of ice cream and movies

hmm, today was really eventful considering what happened on my way to school! french was boring as usual though, it makes me wonder if it's equally boring if someone else were to teach it. which leads me to wonder if german will be as fun at the goethe institute as it was in NUS! i miss my german class peeps... hi ella, mindy, geraldine and natalie (tch. not like they'll see this.)! and i miss the most awesome german lecturer ever, Frau Schaumann! her skills as a teacher are unmatched i tell u. but the title of the most fun german lecturer goes to Frau Verry. absolutely miss her lessons even though i spent half the time sweating out my brain juices. ok... that was random and i totally went off tangent.

after french, i had a quick lunch by myself in the canteen and went down to the hons room. i slacked for like 1.5h!!! val, you should be ashamed of yourself! anyway, FLC and Dr P*w came in for the final urban seminar and winnie was like "the more i look at him, the more he looks like wolverine lah!" and kit and i concurred. i still can't get over the c+ he gave me. evil kiwi... anyway, later on, someone commented that FLC's part was like the micro perspective and Dr P*w's was the macro one so it should've been taught in the reverse sequence. i kinda agree but i also feel that FLC's part was just a series of case studies that made it rather pointless to learn about. then again, it might just be my poor thought process that makes it seem that way. oh well, in any case, i just have to try to figure out what he wants for the exam.

the final seminar took all of 45 mins of the usual 3h slot so a bunch of us decided to go for ice cream at sunset way. there were 8 of us in 3 cars, we're like the most environmentally unfriendly geographers ever! *hangs head in shame* big ben was changing lanes like his life depended on it, small ben and matt were following suit cos they didn't really know the way. and kit was exclaiming happily that it was the most exciting drive she had ever taken in her life (i beg to differ -_-''').

anyway, at the ice cream parlour, we were lucky cos there weren't any other customers so we all took our time to sample the flavours and decide on our orders. i got a waffle with a scoop of kookie monster, which although was nice, was greatly regretted cos the dark chocolate was amazing. and while eating, we discussed how to keep the class entertained during reading week. small ben actually suggested playing movies back-to-back on mondays!~ k ahhh, like that sure fail lah!

in the end, we decided that everyone should submit a movie and we'll try to get them played in the hons room in the evening so that ppl can be entertained as they eat! not bad eh? since the conversation was about movies, everyone was talking abt the various genres and their favourites. big ben assumed that i like the gore kind, like wtf!!! he may share my tastes in intellectual films but don't turn me into a gore freak like him *bleah* small ben on the other hand, tried to figure out what movies i'd like. i think it's in his blood to be a counsellor. he tries to assess a person's character, and if the person has problems, he'll try to work it out for them! such a nice guy... no wonder i had a cr***... oh shit. i always seem to lose my head for ultra nice guys. ahmad, take it as a great compliment k? :P

when it was time to leave, small ben gave weixiong, kit and myself a lift back to sch. then i waited for a bit before meeting Ferdi at the interchange. the ride to his place was relatively uneventful since we were both fast asleep with our heads lolling from side to side in a very unglam fashion. BUT we saw an awful traffic accident when we approached toa payoh. a black car had its engine smashed in when it collided with one of those huge-ass trucks. dunno what happened exactly but thank goodness no one was hurt. for everyone's sake, i hope tomorrow's gonna be less eventful :P

urban incivility on public transport

man, the title of this post alludes to many concepts in human geog already :P

anyways, was on the upper deck of bus 10 this morning when suddenly, there came from the back, a very loud and "si bak gao (4-eyed monkeys, referring to the bespectacled population), go to hell!!!"

naturally, some ppl turned to look at the source of the din. the guy shouted the same thing a second time but i didn't have the balls to look behind cos i was wearing my glasses today and it would've been pointless to take them off to look... don't wanna kena bash, no choice! :P then, two girls, whom i noticed were wearing glasses, went down to the lower deck. at the next stop, the bus stopped for damn long, about a good ten minutes before some ppl decided to find out what was going on. my very accurate intuition told me that the girls had reported the incident to the driver and that we were waiting for the cops to come. when i finally followed my juniors down to the lower deck, we found all of those ppl who came downstairs crowded around the front of the bus. some guy was joking abt taking the culprit's pic and uploading it on stomp... everyone was asking each other what was going on, and apparently, the guy had harassed the girls. i've no clue if it was molest or anything, but the bus driver, whom i assumed was unfamiliar with such a situation and therefore incapable of handling it, reluctantly allowed a few passengers to alight as they were in a rush.

whilst the rest of us were contemplating cabbing to school, a traffic cop came to investigate the matter. after he asked the girls a few questions and asked them to identify the guy, he got the guy to alight with him. the guy looked friendly talking to the policeman, but i guess he was just trying to get off the hook, gross. thinking the whole matter had blown over, the bus driver took off. then at the stop right after Haw Par Villa, the bus stopped again and the driver said that the policeman needed to take the girls' statements so he had to remain behind. all of us just got fed up and alighted to wait for the next bus. in the end, all of us were like half an hr late! anyway, doesn't make much of a difference for me since i'm always late for tuesays' french classes. my reputation is shot. lol.

wonder what happened to the girls... i'm expecting campus security to send out emails asking students to be more careful on public transport.

screwed over...

omg. so gonna die. just submitted the geog thought A individual assignment with 5 friggin references. i can just smell that C+ already. i know negativity is of no use, but what is the use of a blog if i don't rant on it???

