Xmas party at home

Tue 25th Dec 07

With so many people on vacation during this holiday period... we thought of having a xmas party for everyone who's staying behind in NH...

Before I left for my west coast trip... i already passed a grocery list together with an email of instructions to muay #2.... and for her to estimate the amt of food needed for watever the number of people she decides to invite... was surprised at the amt of food she bought... so little... hahaha....

so we spent the day preparing the food... roast chicken... beef stew... mushroom risotto... mashed potatoes... garlic bread... plus the food and alcohol the rest brought.... tat actually amounts to enough food... haha... and not forgetting the drinking... the 2 bottles of red and white wine i used in cooking where finished before i even finished cooking! with follow ups with beer and hard liquer...

we spend the rest of the night playing wii... the set is pretty amazing though... very wow... and really fun and funny when played by many people... definitely a good party toy...

everyone had a good time... in our last winter and xmas in US...

-jiahua

Las Vegas

Thu 20th Dec 07
After 5 days in SF... we are leaving for the Sin City LV today... i guess immediately you would know it is the LV airport because there's slot machines in the airport itself already... haha...

After arriving at LV airport... you can see the strip from afar... it looks like someone just left a strip of casinos in the middle of the desert..

We took the airport shuttle... and arrived at our first hotel... MGM Grand... the hotel was pretty grand... boy this is going to be a luxurious trip... hahaha..

we settled for lunch at the Rainforest Cafe... then proceeded out for our first intake of the strip... the hotels are all so wow... each with their own theme... it's like you are in a giant arcade... where there are lots of lights flashing all around you... and lots of ppl swarming past you...

Bellagio.... Caesar Palace.... Imperial Palace... Stratosphere... New York New York...

Planet Hollywood... The Mirage... Treasure Island... The Venetian...


Excalibur... Tropicana... Monte Carlo... Mandalay Bay...


Wah!! so many so many!!!

Fri 21st Dec 07
Today we took the day tour to Grand Canyon... finally get to one of the Wonders of the World... The bus journey there was super long! No wonder we need to set off so early...

We made a 10 minute stop at the Hoover Dam for some quick shots... before proceeding on the next half of the journey before we are finally dropped at the South Rim of the canyon at the Grand Canyon Angel Lodge for our approximately 1 hour plus of free time to go venture the Canyon... you don really see the canyon during the journey.... it's not like you see it when u get near... and u see it all the way until you reach your drop off point... you don see it until you walk to the edge... it's still wow... like i'm finally here... taking in the Grand Canyon... but well... i guess we came to the Grand Canyon at the wrong time... it is so freaking cold!!! the canyon is covered in snow!! I couldn't last more than 15 minutes outside by the ledge... can feel my ears and nose and hands hardening from the extreme cold... gotta run indoors in case these parts all fall off... after taking all the shots we can take... at the various points... Mather point... Yavapal Point... then we spend the remainder of our time at the visitor centre and souvenir shops... wish we could stay out longer...

the whole journey is madness! 6 hours there 6 hours back... and we stayed at the canyon for about 2 hours... travelling time 6 times more than actually being there!!

Sat 22nd Dec 07
Today we took a half day tour of the Hoover Dam... although we did stop by when we went to the Grand Canyon... it was only for 10 minutes for photos... i wanted to stop by longer for a more in depth look around at the place... plus this tour enable us to go into the dam itself... and know more about its history and how it work.... quite cool... glad that i took the tour...

after the guided tour of the inside of the dam... we went to the top of the dam... over looking the Colorado River... scenery is beautiful... and reminds me of the show "Fools rush in" but i couldn't find the part of the road tat has the Arizona and Nevada line... only managed to find the 2 clocks showing the time of the 2 states....

After the trip... we checked into our second hotel Luxor... and pyramid shape hotel that has a beam of light shooting straight up into the sky... really cool! but... it's located at one end of the strip... so very tiring whenever we need to go anywhere... lots of walking involved... haha...

After we settled down and had dinner... we went to NY NY for the cirque du soleil Zumanity... a different kind of cirque du soleil... sensual.. provocative and seductive... quite interesting.. and different... woohool!

