30.12.12

The American Tour (2)

The first sight of Grand Canyon wowed us all. It was just like a painting, picturesque. I don't think we could use any words to describe it, we were speechless and just couldn't stop clicking our cameras away. It was filled with tourists. We didn't get to the Skywalk which has a glass bridge, it's at the west area of the main canyon, and I think we were at another part. Anyhow it wasn't part of our tour and we had to pay extra to just walk on that bridge. Instead we were offered another option - a helicopter ride, it took a lot of hesitation before 6 of us decided to do it! It was USD250, not cheap at all, but it might be my first and last time in Grand Canyon... so why not. It was my first helicopter ride as well!

The weather was really bad when we arrived, with thunderstorm ahead. So the helicopters couldn't take off that afternoon. We had to reschedule it to the next morning. So we went to locate our ideal camping spot and set up our tents. I couldn't remember who cooked that night, but it was burgers and mash on the menu. But before dinner, all of us set off to witness the sunset at Grand Canyon. We didn't know the way and no one had a detailed map, so we walked a long roundabout and barely made it in time for the sunset. We were all dispersed by then, but I was with Michele, a Swiss girl... We both ran and ran and managed to see the yolk descending in time.

But this was also when trouble started to brew. A few of them managed to made it back to the campsite whilst there was light, and the rest of us whom were staying to see the sun going down eventually got lost in the darkness. The sky darkened very quickly, we managed to get on the first shuttle bus before alighting to wait for the second one. The temperature also took a dip and most of us were shivering in the cold. The campsite wasn't well lit at all, there wasn't any lamp posts or lights to show us the way. None of us had a map or a torch, we could only relied on our instincts and using lights from our mobile phones to get back to the campsite.

Upon alighting from the second shuttle bus, we tried to figure our way back. We walked some distance before we saw a vehicle shining its lights on us. It was Josh, our saviour; apparently Emily who got back with a few others informed him that we might not be able to find our way back. So they set off to look for us. I couldn't remember how cold it was but it must be around 0 degree celcius. It was so cold and there wasn't any hot water in the bathroom, but anyway they were a distance away and closed. So I guess none of us could take a shower till the next morning. I didn't want one in the morning too, it was still freezing!

By the time we got back, we were hungry like wolves. All of us dived in for the burgers but there wasn't enough for all. I think the rest got hot dogs or sausages as a substitute. I thought we were going to have S'mores but unfortunately we didn't have the ingredients. We did have burnt marshmallow but it was sticky and too sweet, not really my kind of thing. We tried to warm ourselves by the campfire but it didn't help much too. All of us tried to turn in early as we had to be up at 4am for sunrise! But before that, we had to make our breakfast and lunches for the following day.

I must have left my brain somewhere by misplacing my camera in the toilet. Fortunately a kind soul returned it to me, else my holiday would really have been ruined!

Syndy complained she had altitude sickness that day and didn't want to join us for the sunrise the following morning. It was weird as she was an air stewardess for so long and seen more mountains than I did but she felt unwell. So we didn't force her, but the next morning she apparently changed her mind and came along! Was it for Josh's attention, LOL, I really don't know!

The next morning, I woke up earlier than I was supposed to... and the rest did too on time. We dragged ourselves to wash up and got ready. This time, we knew the shorter route and managed to find a good spot waiting for the magnificent sunrise. This was definitely worthwhile, you can forgo the sunset but never miss the sunrise! I could watch it over and over again, I would bear the 0 degree celcius all over again just to witness this again!

We did a short rim trail because some of us had the helicopter ride in a few hours' time. It was a shame we didn't stay for two nights or we would have more time to go deeper down to the Canyon. I would still feel a little fearful doing that without a proper guide or experienced trekkers. The 127 hours movie left a mark in my head, I watched it during my trip in Hanoi, and it was still lingering in my head how he survived on his urine! Gosh.

One of my tour mates got a close encounter with a stag after she went too close to snap a picture. Thankfully God watched over her!