everything's so depressing these days, besides Balls, Kit and Shaz dears and i winning third place in the inaugural Public Pol*cy Challenge. yes, third, not second runner-up. no soft language for me! for background on soft language, watch this:



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in any case, that was a couple of weeks ago. wanted to publish this but i never got the time. so as an update, my geog thought A essay crashed and burnt. on a happier note, Prof Wong was very generous with the grades, and we students were equally deserving so we were all damn happy to see a bunch of As on our essays and paper evaluations. Prof Wong, even though your paper was a bitch to do, thanks loads! :D

i did it again

yes, i've managed to slack off from blogging yet again. i guess it's just not in my blood. we're almost at the end of the third week of Honours life. wow. geog thought A is mind-boggling, geog thought B is just downright boring, urban 4k's content could be thought-provoking but i suppose how our side-burned Kiwi lectures actually dulls the topic for me. coastal management is a lil boring at times, but prof actually makes ultra corny jokes that no one can resist. take for example today's anecdote: prof's aussie relative points to a coconut tree strung with lights and enquires its name; to this, prof says "coconutus electronificus!" and she buys his crap!

i think at this point, the humongous hons class is still trying to find a way to gel with each other. after 4 years, i finally get the chance to put names to familiar faces i see in lectures and on campus. and of course, the downside to it is being cooped up in the hons batch with some undesirable characters. guess Click would know who i'm referring to so i shan't say more. as for my fifth module, i needed a UE and i decided on french 1 cos i figured i'm better suited to languages than regular content modules. it's quite alright so far, but i must say that the teaching framework isn't as structured as in german. looks like the french teachers can take a leaf or two out of the german teachers' books. but the most infuriating thing about taking french in NUS is this: i wasn't feeling too well tuesday morning so i decided to skip french and emailed my teacher to tell her i'd make-up for it later in the day, but i wasn't allowed to do so! don't get me wrong, the teacher is a very nice lady, but oh the f***ing rules. the department is anal-retentive or something. some pissed off student must've shoved escargot up their metaphorical asshole and now they're screwing us over as if that would give them the revenge they so badly crave. if it was german, they'd let you join another lecture group, no questions asked.

gosh. can't believe i went on such a huge rant. anyways, it's freezing here in AS7 even with a nice knitted scarf draped over me. i'm so damn lazy lah... can print and do readings but dun want... end up blog hopping and updating my own blog. CMI. i wanted to blog in singlish but i realised i couldn't! singlish fail! hahaha.

today's me and Ferdi's second anniversary!!! he's got lessons till 2 so i'm waiting for him before we head off for a celebration. :D apparently he's got a surprise in store. i wonder... but i suppose i shouldn't get my hopes too high up since he's been busy and we spend waaaay too much time together for him to plan any elaborate surprise. :P

anyways, after reading Shaz dear's blog just now, i felt the need to thank her for her dedication in scouring travel fairs for our grad trip. Click, if at first i seemed a lil half-hearted about the whole thing, my sincerest apologies. it's kinda difficult for me to afford a grad trip to Japan and i'm trying my best to get the funds. it's just that since i can't confirm at this point if i can afford it, that i find deal-scouting a lil meaningless. but after seeing how Shaz and Grace dears have been diligently trawling the net and papers for travel deals, i promise to give it my all, no matter what happens.

kk, i shall leave it at this for now, i'm turning into an icicle. perhaps more time for updates over the weekends. brrr... :)

a taste of summer at last

sunday was pretty relaxing one. after Stacey got home from golf practice, we had lunch then headed out for payless shoe source cos she needed some formal shoes for work. i got a pair of black patent mary-janes with kitten heels for $7. later in the afternoon, Stacey and i decided to go into the pool. i finally got to use my new swim suit! :D

but before the fun began, we had to clean up the pool a bit. we used the pool nets and fished out flowers, weeds, bugs etc. it is kinda gross, but at least i'm 100% sure that there isn't pee in there. :P we played a few rounds of poker by the pool, then fooled around with the pool floats. and what better way to chronicle our youth but take photos with silly poses? :)

from the oven to the fridge and back again

last thursday evening, uncle Tom, aunt J, Stacey and myself, set off for Salinas. Stacey had a golf tournament early next day and uncle Tom decided it was better for her to rest the night there instead of waking up at an unearthly for the 3.5h drive. have i ever told you? i love long car rides. yes, long car rides put a disgusting amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, not to mention other pollutants as well, but i just can't help enjoying myself. outside the windows, i see the cars and trees whizzing past. i love the way the sun goes down shining on the hills and mountains, it coats them in a wondrous shade of gold and sends me on a daydream of squirrels and gophers scampering back to their trees and burrows before the day's end. of course, given the size of the hills and mountains, they don't "whizz" by as we go on our way. they seem to take their time to stroll serenely out of your field of vision. it's kinda like how humans stroll in a park while ants scuttle around at their feet.

