New York New York

And finally after almost 7 weeks of work assignment, I'm off on my holidays!! To start off with The Big Apple - New York City! So excited, my 1st time in New York, the city that never sleeps, Times Square, Madison Square Garden, Musuems, Statue of Liberty etc etc..All sounds so exciting!

First thing first, to get to the airport and to New York! It's a tough battle with 2 big suitcases to pull around, and no carts @ the airport to help. Apparently in US, everything is NOT free! Even at the BIG airport like Newark, a cart costs 5 bloody USD to rent for a short while! Extortion! So I had to physically pull my suitcases along, with my backpack & tripod on my back. It was physical torture to my body, but luckily i had years of training in the gym to compensate for the hardwork..Unfortch, it also resulted in triggering an old ailment - My shoulder started spasming abit, probably pulled a nerve as a result. But i'm not one to give up easily, just endure that short distance (actually not that short), up the train and bus and deposit in the hotel!

I chose to stay at Sheraton Newark International Airport Hotel for a couple of reasons - I have free nights (due to my frequent visits to China, I had earned enough points to redeem free nights); It's near the airport which means less travelling with the 2 big suitcases; I didnt want to tackle the subway ride in NY with 2 suitcases + backpack+tripod + walking in the cold; I'm near the airport which means less travelling time. Anyway it's not THAT far from NYC, only 40mins by bus and subway so it's reasonable! And well, I get a room to myself to enjoy for a fair bit b4 I move to Paris and stay in the hostels.

So straight off after dropping my bags, wash up and dress up for the cold, I head out to explore NYC with whatever time I had left! I decided to take it slow, I've got time on my hands, so no rush here!

Options to get the best out of NYC attractions - There are basically 3 types of passes you can buy:

1 - City pass. Where you get standard 6 attractions: 3 musuems and entrance to Empire State Building and 2 out of 4 other choices at 1 price. Well, if you make it to 3, you have earned back the discount. However, this is rather restrictive 'cos you may not be that interested in all or most of the attractions.

2 - NYC Pass. You can choose between 1,2,3,5,7 days pass where you have access to basically ALL attractions. Different prices or different number of days. If you have consecutive days and like to visit as much as you want, this is actually a good option as you have everything on the menu! Of cos it would be more beneficial to choose 3 days cos u'll have more time to visit the places!

3 - Explorer Pass. It's kinda a combination of (1) and (2). You have a choice of selecting 3, 5 or 7 attractions at specified prices. You just buy the passes, and you can select ANY attractions you want to visit within the next 30 days! It's kinda better than (1) cos you choose what you want, and less restrictive in terms of duration as compared to (2). It kinda offers you the flexibility of choice and time. Of cos, it may not be as worth it as (2) since you only have restricted number of attractions, but if you don't have consecutive days to spare, this is a good option! Which was what I chose! I took the 5 attraction pass, with 3 comfirmed attractions in mind...

So since I only had effectively a couple of hours left of the 1st day (by the time i found the ticket office it was like 2.30pm), I decided to take the city explorer bus to give myself an idea of the places to visit, where they're located and if they're worth another visit personally! It turned out to be a good idea as the bus went through the entire downtown area - Chinatown, Little Italy, Greenwich (it's pronounced as Green-Nich), Soho, Wall Street etc. So I basically saw the whole NYC downtown in 3hours! But I supposed it's not that great on a cold, cloudy day. I was freezing throughout the whole journey as it's an open air bus (good for tourist sight seeing not good for warmth).

The famous Xmas tree @ Rockefeller Center. Damn crowded

Times Square. Very happening all day

So after a good night's sleep, i started out early the next day to explore more of new york! Seeing that the day was cloudy and not so great for outdoor activities, I decided to be more cultured and start my musuem day! 1st stop - MET, the famous musuem in NYC! It's HUGE! And luckily i was there early, cos the crowd started to gather when I checked out! For those who plan to go there, please check on the restrictions of items that can be brought in. No big backpacks, all bags (slightly big) must be checked in. No glass bottles, small plastic bottles can be brought in.

