What is the world coming to?

First, there was lead in toys. Second we discovered there's extra chemicals in our canned foods. Then came melamine in our milk...and the crashing of the American banks and mortgage companies, amidst of all the ongoing terrorist bombings. Is there anywhere safe from these nonsense? I think it's time to go back to the stone age. Clearly technological advancements and improvements in quality of life seems to much to handle by some of the people in the world. It's always the problem of cutting corners to make quick big bucks, failure to handle finances, and pitting race against race, religion against religion. The better we get at improving our lives, the more problems we get. Maybe the speed of advance is to quick, that people cannot take the pressure and try to find short cuts. Heh, when will they ever learn, bombing hotels and embassies are not going to change the fact that the US will still have troops in stationed in their countries? When will they ever learn that paper cannot conceal a fire, that someday your sad cheating ways will be discovered? And that money requires more vigil handling? The problem lies with planning ahead, and thinking for the future. Many huge corporations these days started small, with some even teetering on the verge of failure. But with eyes set for the future, decisions are made that will help it grow steadily.

Traveling Times - Universal Studios

Welcome to Universal Studios...the entertainment capital of Hollywood. The coveted red carpet.
Don't mind the hair, this was taken at the end of the day, after our very last ride which was Jurassic Park.

This has got to be my most favouritest simulation of all. What I like about it is the theming, and the part when the ride just starts. It makes you think that the wall in front will open up and you will go through into the world of Krustyland, but instead it just brings you up into the big screen above, which really is quite an amazing concept. I like the grouping facility (Dark Knight really should have one...) that saves tonnes of time and really prevents bastards going 'Ah wanna get da front! Ah waited 3 hrs in line, ah wan da front!' It's like, sir, the queue line was only 45min.

Qiqi and Xiaoyun with one of the 3 mummies at the exit of the ride. Revenge of the Mummy is really quite an interesting ride. But when it comes to roller coasters changing tracks and all, Expedition Everest is still better and more exciting. But this ride, being indoors, really gave it all it could and frankly is good! My only complaint would be that it's too short. Theming was amazing, and the concept was good. It's kinda like a launch coaster cause first you go slow with all the mummies and stuff surrounding you, then Imhotep or something like that wants to capture your soul and the coaster shoots off into the dark.

Like I said, the theming was good. Gives me an opportunity to take this picture, like I'm totally exploring the pyramids in Egypt, just that there's AC and doesn't smell like dead people.

I really love this walk through. My favorite part was the one with the body bags hanging around and we have to make our way through it. That was...scary...

A view of San Fernando Valley. Again, pardon the hair.

This is my favorite ride cause: 1. I love dinosaurs, 2. Jurassic Park is my favoritest movie of all times, 3. there's a T-rex in the ride somewhere. It's all about the dinosaurs. Oh and, we did get very wet on this ride, but not as bad as Tidal Force though, it's like half the wetness. The Californian sun helped dry us off real quick.

I was kinda hoping to see T-rex, but Spinosaur is good too. Like, it has a sail and useful forearms, and it's much bigger than T-rex. So, all hail Spiny! It would've been better if there was an overturned Jurassic Park vehicle but oh well...

Brachiosaurs greeted us.

Into the danger zone. Water just drips from everywhere...goodness...

Yup that's about it for Universal. I must add that it was a last minute decision and we didn't regret it. If only I could stay in LA for a few more days, I'd visit Santa Monica, the beaches, the La Brea Tar pits, Beverly Hills, and other parts. Next time; this ain't gonna be the last.

Traveling Times - Los Angeles

This is the last stop of our trip: LA! Hollywood! Above is the picture taken at the well-known, but seriously quite empty Hollywood Walk-of-Fame. There isn't that much on Hollywood Blvd, half a day, or a night is more than sufficient to clear the popular parts of it.