anyway, a long car ride isn't complete without an iPod and a playlist of your fave car tunes. the moment we got out of the driveway, Stacey and i both reached for our lifesaving device and plugged ourselves in. ahhh, the sounds of soft rock music that are my road trip besties flowed into my ears and throughout my body. about an hour into the drive, Stacey and i started talking about world and american history. it was really interesting since i know so little of history. and i have to confess, it's a breath of fresh air compared to what our conversations usually revolve around. then while driving through an almost desolate, windy stretch of the road through the mountains, i could almost imagine myself as a mustang galloping ecstatically through open country. and for some unfathomable reason, even though everywhere around us was still as golden as when we started off, my aunt began discussing ghost stories and haunted locations in s'pore. i mean, huh?! k lah, decided to humour her. after all, i am dying to get home. we all had a good laugh when we reminisced the last time they were visiting us in s'pore and my dad had taken us to a certain traffic junction in Changi. there is supposedly this spirit of an old, white guy who holds the hand of a little girl and crosses that junction at a certain time in the night. even though we saw nothing supernatural, my brother got the scare of his life from another "sighting". we were driving slowly since we were looking out for ghosts right? then there were 2 pedestrians wearing very fancy dresses and my bro was like "whoa they're hot!" then when the one in white turned around, he went "ahhhh!!! Dad, speed up! WTF!" it turns out those 2 were part of the infamous tranny community in Changi. great bods, but with faces that make you go "holy shit!".

man, i do love to digress. with about 40 mins left to our destination, our surroundings started to look really grey and dreary. my aunt touched the window and realised that it was cold and my uncle clarified that what my aunt and i had taken for the Californian smog was actually coastal fog. Salinas is pretty close to San Francisco, hence the fog, windy and cool climate. the diurnal temperature range was 13-20 deg C, a lovely change from the 38 deg C daily max temperature in Porterville. -_-'''

i still haven't gotten used to the fact that the sun doesn't fully set till 9pm during summer. it was just about fully dark when we got into the motel's parking lot. the initial plan was to stay at Motel 6, but hey, after watching Hollywood movies, we're not really sure we wanna sleep on those sheets just to save a few bucks so uncle Tom checked us in at Day's Inn instead. after we lugged our stuff to the room, we walked across the street for a late dinner at Denny's. Stacey and i shared 2 grilled shrimp skewers and some kinda rice. it was pretty good and i was happy to discover that besides fried shrimp, grilled ones don't have that strange, shrimpy smell either. hooray! :D

back in the room, Stacey and i watched the Parent Trap on tv while letting the food settle. pretty soon, she turned in but i stayed up to chat with Ferdi <3 and Matt. i guess both conversations weighed pretty heavily on my mind, later on, i couldn't get to sleep no matter how hard i tried. it didn't help that the motel was so close to the freeway, i heard sirens, a guy shouting from the parking lot, and a whole lot of trucks. i literally got up every hour right down to the minute. i think i finally drifted off at 5am but before long, Stacey was up and about getting ready to go to the golf course for some practice. you could say i was really tired and tensed, cos i could detect every movement Stacey and her parents made. she went to their room, they went downstairs for breakfast, the came up, they went down yada yada. i could hear and sense it all. i finally gave up and got out of bed to get ready.

breakfast was pathetic. the motel provides "continental breakfast" but it's not what you'd expect. when i went to the counter, all they had were plastic-wrapped cookies and muffins, some apples and bananas, orange juice in a jug, coffee in those hot water flasks and styrofoam cups... so pathetic!!!!! i grabbed a cookie and filled a cup with coffee. as i was capping it with the plastic cover, the damned cup collapsed and the coffee went all over my hand and the counter! really felt shitty then, especially when i could feel my aunt's disapproving gaze behind me.

i gave up on the coffee and got orange juice instead, went back to the room, watched a lil Last Comic Standing while i packed and ate. when it was time to go, i lugged my stuff down, and we went to the golf course. when we found them, and i had just sat down on a bench, there was a loud crash from the parking lot. accident! i decided to stay and watch my uncle's backpack and let the other grownups check it out. my aunt came back and told me that some stupid fella in a truck tried to turn out of the parking lot just as a sewage tanker was going by. the poor tanker driver was injured and taken out in a stretcher. how stupid was that truck driver?! couldn't he see oncoming traffic? it's really not one of those accidents where people lose control of their vehicles you know.

anyway, when the tournament began, we just walked around like normal golf spectators, watching Stacey and the other girls in her age group play those 18 holes. it was pretty cold at first, but as the day progressed, we had to take off our jackets. Stacey was off-form the whole day. it's sad to watch her play so badly when she's usually pretty good. and watching golf really isn't fun unless you're watching pros. in the end, she still managed to get a trophy cos there were only 3 of them in her age group, lol.

on our way back to Porterville we stopped by a place called Harris Ranch for "lunner" (lunch + dinner). because it's a ranch kitchen, all the food there was grown and reared right on the ranch. the deco of the place was farming themed of course. they mounted all sorts of old, rusty, dangerous-looking farm tools on the walls above the dining booths, which made us feel a lil worried. we don't wanna catch tetanus or anything, or worse, lose our heads :P but hey, the food was excellent! Stacey and i shared a Caesar's salad and a Gorgonzola Burger. mmmm... the succulent patty, the fragrant melted cheese, the juicy tomato slice, the fresh veges. sadly, i don't think i'll ever be there again, at least not any time soon.

the rest of the journey home was pretty uneventful so i shan't bore you guys anymore. till the next post!

the driving test...

i tried to sleep early last night to get well rested for the driving test but ended up tossing and turning the whole time anyway. no thanks to Ju On 2... anyways, i woke up at 7.30 this morning, washed up, got dressed and tried to de-zombify myself in the mirror using foundation on my dark eye rings. breakfast was a simple cup of milk tea and a Pop Tart. at 0840h, i drove with aunt J and Stacey to the DMV, parked and headed to the counter to register. my test was supposed to be at 0910h but the people ahead of me took a longer time so we waited for about 15 mins before i went out for the test.

