to see... hahaha...

Group photo of the day... taken on a bridge... but weird la.. pple so small... some more still can see the ledge... haha..

Museum of Science! Don't understand wat's the r/s btw science museums and T-rex... when i was in Brisbane... the Science Centre across the river also has a T-rex outside... hmm...

House shot.... everywhere we go... haha.. always short of 1....

The legendary planetarium!! hahahaah.... curer of insomnia... hahaha...

Sun 15 Oct 06
went to White Mt for a scenic drive trip along the Kancamagus Highway for the foliage... but i guess we are a week late.. cos some trees have already drop their leaves... but nonetheless.. the view was still good... but it was super cold up there.... and we literally drop at scenic spots... ran out to take a couple of photos... then rush back into the car and drive to the next spot.... i think we did see a few snowflakes... looked like dust floating in the air before we realise those are actually snowflakes... caught a glimpse of it when it fell on kor kor's jacket... but it just melts away after a while... the whole trip was none other than... trees... rocks.... river.... and more trees! orange leaves!

At the start of the scenic drive...

Group photo of the day... at the visitor centre...

Some scenic photos we took...

How come this pic give me a feeling we are in China? haha...

This is where the skiing will take place...

-jiahua