Sun 23rd Dec 07
Today we are going to the old LV strip... Fremont... the one where they shot 双天至尊 i heard? we took the monorail to the end of the strip at Sahara there... then decided to walk... boy were we wrong... Fremont is not near Sahara at all.... we walked for about half an hour plus before reaching there... and sad to say... there isn't much to see there... just lots of souvenir shops... so now we had to wait till at least 6pm... 6 hours of wait!! wat to do!?! so we hang ard there... going into every souvenir shop... and we found something interesting to keep us occupied for a while... watching those street spray paint artist conjure up piece after piece of artwork... with their spray paint cans... and creativity... it's so cool lor... they make it look so easy... and yet the finished product is... PRO!! there's also the street caricature guy... all these kept us occupied till the actual "laser show" which actually is like watching a huge tv... on the ceiling... with random stuff flashing by... faintz... all the wait for these!?!? sigh... well well....

after we finally managed to make our way back to the strip... we took the video cam and went for the Bellagio fountain show... the musical fountain is super nice lor!! too bad tonight is our last night in LV le... if not we can come every night to watch this... reminds me of Ocean's eleven... haha...

After that we went back to our hotel for the topless show Fantasy... where girls dance topless... haha... the show's ok... just not super wow...

Mon 24th Dec 07

Last day of our west coast trip... we made a mad rush to go to all the hotels we haven been to the past few days... mainly those hotels at the other end from us... so well... tat entailed even more walking... haha... and not forgetting the walking back too... and the rush to check out and off to the airport we went....

when we reached the carpark near Manchester airport... our car is semi-buried in the snow... and the snow already harden.. not those u can sweep away... so we need to get the help of the carpark uncle... he was pretty frenly and helpful... came with his shovel and "dig" our car out of the snow.... luckily got his help... if not don know how ah.. so tat concluded the vacation... driving home... at midnight.... LV is really a place to go when u have lots of money.. cos all u do is eat a lot... watch a lot of shows.... go for day trips... hotels also not super cheap... plus if u gamble... tat's even more... weird thing was we never gamble at all... not even a dime in the slot machines... hmm wonder if it's weird to not gamble at all in a city of casinos... haha... well....

-jiahua

San Francisco

Sat 15th Dec 07

Our day effectively started since last night's part... or rather it did not end... at 4am... we left for the airport... parked our car where it will sit for the next 10 days with all the other cars in the snow... and off we go on our trip to San Francisco and Las Vegas...

there we were... sitting in the departure gate... waiting to board the plane and trying our best to stay awake... though our first stop is San Fran... we transit at Las Vegas before flying to SFO... haha... -.-

when we finally reach SF... we took the BART to a station near our hotel and walked all the way cross a few streets and up slopes before we finally reached our small hotel... though small... it was pretty ok for my standard... we rested before venturing out again to explore the city...

our hotel was relatively close to Chinatown... so we walked along the street filled with various asian eateries and tonnes of shops selling antiques and 'touristy chinese' stuff... wonder how they manage to survive with everyone selling the same thing and having so many of the same shops within that same street...

the Union Square area was pretty bustling... with early celebrations of xmas... as xmas trees and decorations everywhere...

Sun 16th Dec 07
Today we got up early... for our day trip to Yosemite National Park in our minivan... we passed by the windmill valley... into the Sierra nevada... and through the old mining town of Groveland... and finally we reached Yosemite National Park itself... the guide brought us to various scenic spots for photos... Yosemite Falls... Bridal Veil Falls (though the flow of these waterfalls is down to a trickle as they are all frozen up upstream).. the must see El Capitan and Half Dome...

at about lunch town... we had our free and easy time... we took a quick lunch and ventured off on our own to capture shots of the Half Dome which we missed earlier... The Giant Sequoias region would have been a nice area to visit... but it was too far away and we might not be able to make it back in time.. so we gave tat a miss...

it is only in places like US where the area is so huge that you will find such natural formations... awed by the wonders of the world around us....

Mon 17th Dec 07
we got up early to catch the first few ferries to Alcatraz... seems like an exciting experience... to be able to go on a tour of the island where some of the most dangerous criminals used to be locked up...

upon reaching the island and after brief history of the island by the tour guides... we are given audio sets and we are off on our own on a self guided audio tour.... this is quite good as we can set the pace and decide for how long we want to stay at a particular spot...