we were hoping to get the male tester cos he's the lenient one, but i got a very mean Hispanic lady instead. i heard from Stacey that she doesn't talk to people, she barks at them, even her colleagues! that sure got my stomach in a knot. i guess i really wasn't familiar with the controls of the car, messed up the positions of the defoggers and emergency brakes (which is what we know as the handbrake in S'pore). after checking that the car was in working condition, the tester made me drive out. she really didn't make any conversation, only giving directions in curt sentences. on my part, i just made sure that i was focused on the road and following her directions. instead of the usual route that my aunt has been making me practice on, she took me a different way instead. no problem, i just have to follow regular traffic rules right? before we were even halfway through the practice route, she made me do 3 left turns to head back to the DMV. we drove in to the road on the side of the DMV to do the straight-line reverse part of the test, and the 3-point turn. i did them almost perfectly, except when my palm accidentally hit the honk while i was turning the steering wheel to turn back into the DMV parking lot after the 3-point turn.

i wasn't paying attention to the time taken for the test since i was doing all i could to concentrate on the test and make sure i didn't screw up. when Stacey saw me pulling into the parking lot, she went out of the DMV to look cos she thought i had failed cos usually, the test takes 20 mins but i was back in 10. my aunt who was still inside, also thought i was doomed. but after locking the car, i told Stacey the good news before we went in so she was relieved. my aunt was all solemn, walking to to me with the expression on her face that said "i knew it. she's finished."

"so you didn't pass?"

"no, i passed!"

"oh! i thought you were finished! i thought you failed cos you came back so soon! so you drove well then?"

"yeah, i guess i drove pretty well."

-_-''' i really don't stink at driving, it's her who's so fierce and nerve-wrecking all the time. even the meanie tester didn't make me wanna hurl, which is my usual feeling of dread every time i have to practice with her around. so after the unusually quick processing of paperwork, Stacey took us to macs and my aunt bought us breakfast. we shared hotcakes, sausage, omelet, a breakfast burrito, hash browns and i got an iced hazelnut coffee. mmm...

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it's really a load off my shoulders now that i've earned my license. now i don't have to face every other day with that trepidation looming above me like a rain cloud. i don't have to worry about putting dents and scratches on a car that's not mine. i don't have to grit my teeth and clench my fists telling myself not to talk back at her. i don't have to hold back the hot tears of anger and indignation when i get told off for no good reason at all. i don't have to listen to her raving mad driving psychobabble anymore. at least not until i'm heading back to LA.

in any case, i'd like to thank everyone reading this for all the support you guys have shown me in helping me get through those really rough times. Grace dear, thanks for staying up till wee hours of the morning to keep me company and for believing so firmly in me. i'd also like to thank my Ferdi darling for all the positive thinking he's been trying so hard to instill in me, for listening to my rants and tolerating my moodiness, for making me laugh when i'm down, for being himself, and for being mine. couldn't have done it without all of you.

4th of july

it was my first time spending the 4th of july in the US. even if it wasn't, my first time was 2 decades ago so i can't possibly remember much of it. back in the present, Stacey and i woke up around 1030h or so and ended up with brunch again. this time, although i didn't make my crepe as pretty as my first one, it tasted lots better cos of the canned peaches, the ice cream on the inside, and the new bottle of hershey's chocolate sauce. yum! :D



after that very satisfying breakfast, Stacey and i watched some high quality soap opera, and Fantastic 4 before her friends arrived. the soap opera may have been of high quality, but it's soap opera is soap opera, it's stupid like all the rest. :P her friends Kelly and Kristen arrived first and we managed to take some photos before her other friend David arrived. these kids are all between 16-18, and i felt like some overgrown kid amongst them. :( but i thought, ah what the heck, i wanna have fun! so i did. we fooled around with the camera some more, got drinks and snacks and headed to the den, where Stacey and David tried to play a very simple duet on the piano. seems like violin training doesn't help with piano much, lol.

then it was dinner time. uncle Tom was working his magic outside on the grill, and we got to enjoy barbequed ribs! there was also rice, steamed corn and potato salad. weirdly, David, who's caucasian, actually asked what was he supposed to sprinkle the bacon bits on! i thought everybody knew that bacon bits are supposed to go on potato salad. guess i was too presumptuous. :P seriously, the food was so good i had to hold myself back from stuffing my face!

it's kind of a pity that Independence Day is in summer. daylight hours are so long that it isn't fully dark till 9pm! we had some time to kill before going outside to play with fireworks, so we played Spoons. it's a card game where u have to grab a spoon if you get 4 of a kind and everyone has to snatch for the rest of the spoons. there'll be one person who obviously won't get the spoon and lose that round. David kept spacing out and was on a losing streak. lucky for him, we decided to continue after our fireworks session.

it was a windy night, cool enough for light jacket for those who aren't too chummy with the cold. uncle Tom had set up a tall step ladder on the road on the edge of the driveway for us to place our fireworks on it. strangely, only Stacey and Kelly, who was from Taiwan had experience playing with fireworks. and since i was the eldest, i let them all go ahead of me. it was really cute and funny to see them climbing the first step and reaching out timidly with the lighter cos they were trying to lean as far away from the wick as possible. cute lah, these people. David even hopped off the ladder as if it was gonna blow in his face! besides fireworks, we also played with sparklers; we even spelled "4th of july in a row" and got aunt J to film it. anyway, there was this family a couple of houses down the street that had been setting off fireworks early in the evening, and they weren't even done when we went back in. they must be loaded... i think we had 8 canister fireworks and a few boxes of sparklers and it already cost 55 bucks. think they really love fireworks -_-''' well, these canister fireworks are legal, but some people somehow managed to get their hands on illegal ones, which are kinda like the miniature version of the ones you see being shot out of the cannons on the NDP. so what the police do is go out in full force on the night of 4th july and prowl the streets looking out for illegal fireworks. i don't blame them for being stringent; after all, because of California's geolocation, the houses are made of wood, on top of that, summers are very dry and hot, making the whole damn state a humongous fire hazard.