The Garumann Chinese Theatre, where on the pavement many celebrities are immortalised. It is an actual cinema, but then it is a terribly overpriced one. Not sure if Xiaoyun and Qiqi did go watch a movie here. Would like to know how the decor inside is.

The Kodak Theatre! This was where American Idol finals are held. Wanted to buy Absolut Los Angeles (there in the statue) at the airport, but was afraid of all the taxing issues, so did not till I got in the boarding area. Unfortunately, they don't sell it there, and I missed my chance of getting the limited edition Absolut Los Angeles!

The rich residential area of Hollywood...wonder who lives behind those giant walls...but that's not the main point. Look closely and see the Hollywood sign in the distance...use a magnifying glass.

This is the old Chinatown, where most of the people there are Cantonese. The place is pretty bare now, and I didn't know why till my dad told of a new Chinatown somewhere else. That is populated by mostly Taiwanese. I was wondering why this is called 'old' Chinatown. It didn't occur to me to find the new one...

Standing outside the Chinese Theatre on the second floor.

This is the shopping area next to the Kodak Theatre. We didn't go to the shops, for it's all going to be high-end, plus we need an early night as we decided to go Universal Studios the next day. Therefore, we head further down the boulevard to take more pictures before heading back to the hostel to film an introduction to the creepy and yet authentic Orange Drive Hostel.

Traveling Times - Half Moon Bay

The coast of California is very beautiful. I had decided to stop in Half Moon Bay because Frommer's did make a special mention of this place. But perhaps I did not read it carefully, so we did not do very much there. It was more of a relaxing evening for us. Half Moon Bay is a real quiet little town, and everything at the 'town' area closed when we got there, and it was only about 6pm! We went to take a look at the opening hours and saw that it was 6-5. Wow...people open their shops at 6 here, which is quite a shock to us city dwellers.


I only found out from Wing when I got back to Sg that there was this beach called St Regis or something like that where seals would bask in the sun. Dammit!

Traveling Times - San Francisco

We're finally at San Francisco! About 20miles out of San Frans, we could already see the low lying clouds hanging over the city. I had thought that was smog, like the LA smog, but that turned out to be clouds, and the reason why they were lying so low, we soon found out when we entered the city, was that the temperature there was surprisingly low! It was even worse when the winds blew, and San Frans, being close to the sea, has its ample share of cold sea breeze. I wonder, if it was possible, that San Frans share some of this coldness with Singapore. Both cities would definitely be better off.

This is the entrance to CHINATOWN! Yes, we made it a point to visit all the Chinatowns of the cities that we are in. So far for me personally, the one in NYC, Washington DC, Philly, San Frans and then LA. The Chinatown here is much cleaner than the one in NYC but more touristy, so there wasn't much groceries to be bought, even if we wanted to. The Chinatown in NYC, though dirty, was definitely better stocked with Chinese goods and stuff. The one in Philly is kinda in between San Frans and NYC.

Along the streets in Chinatown.

We settled for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. Not too shabby. What's funny though, was that they called 'Guo Tie' 'pot-stickers'. It was like, a literal translation! In Singapore, we call them fried dumplings, which kinda makes more sense I feel. 'Pot-stickers' was really too literal, and sounds a little unhealthy if you ask me...so what made it stick to the pot? Over-cooking it?


My favourite part of San Frans has got to be the piers. Very cold, yes, but also very beautiful and very serene. Just strolling along the coastline, without much activities, is already eventful enough for me. Pier 39 is famous for all the sea lions come out to bask here, and they do draw quite a crowd.

Another thing why I like the piers is because of the abundance of seafood. Not very cheap to say, but rather affordable. I go crazy when I see shellfish and other seafood like squid. Jamie heard that Thailand has very cheap seafood, and is jio-ing people to go with her. Sounds like a good plan to me..!

This is it, the famous and touristy Fisherman's Wharf!