Alcatraz is so full of history... so many stories... and it being so close to the city... yet so far off in the middle of the ocean... it's little wonder that there were so many escape attempts made... and just being here on the island itself... gives me an indescribable feeling...

after we got back on shore... we explored the famous pier 39 area... with its interesting little shops selling all kinds of souvenirs... and a platform area where lots of seals gather and of cos.. make lots of noise.. haha..

in the evening... i wanted to go take a look at the famous 'most crooked' street in the world... true enough... it is really crooked! with sharp turns zig-zagging all the way down the slope... it's interesting to see how cars navigate down it... and of cos it tireds us out having to walk up and down tat slow... before we eventually walk to Ghirardelli Square.. and was greeted with free choc samples as we enter the shops... :)

Tues 18th Dec 07
last night... upon knowing that today's gonna be a rainy day... we booked a day tour of the Napa Valley and Sonoma region... figuring even in wet and rainy weather... we could still visit the vineyards for some wine tasting session and not wasting the day...

We visited 3 vineyards in total... Madonna Estate... Viansa...and Cline Cellars... and as with the vineyards we visited previously... we were there at the 'wrong' period as it was already past the harvest season and the rows of grapevines have been harvested and wat's left behind is nothing more than leaves and twigs... so there was really nothing much of a winery tour... other than touring the insides of the winery with its barrel after barrel of wine... and the countless 'wine appreciation'... well.. to be honest.. i'm not so much of a wine person... but the trip was nonetheless an eye opener...

Wed 19th Dec07
on our last day in SF.. we have a tight schedule packed to cover all that is left to see... got up early in the morning.. and took a bus to the Golden Gate Park... it is none other than a super big park... with a Botanical garden... a Conservatory of Flowers... a Japanese Tea Garden and a lake... we happen to be there at 9am and in time for the free admission from 9-10am... :)

the Japanese Tea Garden is kinda like our Chinese Garden... but more nature and zen like... with it's streams... bridges... bamboo forest... pagoda and buddha statues... gives u a very tranquil feeling being in there... like doesn't belong to this world...

after spending the morning in Golden Gate Park... and having a hard time finding our way out of there... we were finally on the right bus out... the bus took us past ocean beach... seal rock... cliff house... and the windmill by the sea... all the way to Palace of the Legion of Honor... a fine arts museum... of cos we did not go in... but the main thing i wanna see there is the statue of The Thinker... rem back when i just started this blog... i did mention it in my first entry...

Next we went in search of the place with the best view of the Golden Gate Bridge... and it's none other than Fort Mason and the north of the bridge...

After lunch... we are still in time for the cable car museum... before it closes... the museum is small... but it is actually where the actual machinery of how the cable cars operate is housed... so wow to look at the gears turning... pulling thick cables along with it... in turn pulling the cable cars up and down the slopes of San Fran City.... amazing!

In the evening... we are down to one more stop... the Coit Tower... took the elevator up the tower... and from there... u can see the entire city... 360 degrees of it... beautiful...

San Francisco is such a unique city built on hills... resulting in its steep and winding roads... and the unique means of transportation... the cable car... not forgetting its unique architecture as well as the dense population of asians...

-jiahua

Xmas Party

Fri 14th Dec 07
It's the annual company Xmas party... same as last year... it is held at the New England Center.... and as usual... was a time for me to get stressed out over wat to wear... wat accessories to go with... wat shoes... how to do my hair... how to do the makeup... not my fav part of the prep work....

decided to go simple... with the existing minimal jewellery and heels tat i had... and to look for our in-house "saloon auntie" miss xy to do my hair and makeup... haha... though it's supposed to be simple... the dress took me a while to settle after buying.. bring back to return and buying again... finally settled with my first ever little black dress....

so since i have tonnes of leave to clear... and i guess i need lots of time to prep... i decided to take the day off... did a bit of housework... ironing... before i proceeded to xy's house for the "makeover" (not much of a diff after tat though... hahaha...)