by the time we were done with fireworks, it was around 10.20pm. we played a few more rounds of Spoons where surprisingly, David got a lot better, and the rest of us got a lot worse. and since David was still below 18, he had to abide by the driving curfew and get home before 11 so he wasn't the loser. the rest of us continued playing and in the end, Stacey lost in the only way she can. she was the dealer, and she was the one with 4 of a kind, but she missed the spoon! O.O so she had to do the forfeit, which was a silly dance with a stuffed turtle and kiss it. good sport! :D after Spoons, we played BS. Kelly won very quickly into the game. but the 3 of us played for ages! oh gosh, i was all ready to just declare myself the loser and get it over and done with. i really don't have much patience to play games that last forever, like mahjong, and sometimes Munchkin :P by the time we were done, it was 12+ already and they drove home. i admire their guts. it's not easy driving at night, especially over here in rural parts. S'pore is totally overlit in comparison, but i suppose it's what keeps crime away.

i have to apologise for the lack of pics and vids cos Kristen was the one doing most of the filming and we haven't got them from her yet. but when i do, i'll put some up on the blog so stay tuned. :D

fun fun fun!

tuesday night, uncle Tom yelled at Stacey to get some golf practice done, so that was the plan for thursday afternoon. in the morning after brunch, Stacey and i took the trash out cos friday's trash day. on the way in, i noticed something in the pool and went closer to look. it was a dead frog by the steps into the pool! it was in its leaping posture but the body was totally rigid already. our plan was to just fish it out with the pool net and dispose of it in a plastic bag, but my aunt told us to bury it in the backyard so we picked out a spot by the fence close to the pool. Stacey has experience burying her pet fish in her backyard so she let me do the honours. i dug a small but deep hole for it and Stacey tipped the net to let the frog drop in. up close, it looks really slimey and a lil freaky. i don't mind live frogs actually, but i was freaked out by this dead one i had to bury. i was honestly afraid that it might spring back to life! no matter how gross a flattened carcass looks, i know it won't jump in my face ever.

so after it was in its grave, we covered it back and marked it with a flat, white rock. this is the video we took, you can check out facebook for pics of Frank and his grave stone :P



after burying the frog, Stacey and i went to the golf course where she usually practices. it's a mid-range country club called River Island Country club, about half an hour's drive away. although i hate the fact that golf courses use up a lot of precious water that could otherwise have saved crops (very relevant, cos i just read the papers a couple of weeks ago about a farmer in the area having had to let go of perfectly healthy fields of tomatoes cos of water rationing), the course does give a sense of beauty and tranquility. the Tule River runs through the golf course, besides the main channel, it appears in little brooks here and there as well. now i kinda regret not wading into it. :(

Stacey started off practicing her chipping and i had a couple of tries but i totally stink at it, lol. can't even get the bloody ball to go straight, let alone getting it in the hole! i got bored watching her so i decided to take the golf cart for a spin around the course. it was pretty crazy since it was pretty hilly and i didn't know there were brakes on the thing, so i was like zooming downhill and making sharp turns to keep from falling off the bridge into the river :P

after i went back to check on Stacey, i decided to play with my camera for a bit and took continuous shots of her practicing her drives. think my cam's shutter speed isn't fast enough though. argh, really need a decent DSLR. what sort of photography enthusiast goes without one?! btw, if anyone has recommendations, do let me know! when i finally got a satisfactory series of shots, Stacey decided to take me around to see all the holes at the golf course. along the way, we saw quite a number of critters, i think we saw about 4 grey squirrels, 2 bunnies, 1 duck in the river, and many birds. here are some photos and vids.










when Stacey was done bringing me around most of the holes, we left and headed for a Starbucks outlet near her place to grab a caramel frap. but when we got back, it was time for dinner so we had to leave the drink in the fridge. after eating, my aunt made us go out driving and we stopped by Blockbuster on our way back and rented The Eye and Drillbit Taylor, both of which Stacey made us finish that night. and that 'fraidy cat slept in my bed that night. pfft. and after all that, we didn't even finish half of the frap; so moral of the story is: never buy a frap right before dinner.

the first day after Stacey's return

woke up this morning expecting to skip breakfast as usual, but Stacey's tummy growled a whole lot while we were washing up in the bathroom that she offered to make breakfast. it'd be plain lazy and mean to leave her to do the work, so we decided to split the workload: she handles the eggs and ham, i do the fruit and waffles. tada!




those are Stacey's sunny-side-ups, don't ask me why they're shaped liked that. anyway, by the time we were done preparing the meal, it was lunch time. and a good thing too, since it was so huge. we were utterly stuffed!