Having dinner at the cheapest restaurant we can find. I couldn't really go any further for I was hungry and the sea breeze was bone-chilling. But how about this huh? Having seafood dinner by the wharf with a view of the docks? That made my night; I couldn't ask for anything else. After dinner we went to watch one street performer for quite some time. That guy is Eric Cash, very sarcastic but definitely funny and mostly entertaining. A must watch if anyone manages to catch him performing.

The next day, we went to Castro, as Qiqi wanted very much to see parades and stuff. With rainbow flags all around, we knew we were in the territory. That was further confirmed when we saw men holding hands.

The place where we dined for lunch. Alright, it wasn't a restaurant, but a diner. It was nonetheless a quiet little place and the food was good. I had a turkey burger. I saw policemen in Castro, and thought why would anyone need the police in Castro. Everyone seemed so civilised and friendly. Unless they are protecting the people of Castro from outsiders, ah, that I can understand.

This picture was taken at the Golden Gate Park. It was basically pretty flowers all around and man-made waterfalls. But some of the stuff, like the Japanese Tea Garden, requires an admission fee, so, of course, we didn't visit it. However, all other stuff are already good enough.

This is the third day, the day where me, Qiqi and Xiaoyun would walk a lot towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Our first stop is this, the famous twisting and winding Lombard Street. I bet none of the locals use it, for it is just for tourists like us to take pictures and drive down on. Oh and did I mention the roads in San Francisco is terrible? Goodness...it can shoot out in so many different directions that I don't know which lane to follow, that was especially in Market Street. then all other streets are one way, then there are those slopes that goes horrendously steep. Although we were charged another day for our car rental (as we returned it late), we decided to return the car since I really didn't feel like driving. Parking the car on these roads is something else!

Lots of such historical ships and boats along the piers that we pass by on the way to Golden Gate Bridge.

Finally! After walking close to 3 miles, we arrived at the coveted Golden Gate Bridge! The weather wasn't too bad, at least it wasn't all that cloudy. I could see the azure of the sea, which is always a good thing.

We took the cable car back, because I was done with walking for the day, and Qiqi really wanted to give it a try.

The cable car conductor (actually 2 of them, black men, were really friendly and humourous) offered to help us take a picture, and was the one to suggest this pose. So he is both the cameraman and the director! haha

Traveling Times - Yosemite National Park

This was the second leg of our travel: the trip to Yosemite National Park. It was a very long drive to Yosemite, but luckily we had the GPS, so we didn't lose our way. We stopped quite a few times along the way just to take photos. Below is one of them.

Traveling from LV to Yosemite and then to San Frans, we saw changes in the landscape and vegetation from desert to temperate, and then to semi arid. I personally love the desert landscape, because it gives me a feeling of cleanliness, like it is all dry and nothing is decomposing in the shrubs like what a tropical rainforest would be.

This is the first nice view we have of Yosemite. Needless to say, I had to stop the car and we came down to take pictures. The sun was setting too, which cast a lovely yellow-orange hue on the mountains, giving it kind of a dreamy effect. It got cold too, but still manageable. It just meant that we can save some battery power by switching off the air-conditioner. Somehow the pictures that we took didn't really do the scenery justice, for it was much better when I saw it there.


This is one of the scenic destinations of Yosemite Valley. The name of this dome might be called El Captain if I'm not mistaken. If not, it might be just another monolith, that looks just as good.

This is the famous Yosemite Falls. But in summer, the falls is merely a trickle, less than half the grandeur it would be in spring.

This is a typical view in the Yosemite Valley. It was cool in the morning, but it soon got warm in the afternoon. Again, we should have spent more time in Yosemite, for when we first arrived there we were in a rush to get to the hostel that we didn't stop to take pictures at the beautiful landscape along the way. We didn't have time the second day to go back, which was really a pity.

Traveling Times - Las Vegas

This has got to be my favourite place out of all the places that we have visited. Sin City is pretty decent for me quite ironically, for all I wanted to do there was to enjoy the architecture, the lights, the casinos and the free shows.