and mind you... it is dec... in the middle of the freaking New England winter near zero degree conditions... and we are dressed in skimpy dresses and heels! is tat crazy or wat?!?! after trying to park our car near this big heap of snow (after ramming into it a few times.. haha..) we got out of the car and started our mad rush to the entrance... skipping over snow and trying to keep glam at the same time...

finally got into the building itself... deposited our coats... and try to make our way to our table and finding the rest of our frens... and the night begins... lots of chit chatting... photo taking... laughter... not forgetting... dancing! this year was slightly better than last year... my dress allowed me to actually dance! and not have to worry about it falling off if i move too much.... and my feet don hurt at all... nice!

so we partied till past 1... where the music stops... and everyone is all tipsy.... gotta get home fast since i am starting my West Coast trip tmrw and gotta leave house for the airport at 4am!! total madness...

QC girl power!

All happy... with KM and CW... and who's the guy at the back!??!


The QC Chippendale - Niall Highland... who weirdly happens to hate choc... cos while we were talking by the choc fountain... he said "could we move away from the choc? it stinks..." hahaha...


My fav auntie in EM... Jeri!


With Ming ming... haha....


With Joyce and the ah lian JY.... Cheers!!


Wah all sweaty and oily faced at the end of all the dancing...

-jiahua

Florida

It's getting cold in NH... it's time to head to Florida for Thanksgiving and some much needed warmth...

Thu 22nd Nov 07

Our first stop is Miami... don know why... Miami gives me the feeling of Singapore some years back... maybe cos the weather's warm... and there are high-rise buildings... multi-storey carpark.. lots of expressways... and maybe also cos of the abundance of palm trees lining the roads... wonder if the palm trees are native here... or just there to add on to the tropical feel of Miami...

Does this looks like Malaysia or wat? Haha....

after checking in to our rooms... we had lunch by the bay... overlooking lots of yatch... reminds me of CSI Miami! hahaha....

next we walked to American Airlines Arena... home of the Miami Heat! Too bad.. we wouldn't be in Miami long... can't catch a NBA match before we go...

Well.. i guess everyone was tired... so we went back to the hotel for an uneventful afternoon - a nap... haha... in the evening.. we decided to go somewhere for dinner and a drink... so we proceeded to Coconut Grove... well... dinner was a little disappointing for me... the beef burger was a little too burnt for my liking... well.. there was also nothing much to do in the Coconut Grove area... we ended up watching 3D Beowulf... story was a little -.-

Fri 23rd Nov 07

On our drive to Orlando... we decided there was still some time for us to hang out at Miami beach... so we went for a little walk along the beach...

After hours of driving... we were dropped off at the Magic Kingdom... since no one else wanna go to Magic Kingdom...

We are finally here!! Magic Kingdom is really kinda for the kids... every ride is very family oriented... well.. i figured Magic Kingdom seems to be the icon for Disney... so no matter wat... i'm gonna be there...

Disney Castle! My fav pic =)

Super big turkey drumstick...

Mickey/ Minnie's house...

Disney Castle at night!

Though catered for kids... some of the rides/ shows were pretty good... like the Monster Inc show... was really funny... the 3D Mickey show was reall cool... and not forgetting the Castle and the fireworks at night... har~~

The day was great... except for that... don know why.. today seems to be a little too cold for us clad in our shorts... and it's only today!

Sat 24th Nov 07

After breakfast... we left for the Kennedy Space Center... along the way to KSC... we saw crocodiles! *shivers*

Crocs... Yikes!

I guess this is the one that we were supposed to see launch but didn't? Hmm...

well.. as the name suggests... u can learn everything to do with wat they do at NASA... anything space... we got to experience what it feels like to be launched in a rocket... blah blah...

when we were booking our dates... it actually coincides with a satellite launch... but for some reason it was postponed... so ya.. there goes our chance of witnessing a satallite launch...

i guess it's a pretty good opportunity to be at NASA... and experience things... even just looking at the place where astronuaty ppl work... though some of them think it's a little boring... haha... too educational for them...wahaha...

We managed to drop by Daytona beach in the LATE evening.. or rather... early night... but well ya.. a bit duh to be at the beach in the dark.... can't see anything... but well.. good to go for a walk after dinner....