*warning: bimbotic content ahead*

weird. most of our waking hours were spent in the bathroom. "doing what?!" you're asking. bathrooms here are a lot more sophisticated than the ones in S'pore. besides serving essential human needs, you do practically all your grooming in here, hence increasing its significance in your life. we spent 4 hours in the bathroom where i experimented with the stupid eyelash curler and mascara, which didn't work on me since my lashes are almost non-existent; then Stacey curled her hair before doing mine. i wanted to give it a shot since i've never had curls in my entire life, and cos they go away once i wash my hair. here are a couple of pics of the "fabulous" results.





cute huh! it reminds me of Yoon Eun-Hye's hairstyle after she got back from Milan in Coffee Prince. thanks Stacey! :D after all that hair-doing, we decided to watch a dvd. settled on Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. oh man, the original Dumbledore is irreplaceable. why did he have to smoke himself to death, why oh why...

my digestive system needs a break. even though we were still full from the picture-perfect brunch, Stacey and i snacked so much during the movie. hot cheeto puffs and japanese rice crackers just can't be passed up. and not long after the movie, we had my aunt's amazing chicken rice for dinner. i think my stomach's gonna get its revenge on me soon.

after dinner, Stacey and i headed back into the bathroom cos she wanted to do a french manicure for herself. nails really aren't my thing so i just brought Alba in and showed her pics of Click on facebook. oh man... everyday i go to bed happy that i'm one day closer to going home. anyway, Stacey thinks Shaz dear's lil sis is really cute and i second that. but that really isn't the focus for me, looking at all the photos just reinforced how much Click means to me. BFF you guys! i don't wanna go through life without any of you. hugsies... :)

ok, so after the manicure and the pic viewing, Stacey made my aunt and me play mahjong with her even though i was dead beat. we ended up playing just 6 rounds, not even an entire game, before we decided to call it a night. and now after my shower and everything, i'm blogging, relaxed on the bed in the room in front of the tv tuned in to Comedy Central. i dunno who this guy is, but he's really good!

we decided to play a trick on my grandma so we replaced her dentures with those Halloween chatter teeth.

"it isn't cold in here is it?" *chatter chatter chatter*

"are my nipples hard?" *comedian reaches down and rubs his kneecap*

till next time. ;)

looking young!

i know you're not reading this, but...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!

wish i was home to celebrate it with you and give you a big birthday hug. sorry i don't feel so good about kissing and all. :P may you always stay youthful and in the pink of health! thanks for being such a great mom. words fail me. i love you Mom, happy birthday.

the Scrumpdilyumptious Crepe!

i was inspired by Grace dear, who was inspired by Balls, to blog about food! but instead of covering restaurants, let me show you what Little Miss Cool ;) is capable of!!! hiii-yah!

presenting...



the Scrumpdilyumptious Breakfast Crepe! part of your complete breakfast. :P

this mouth-watering crepe is almost entirely made by yours truly (the batter was mixed by my aunt). it's stuffed with fresh peach and strawberry slices with a bit of whipped cream, then artistically topped off with calcium-fortified chocolate sauce! mmm... it's so easy to do that even a culinary idiot like myself was able to make one. so next time you need a snack, try it out for yourself! kids, please get your mommies and daddies to help you out ok? :D

announcement... NOT!

ok everyone, can i have your undivided attention please? *sounds of crickets in the background* thank you.

I'M BORED!!!

announcement's over! just kidding. the real announcement is as follows:

i'll be arriving at our beloved, award-winning Changi International Airport's Terminal 1 on 28 July 2008 at 2345h. flight number's CX715 from Hong Kong. since it's such an unearthly hour, i'll be expecting my hugs and warm welcome home the next day instead :P all you homies reading this, you're welcome to flood my phone with sms-es and calls! i promise i'll keep it fully charged, lol. :D

and now for a totally random digression. i wanna buy Singstar Pop! click here to get clued in.

not that i dig all the songs on the game, but i think more of you would know the songs so that we can have a proper face-off at my place. ;) now it's k-box, val's way!!! Grace dear, u'd better be on for this! muahahahahhaha... *shows the 'rock' sign to the monitor*

doodles

What does your drawing say about YOU?

You tend to pursue many different activities simultaneously. When misfortune does happen, it doesn't actually dishearten you all that much.
You are a thoughtful and cautious person. You like to think about your method, seeking to pursue your goal in the most effective way.
You like following the rules and being objective. You are precise and meticulous, and like to evaluate decisions before making them.
You have a sunny, cheerful disposition.

it's kinda true... i'm a stickler for details and rules. sad but true.

wait a sec. isn't this the exact same description for Grace dear's doodle? lol.

my love-hate relationship with california

i love:

- being able to see as far as the eye can see
- rolling hills (even though they're mostly rather bald)
- having great theme parks that i don't have to board a plane to get to
- the awesome nature reserves
- the fact that most houses have open lawns, they look so much friendlier compared to lawns in s'pore!
- not feeling sticky
- long car rides (which have become a luxury since gas prices skyrocketed)
- friendly people who smile when you jog past, hold doors for each other, chit chat when you pick out that pair of earrings when both of you are looking at the jewelry rack
- watching nickelodeon/disney/comedy central/adult swim! :D
- using comforters even in summer
- having 2 wash basins in the same bathroom
- carpeted floors
- flamin' hot cheetos!!!

i hate:

- being away from my friends, family and Ferdi... =(
- not having public transportation and having to drive wherever i go, polluting the air, warming the earth and enlarging the bloody ozone holes all at the same time! ugh!
- unsustainable lifestyles! XO
- having to do everything over the phone (geez, would putting reliable info on the internet kill anyone?)
- inefficient service at the admin offices
- people not realising how fortunate they are
- how people have so many opinions and can't live with each other, which is why parents and children live so far apart
- not using the metric system (for goodness' sake, isn't counting to 10s and 100s easier than remembering 12 inches make a foot etc.?)

well... that's what i've come up with so far, i'll add on to the list when it hits me.