Then a bunch of us headed over for our long awaited helicopter ride. We had to measure our weight first to determine where we were going to be seated in the helicopter. Syndy is always the lucky one, she got to sit besides our very cute pilot, Mathew. I got the window seat on the second row, I wasn't too bothered not seated in the first row as I still got a pretty cool view. Those in the middle of the second row felt a bit dampened in spirit! Here are some pictures I took from my seat:




Before I end our Grand Canyon adventure here, here is our awesome group photo! Though someone is missing, but this still got to be the best one from the tour. Next, a long drive to Las Vegas...


Note: Trip was in May 2012.

The American Tour (1)

And so on Monday, Syndy and I set off to meet the rest of the tour mates to start our Western Wonder with TrekAmerica. We took a taxi as the assigned meeting place was a hotel nearby, that was my first time in a taxi in America and I also noted there was this sign saying all drivers only carry $5 in change (how believable is that?).

It was a hassle to get my tour booked as this tour company although operates in USA but based themselves in UK. If you are outside UK and booking from Asia, they refer you to their Korean partner instead. I just thought they should just invest in a credit card payment system than having to do a fund transfer to Korea! Even though I had a UK account, they didn't allow me to pay! Absurd. But somehow Matt from TrekAmerica was patient enough to call and resolve my issue. Thankfully. It made me a happy customer to be going with them definitely.

Syndy's decision to tag along was very last minute. She couldn't make up her mind so her husband did it for her. I don't know whether it's a good thing or bad, we did travel together before with the Fab 4 or maybe just a day or two with just two of us. But going on a tour with her for a week sounds like a challenge. Her over-mothering nature and attention-seeking behaviour just sometimes drove me up the wall. Read on to find out!

We met up with Josh our guide, it was his first tour with TrekAmerica (I think) and I bet it must be very stressful finding the ways around things. But I thought he did pretty well for a first time! Our group consisted of 3 x Korean, 2 x English, 1 x Scottish, 3 x Dutch, 2 x Swiss and us, 2 Singaporean. Syndy thought our guide was quite cute, I had no doubt if she had more crushes on the guys in our group as well :P

So we started with a drive along Beverly Hills and then stopped to take a snap of the Hollywood sign from afar. Initially I thought we were driving up to the signboard, it was a little disappointment it wasn't, but we were in this mini Hollywood town with the footprints of the celebrities. We stopped by a lot of hypermarts along the way to stock up food and drinks to make our sandwiches and meals. I didn't mind at all because I could go crazy in just supermarkets!

Our first stop was a camp site along Colorado river where we would set up our tents for the night. The last time I camped was during my secondary school days, probably 15 years ago! Setting up the tent for the first time was a task but then it just got easier and easier every time. Soon it was all up and we settled in and watched a lovely sunset before dinner. I heard from Angela that her guide never cooked for them but we were extremely lucky Josh did that for our first night. He made awesome pasta! For that, I could have a crush on him, LOL.

We also had a roster listing whose going to be cooking or cleaning the coming days. After dinner, we just sat around the tables sharing stories. John, one of the English blokes, had this entertaining app on his iPad that could tell us the name of the stars by pointing it in the sky. It was our third day in America and jet lag had began to set in for us. Syndy was definitely hit by it, so I decided to turn in early with her.

We woke up to a beautiful morning, I had a little stroll and was greeted by many friendly faces. I also found out Josh did not slept in a tent, he laid under the tree when we saw him in the morning.

After breakfast, we dismantled our tents and moved on. We went to this little English town with "London Bridge", it didn't impress me of course.

Then we had a stop along the historic Route 66. Now that was more interesting, even though everything looked set up but it was like in a movie. It was also this place I started to my souvenir coin collection. I used to do that while I first went to London, but I can't remember where are those coins now! I don't know how long we spent there, but we also made and had our sandwiches there. Then we had some time to walk around the cool "houses" along this road. Most of them are souvenir shops selling anything that has "Route 66" on them! I feel regretful now for not getting some magnets.

It was a lot of hours on the road. I couldn't remember when I was awake or asleep. I think it's a good thing being able to sleep anywhere, I had no problem napping in our mini van. But Syndy isn't anything like me, she would be screaming or mothering the other tour mates... or just doing silly things like taking pictures of me sleeping. I suspect she was high on sugar, maybe from too much fruits we stocked up in the vehicle. LOL.

Our next stop was Grand Canyon... so stay tuned for more exciting stories.