Sun 25th Nov 07

Everyone's going to the Universal studios... and apparently... they have 2 diff parks... so we poured over the map trying to decide which park is better... well.. it was an easy choice for me... the one with the least scary rides... haha... ET ride and Jaws ride are pretty classic... those tat u see on tv all the time...

ET go home... Haha...

Mon 26th Nov 07

Today we are going to Epcot... the 2nd and last theme park that i chose (after bargaining... finally fixed on 2 theme parks plus Universal =p)... Epcot is pretty science... eco... educational... the rides are not scary and actually quite interesting... "Soarin" is pretty cool... it's like u r handgliding over scenic places... cool... there's also a ride where they bring you thru their very own glasshouse or eco.. watever... that's where they grow fruits and vege... and supply to one of the restaurant in Epcot... and my fav ride is "Test Track"... u sit in this race car and goes for a test ride... with slopes.. accelerations... sudden brakes and turns... super cool! should have gave it another try... but well i guess it's about time for dinner... and the time for our dinner reservation at the German restaurant is almost up...

Traditional performances...

In the "World Showcase" part of Epcot... it's like 小人国... there's the trademark of diff cities around the world... eh.. why no Singapore huh? hahaha... and each "country" has it's own theme restaurant... we decided to go for German buffet... food's pretty good... i love their Bulgarian Cheesecake! Super nice! and there's even traditional German performances... atmosphere very nice...

We end the night at Epcot with "IllumiNation: Reflections of Earth"... laser show and fireworks in the night sky....

And to end it all.... since it's our last night in Florida... we decided to go for a drink at a pub not far away....

-jiahua

Chicago

Not sure about the rest... but this was a pretty inpromptu trip for me... wasn't really planning on going to Chicago... just happen that my housemate found a good deal online and so happen tat it has to be around this period... so here we go on our Chicago trip...

Sat 27th Oct 07

If I rem correctly, we took a bus directly to The Museum of Science and Industry... with our backpacks and all... we bought the citypass which gives us entry to 5 diff places of interest... To maximise time for the trip... our first stop is the MSI... something cool about it is tat it has a real Germany submarine U505 in it... and from the video... it showed how the submarine came to be in the museum... it literally got here on water... then after the water was drained... and the submarine fixed to the location... then the museum building was built around it... how cool is tat!?!? very cool if u ask me... haha...

Next we went to the hotel to drop off our bags before taking a walk in the city... along the Magnificent Mile... and decided to go to the Uno Pizzeria and try out their famous Deep Dish Pizza... It really is very thick... almost like a pie... taste not too bad... but i guess i still prefer thin crust pizza... =p

It's almost dark and time for our next stop... the John Hancock Observatory... there is one thing i observed about the big cities in US... they all have their own Museums... Aquariums... and definitely some super tall building that overlook the entire city... the view up there was great... city lights... straight rows of street lights... beautiful...

Sun 28th Oct 07

A brand new day... on to the remaining 3 stops... the Adler Planetarium... Shedd Aquarium... and The Field Museum... which were kinda in the same area... on our bus ride to the planetarium... we pass by Soldier Field... Home of the Chicago Bears... and they happen to have a game today against the Detroit Lions... there are fans hanging outside the stadium all ready.. dressed in their orange and blue "bear" wear...

Soldier Field Stadium...

Adler Planetarium...


Shedd Aquarium...

The Field Museum...

After an afternoon of educational tour in all the museums and aquarium... we took a walk in Grant Park... and came across the Buckingham Fountain which apparently was already closed for winter... cos it's all dried...

Next we proceeded to Chinatown for dinner... after which was where we had a close encounter at being assaulted by black teenagers... which we of course ran for our lives... wow.. tat was scary...

Mon 29th Oct 07

Early in the morning... we did our last bit of visiting before we return to NH in the afternoon... we went to the free zoo... Lincoln Park Zoo... it was a small place... but had quite a fair bit of animals considering its size and it being a free zoo...

My Hippo with the sleeping hippo... hahaha... so cute!

Next.. no matter wat... i need to find The Bean... so we went to Millenium Park for the last time... in search of The Bean.... and finally I found it!!! It was awesome... a gigantic silver bean in the middle of the park... with the reflection of the city on it... wow... cool..... man i'm easily awed... hahaha...

-jiahua