what i've been up to

since i came up to quaint, ol' porterville, i've practiced driving, watched lotsa tv, finished a korean drama serial called Coffee Prince, caught Indiana Jones and Kung Fu Panda, sat in for Shutter at my cousin's mini pool party, went shopping, exercised, made a scrapbook, tried origami, and spent the rest of my time online blogging, chatting with you guys and wishing i was back home with all of you. this is an extremely unproductive summer holiday...

saturday morning, stacey and her dad flew to hawaii to visit her grandma so i'm stuck with my aunt in small lil town with nowhere to go and nothing to do. i'm constantly tensed, trying to keep out of trouble with her. anything i do/say may trigger an outburst from her. don't get me wrong, my aunt has the best intentions for me and my family. but she does have her own way of doing things, and she likes having her way. so we just have to keep reminding ourselves to be smart and not do/say s'porean things. lemme give you guys an example from back when i didn't know any better:

while driving, my aunt pointed to a building
aunt: Hallmark used to be over here.

me: wow. it's huge. i don't think it'd survive in s'pore though, we're not that into the greeting card thing."

aunt: yeah! you s'poreans are so rude. over here, when people give you gifts, you write thank-you cards and mail it to them. you send greeting cards for the major holidays!

then she'll go on and on about s'pore children and how bad the upbringing is. see? even a little innocent comment can make her launch into a tirade. honestly, can't she understand that it's not rude for us to not send greeting cards? it's just cultural differences... man, it makes me feel old just ranting like that. these little things hardly bother me these days cos they slide off like water on a duck's back. i have bigger worries, and i just wish i could work on them. penniless and mediocre in grades, non-existent CV; how am i gonna further my studies or get a good job here? and on top of that, i have to hunt for a place to stay, a car to get around in, insurance, loans to finance everything blah blah blah.

k, gotta move on to more light-hearted subject matter. Death Cab for Cutie will be performing at the Esplanade Concert Hall on 12 Aug 2008!!! thanks dear for informing me about it! :D trusty weilien has already booked me for it, lol. sooo can't wait to get back! gotta shower hugs and kisses on sweetie and have lots of together time. gotta meet up with click for buffets, board games, stayovers and be each other's pillars of strength. gotta catch the concert with weilien and have a movie monsters' club session. gotta eat at chomp chomp with anyone!!! hokkien mee... drool~

a "get-to-know-yourself-better" quiz

http://www.quizbox.com/personality/test82.aspx

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.
The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.
Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.
The seriousness of your love:

Your have very sensible tactics when approaching the opposite sex. In many ways people find your straightforwardness attractive, so you will find yourself with plenty of dates.
Your views on education

Education is very important in life. You want to study hard and learn as much as you can.
The right job for you:

You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.
How do you view success:

You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.
What are you most afraid of:

You are afraid of things that you cannot control. Sometimes you show your anger to cover up how you feel.
Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

inspiration

it's true. inspiration strikes you when you least expect it, and you'd better be ready for it. i had barely sat down in front of Alba for 5 mins before i thought of the perfect blog address. i was thinking about the perfect blog address for days!!! this totally proves that i shouldn't be killing brain cells over this.

Vegas yet again

funny. the title of this post makes me sound like an ingrate. before you continue feeding that thought, hear what i have to say. vegas is totally not fun if: 1) you're not a gambler, 2) you're not into sleazy stuff, 3) you have no moolah, 4) you're underage to gamble or watch topless shows, 5) you go with a bunch of grownups whose first concern is spending their time there glued to the seat of a slot machine and making a killing. i suppose i've made myself pretty clear regarding my situation. don't get me wrong, i'm really grateful for my relatives taking me there, and i did have fun; it's just that it would've been so much nicer to have gone with a bunch of good friends with similar tastes, you know.

day 1:

Aunt Ros drove Mama, Daryl and myself to vegas. i was really sleepy so i was snoozing most of the way, but i did manage to keep awake long enough to snap some photos of some interesting geomorphological features like conspicuous rock strata, semi-arid slope profiles, tors and corestones. zzz, i know. but it's 100% me. i get excited when i see the stuff of my geog textbooks in actuality. it's almost larger than life.

anywaysss, when we got to the hotel (Paris), we went into every single one of the 5 rooms my aunt had booked so she could choose one with the most suitable feng shui view for her. Daryl and i made it a point to sit on every single bed and crumple the sheets before moving on :P then when we were in the room waiting for everyone else to arrive, Daryl and i watched the dumb instructional video clips the hotel recorded which taught guests how to play certain games like Craps and Mini Baccarat. it was sooooo lame. for each game, the woman dressed up as some celebrity e.g. the Nanny, George Burns, Judge Judy... then spouted lameass comments like "you're looking at the only judge who's ever sent someone to the electric chair for jaywalking!" like HA.HA. well, ok, i confess. i laugh easily when it comes to lame stuff.

that evening, when everyone (everyone = Aunt Ros, Mama, Daryl, Aunt Esther, Eason, Keanen, Kayle, E-poh, Lao Teoh, Aunt Jac, Uncle Allen, Zoe and myself O.O) was finally there, we headed to a HK restaurant we thought was nearby. it turned out to be relatively far from the Strip and looked a lil desolate so when we turned into the parking lot, we were contemplating whether to follow through with our choice. surprisingly, the food turned out pretty good, especially the breaded lobster. i've never really like seafood all that much, but it was really fresh, juicy and crispy! too bad it came close to the end of the meal, i'd have had more if i could've managed.