Note: Trip was in May 2012.

The American Dream

And the last few months prior the trip, I literally had no time to think about the trip. Work just drained me out. It was about a month or so before the trip, I bought a SQ promotional fare to LA. I have heard so much about America especially California but it was only till I stepped my foot in there, this dream became a reality.

Dates: 5 - 21 May 2012
Destination: Los Angeles, California
Airline: Singapore Airlines

The flight was via Narita and in total it took over 19 hours if I didn't remember wrongly. The thought of flying alone thrilled me, I even got myself into the lounge at Terminal 3 before I boarded. Too bad, it wasn't the KrisFlyer lounge :P The transit in Tokyo also marked my first time in Japan, even though I was trapped in the airport!! But anything Japanese easily got me excited... such as...


They seem to have vending machines filled with anything! Then a long flight to Los Angeles... Sorry, by the time I write this now, I have forgotten who I was sitting with! Probably someone not worth mentioning since I can't recall, except for this Thai boy on my way home - that I will tell you later.

Syndy and I met up at Holiday Inn LAX which my friend had kindly booked for me. She arrived earlier via Cathay from Hong Kong and I was amazed she managed to get checked in without me! ;) Angela and Dan crashed at Joy's place (sneakily!) but it was okay, it was nice having our own bed and space. We each stayed two nights in Los Angeles before we got on our tours before coming back for the wedding. Syndy decided to tag along my TrekAmerica tour which her husband had kindly sponsored! The pea and her man would be touring San Diego on their own instead as they already took the same tour we were going to do. The tour would take us to Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Yosemite and then San Francisco... the best combination we could ever find. It's a shame they didn't include a stop at Joshua Tree which would be perfect!

So that weekend we landed, the groom and bride-to-be took us out! They came to fetch us to their house, did some grocery shopping (Oh boy, I love supermarkets!), the rest of them took a nap recovering their jet lag while Joy and I cooked! She made orange chicken while I helped her with salad and the preparation. I also met Mocha, the cat (see below). That night, we went out to a cool bar decorated with antique books to have some drinks and met some of their friends (Joy got drunk that night!!!). I also managed a late night snack, strawberry and creme pie, from our friendly 24/7 McDonalds right next to our hotel.


The following morning, as expected, some of them had a bad hangover... But we managed to get out and grabbed lunch at a Mexican fastfood joint then some mini cupcakes and had a preview of Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade. The sight of all the brands got us a little overwhelmed, we spent too much time there but we decided we had to save shopping for the last. Syndy, as usual, had some crush on some guys, this time on a busker along the promenade!

Then we went to the Griffith Observatory at dusk. It was beautiful but getting cold and foggy, we couldn't see the Hollywood sign! The weather in LA was perfect, just the way I like. We caught a 3D show on stars, milky way and galaxy, which most of us were struggling not to fall asleep! LOL. It wasn't that boring, but I guess the music was too soothing to our minds. By the end of it, we were starving!

Aaron and Joy took us to this must-try hot dog place named Pink's. It was crowded by the time we went, the queue was already forming a winding snake, but it gave us ample time to decide from the huge menu what to order! I couldn't remember which I ordered but it had bacon, nacho cheese, grilled onions, mushrooms on polish hot dog topped with sauerkraut! OMG. It could be die for! But I felt so sinful after that honestly! I don't know how Aaron and Joy finished 3 together! I decided I do not want a polish hot dog any more, because it was huge and spicy!

At the end of the night, just before we got back to the hotel, we managed to get ourselves each a Randy donut! Oh, the start of an American life!

Note: Trip was in May 2012.

28.12.12

3 more days

... to the new year!

I can't help but look forward. There's just something about 2012 that I really want to bid farewell to! I don't know what, or perhaps I have reached my travelling quota this year and need a new one once 2013 arrives. And I know, I still haven't wrote about my America trip! I hope I can get some things done this weekend (fingers crossed).