We didn't have a lot of time in Vegas. Our flight there was 4hrs late, so that left us with not much time to wander around when we got there. But we did walk around till 2.00am (which is 5.00am Jersey time. Imagine that, almost a whole 24hrs without sleep!) and we got too tired and just went back to the hotel. The temperature there was terrible when we first arrived: about 43deg celcius. Although it was insanely warm, the humidity was as low as can be, so it didn't feel uncomfortable. I got used to it on the second day. Btw, all these photos are taken on the second day.

This is the very famous musical fountain of the Bellagio. They have shows every half hour I think, or at least that's what they have me thinking. Not sure what the time for the last show is, but do try to catch it early.

Brooklyn Bridge in LV? This is LV's New York New York Hotel and Casino. Not sure how it is inside as we didn't venture inwards since we were on a tight schedule. We only entered those casinos that we thought were worth a visit. This, unfortunately, was not one of them. Qiqi's laughing heartily here as she imitates Tianze's hand signal. 'What's this suppose to mean? Call me ah?' she asked, and we all shared a laugh.

This is the Venetian. We did go into this one. Made to look like Venice, the inside is complete with a river and gondolas running through it. Both sides of the river on the interior of the casino are lined with restaurants and shops.

At the aisle of the Venetian.

The Phantom of the Opera plays here. Not sure how good the singers are, but the prices are comparable with the ones in NY. There is a photo of the interior of the theatre, and it doesn't look too shabby. Xiaoyun was tempted to watch, but thought that she would rather leave it to the cast in

This has got to be my favourite hotel in all of the strip: Caesars Palace. It is just simply magnificent, with all the Roman statues and decor. Nothing on the strip can be compared to what Caesars has done.

Watch out for this fountain, as this is where they have a show. Not sure how often the show runs, but we were lucky. We got there just in time for a show. The sound system wasn't really good, so I sometimes can't make out what the characters were saying. Just ask for directions to a show at the fountain.



The outdoor swimming pool at Caesars.

Treasure Island. They have shows every night here at the entrance as well. Must wait there at least 15min before the starting time as many people gather to watch . Quite seriously, the story is a little absurd...but for a 20min free entertainment, I shouldn't complain. I like the decor of TI too, but Caesars still take home the prize.

Nothing much in the Mirage.

The Excalibur. Should be a good casino to visit but we didn't have time to really walk through the whole casino, so we just settled for the buffet dinner.



This is the Luxor. Seriously, this hotel and casino is not at all interesting to visit. Or it's just that we did not see the nicer parts of the hotel. Time was tight, when such entertainment was not readily available, we just left.

Stratasphere, the tallest hotel in Vegas. Have to pay to get up to the top, that's why we didn't go. There is a small amusement centre up at the top, consisting of 3 thrill rides. If you have extra cash to spare you may want to check it out, cause one of the rides dangle you over the edge of the platform!

Circus Circus, the casino I remember best from 13 years ago. Inside, the casino looks like a carnival, with games stalls and slots machines surrounding a stage where acrobats perform (free) every certain period. Once again, we were lucky to have just arrived and a show was about to start. The acrobatics was okay, wasn't something too spectacular, but hey, it's free, and we appreciate it very much nonetheless.

This is the Adventure Dome in Circus Circus. Just another themepark kind of place. Had enough of themeparks? Then just give this a miss. But I love roller coasters, so I had to come see how the roller coaster in here is like haha.

Oh, there is a Krispy Kreme outlet in Circus Circus, make sure you guys go try it! Go for the original glazed doughnuts, those are the best. A word of caution though, it is rather sweet, so if you don't like sweet stuff, better just buy one. In any case, you have to try it!

So that's almost our whole journey of Las Vegas. Apparently there are some outlets there that friends said were worth checking out. Then it comes back to the same ol reason: NO TIME!! So I would recommend at least 4 days in LV. It really is quite an incredible place.