after dinner, the older grownups went back to the hotel's casino to test their luck; and Aunt Jac dropped Aunt Esther, the twins, Kayle, Daryl and myself off along the Strip to take in the sights. we went to the M&M store and spent quite some time there. America's ability to commercialise anything is amazing. the amount of merchandise spawned from just a plain looking piece of candy is simply mind-boggling. wanted to buy M&M coin pouches for you guys but they cost $6.95 each, and that's not even inclusive of taxes. ouch. on our way back to the hotel, we bumped into Aunt Jez and Stacey, who just came from a family friend's house in the vicinity and were wanting a piece of the action. after putting the kids back to rest, Aunt Jez headed for the slot machines as well, while Stacey dragged Daryl and i to the shops beneath Bally's. yeesh, everything was closed. we were like corpses when all of us were finally cleaned up and ready for bed.

day 2:

grownups headed to different casinos to recoup their losses. Aunt Jac, Uncle Allen, Aunt Esther, the twins, Kayle, Zoe, Daryl, Stacey and myself made a beeline for Adventuredome in Circus Circus. most of the rides were way too kiddy for the grownups and us in-betweens, so Daryl took up the job of chaperoning the twins whilst Stacey and i spent our loose change on booth games. i spent about $10 on various games and got 4 stuffed toys: an orange elephant, Kermit, a purple rose and a red salamander.


i was real pleased with myself for getting a Kermit cos the machine cost only 50c per play and i got it on my first try! Stacey was encouraged and tried it too, only to realise after she failed that the claw was kinda dangling with some wires sticking out. man, i was real lucky :D

to get our money's worth, Stacey and i tried out some of the games that seemed easier to win. although it was a lil tough, we really liked the game where we paid a dollar for 4 ping pong balls to toss into a pool filled with floating glass bowls. white bowl = 3 free balls, red bowl = small prize, yellow = medium, blue = big. one round, i won 3 free balls, a second round got me the elephant. winning the salamander was a cinch; just hit a balloon with a dart. got the flower from a fishing game i thought was quite a ripoff, but no choice, the flower was practically guaranteed. you pay 2 bucks for a fishing rod with a fat horseshoe magnet tied to it, and try to "fish" a red puck amongst the gazillion yellow ones that give you the small prize. ah, what the heck, it was for the fun of it!

after lunch, we ventured into the indoor carnival which had many of the games that was in the Adventuredome. there was a ring toss game with many glass coke bottles and very small rings that fit almost snugly around the mouth and neck of the bottles. Stacey and i split the cost for 20 rings but didn't get anything. later on, Uncle Allen, Aunt Jac and Zoe got a small bucket full of rings and by "sheer dumb luck", Zoe got one around a bottle! O.O her dad wanted to get the ipod shuffle cos it'd fit nicely in a pocket but Zoe wanted the huge unicorn to ride on, no prizes for guessing who won that dispute :P

that evening, Aunt Ros brought Daryl, Stacey and i for dinner at a restaurant at Bally's and we each ordered something we thought would be rather light. but when it came, omg... the portions could feed a minimum of 2 moderate eaters. we ended up boxing the food for those who didn't wanna join us for dinner. when we were done, us in-betweens were too tired to roam the Strip so we just chilled in the hotel room and watched tv. it was a pity they were underage, i wanted to check out the club at Planet Hollywood. then again, i don't think i'm hot enough for the bouncers to let me in, lol!

day 3:

woke up early and waited for the grownups to get their butts off the bed. Aunt Ros brought all of us for breakfast at a buffet place in Paris. the food was great, i loved the crepe; fresh, sweet, succulent blueberries wrapped in a layer of batter heated to perfection and drenched with a generous helping of flavourful raspberry sauce. ahhhhh... damn. i'm making myself salivate at the thought of it. Zoe had her pink teddy with her and when her parents went off to get food, she placed it on the seat between her and Aunt Ros. when Aunt Ros picked it up to take a look, Zoe was all "Put it down!" in a very baby talk way. a British bloke at the table beside them turned over and with an incredulous look on his face, asked my aunt "Did she say 'Put it down!'?!" LOL. Zoe's gonna be so embarassed when we tell her all this in future, muahahaha!

tummies filled, the entire army went up to the rooms to pack. we chit-chatted a bit more before we finally checked out of the hotel. Zoe and parents headed home, Aunt Jez drove Aunt Esther and the kids to her place in Porterville for the week, and Aunt Ros drove us back to her place in LA. tired from staying up practically the entire night, she wanted Daryl to drive for a bit while she snoozed. but when Daryl was at the wheel, all of us were just too nervous to sleep. i'll bet that he's only clocked a maximum of 7hrs behind the wheel so far, wonder how he actually got his license.

when we got back, we rested for a bit before heading out for dinner at a Thai Chinese restaurant nearby called Banana Bay. it was sort of a farewell dinner for Mama and Daryl, who flew off just yesterday afternoon. the food was great, and i have to say that my gastromical roots are definitely wedged tightly in the soils of Southeast Asia. haha.

right now, it's just me playing the role of the intruder in the Rivas home. wish i could go somewhere a lil more welcoming... talk to me guys, leave me messages on my blog, email me, whatever.

kids.

E-poh, Lao Teoh and Aunt Esther with her 3 kids in tow came over to LA to visit Aunt Jac so we all went over to see them last night. imagine 4 kids between the ages of 3 and 7; that's enough mayhem to last you through the whole year.

anyways, an exchange between Keanen and i over a Happy Meal pop-up toy of an ant in a box

me: (laughs) "what kinda crap is this?!"

Keanen: "that's not a crab, it's an ant!"