So many things happened this year... good and bad. Seriously, a lot of bad things around me than the good. I want to give thanks that we are all still live and have a choice to choose to be happy. Some of the highlights for 2012:


  1. My dear friend, Joy, got married.
  2. Joy's wedding also became my first trip to USA. A new continent conquered.
  3. FAB 4 reunited again at the wedding after so many years!
  4. My mum got hospitalized, this is probably the first time in my life I saw her on a hospital bed.
  5. My cousin is still in a coma, but good or bad, she didn't give up on her life after being taken off the life support.
  6. I permed my hair for the first time, though many would say I didn't need it. It's not as curly any more but I definitely like them, just that it is damaging to the hair.
  7. I left a job which sucked the life out of me, and am doing one I'm actually enjoying the work.
  8. Sometimes distance or even years apart do not kill a real friendship, I have met up with many old friends this year! And I received Christmas cards from all the members of the FAB 4 gang, a rare occurrence.
  9. I had so much good food this year, it's hard to keep the waistline from expanding! The most memorable has to be The Line at Shangri-La.
  10. I found out "The Laws of Attraction" do work. Focus on what you want and bring it to you!
  11. I did another solo trip, this time to Hanoi & Sapa. It was rough, but life's not smooth-sailing all the time!
  12. I also did a group trip to Malacca and Bangkok. Both were awesome in different ways. Travelling also sometimes helps to put things in perspective, to witness what some people are really like.
  13. I had my first spray-on tattoo ;)
  14. I took a few months break in between jobs and those were my most fruitful time!

Bring it on 2013! Show me what you have got!


26.12.12

Boxing Day Blues

It's boxing day today. Why am I working???

Oh dear, somehow the Europeans have influenced me. I need my holiday after Christmas!

I have shopped a little more than usual this December. Is it Christmas mood? Or more retail therapy? Do you men know why women need to buy stuff? Because if you can't read our mind and make us feel better, somehow shopping would.

When you earn money, you can afford it and you just want to treat yourself. Sometimes it would be shoes, at times it would be cosmetics or clothes... This time it just happened to be bags. When I have time to pack my bags, I often am surprised how many I do have. When you don't, you just lose track and keep buying. Two weeks ago, I just donated two big bags of stuff to Salvation Army, I guess I got myself an excuse to buy replacements.

Last week, I managed to put aside some time for the LoveFAD event. My boss finally approved my leave after much consideration. Some weeks ago, my company did a charity event at an orphanage, it struck a cord in me. I see what volunteering is about. I don't like it when you do it to boast your company image, because a lot of companies just do it more as a responsibility than a genuine contribution. When I do it on my own, I know I really enjoy it and that's the reason I took time off (using my own leave) to do it. "Love For A Dollar (LoveFAD)" is an charity event organized by Anderson Junior College to raise fund for Salvation Army through gift wrapping. This is my second year volunteering, and I hope I can continue in the years to come :)

Winter nails

My Christmas mani-pedi, courtesy of my friends, Cheryl and Susan. I normally do not fancy glitter, but the gelish nails of friends make me crave for them. It's almost half gone by now, but loving it while it lasts.


Essie's Sand Tropez with bubbles in the nails. I read it's due to the temperature of the nails. We should soak them in warm waters before or perhaps there were bubbles in the polish?


I got the Three Beauties from John Little Sale, for that price they are better off than the other Taiwanese brand I got earlier which is a little smelly. The neon blue finishes off with a matte texture. There's another range that would glow in the dark but the colours are very bright and the formula is more translucent! The glitter is great too, just a hassle to remove! I had Wild N Wet on my fingers, one of the polishes I bought from USA earlier, but it was my first time using them. Very sweet peach coral color!

2.12.12

Before bedtime...

Second day of December, I'm in bed with a cramp! What a start but I just need to sleep the day away and things will be bright and colorful tomorrow.

One night ago, I had my secondary school gathering. It's usually once a year and there are so many people dreading it. I never fail to attend it if I'm here in Singapore. It's strange some people feel its harder to talk to people they haven't seen for a long time. They should believe me its even worse to talk to strangers! We once spent a few years together studying, working on projects, singing and playing sports. What is so difficult? There are fond memories to talk about, life updates to catch up or even future goals to share. It's amazing we still managed to get two teachers out and they never failed to share their words of wisdom! It's so fun and I wish we do this more often :)

I have worked for 2 months now and I wish time flies faster. Somehow I know this place is not the one for me, 4 more months and I get my much treasured freedom back :)