Central Park. Would be definitely nicer during summer

This is a very interesting sculpture. It's abt a prisoned father and his sons, and his sons offering themselves to feed his father, who's very anguished over that fact

I'm not really a musuem person, I mean I enjoy visiting some, but not all, and I don't really know how to appreciate real art. I mean i can go 'Wow, this is amazing' but not like those art appreciaters when they go 'Wow'. But i like looking at sculptures and be amazed at how sculptors can achieve that kinda look. Of cos I don't understand the art of sculpting. And I don't really like classical paintings, you know those paintings of ancient pple, of Jesus etc etc. I simply don't understand. Yes, they were drawn beautifully and some looked quite life like, but I don't appreciate them. Modern art? Ehmmm, sometimes you wonder 'Wow, so this is art?' Seems like just blotting a few paints can make an art, or crushing a few newspaper and pasting them together to form some shapes! But then again, u're always amazed at what you find in musuems! Still that's not going to stop me from going to musuems. FYI, i've never really been to musuems in Singapore Haha.....

This is modern art, Aug calendar makes it to Musuem! Now how abt a Nov calendar with special emphasis on the 28th??

After a whole day of cultured musuem, I decided to be educated once again, in a different sense... The Musuem of Sex. That's educational as well! Thinking that it probably talks more about the anatomy or history of sex, or how opposites attract etc etc, I walked in waiting to be educated. However, the 1st section that greeted me was PORNOGRAPHY. Yes, i said it. Pictures of porn movies, short clips of porn films, naked women running about. Well, they said it was the progression of sex on film, but it looked more like pornography education to me. There was a section where they simply just showed pple having sex (the real things were shown explicitly) - Same sex and opposite sex. So it was alot of nakedness and banging, if you know what I mean. FYI, I went in by myself. And it was kinda funny and sad at the same time cos of the things that were exhibited. I wasn't embarrassed, I was more amused by what they call 'Musuem of Sex'. The other sections showed sex tools (you pple out there know what I mean), and animal sex lives.. Well, If you had nothing better to do, you can go in, else don't bother. Rent an 'X' rated film and you'll get all the sex education you need! Ha

Musuem of Sex

Very funny and meaningful poster

Empire state @ night

After a night of sex (metophorically speaking), I decided I'm tired enough. The girl needs some rest after 2hrs of sex education to rejuvenate her energy for more action the next day, which was forecasted to be fine and sunny!

The next day, it was exploration day! A day of no paid attractions. A day of ferry and walking! Off to the staten island ferry (it's FREE) which gives you a glimpse of the statue of liberty (though slightly far away) and Manhattan! Nice day for a ferry ride as the sun was shining, though the wind was chilly!

After the ferry ride, it was walking time! And crossing the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. I've heard abt the Brooklyn bridge, pple have told me it's not a grand as it's made out to be, and I fully concur with that statement! It's kinda run-down and they're apparently doing some restoration works. Its neighbour - Manhattan Bridge is alot grander and nicer in my opinion. But still, You've gota try Brooklyn Bridge. So I Did! Walked across it to Brooklyn (which was kinda a dead town compared to NYC) and viewed Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridge from the other side!

The rather dilapidated Brooklyn Bridge

You can see some construction being done on Brooklyn Bridge

Manhattan Bridge, so much classier I feel

Then it's time to head back to NYC again for more exploration! And that's when I lost one of my nice, white fluffy glove. Super Sad! Lost it in the train station. Must have dropped it when I was fumbling through my bag for the map. Damn, didnt realized I dropped it until I felt coldness in my right hand. Super sad cos the glove was damn pretty and fit into my whole image! Yes I was kinda white from head to toe (like tyra said, modelling H-to-T) White hat, white jacket, white gloves! Only thing missing was my whitish beigh boots which I didnt bring due to space constraints. Luckily it was not that extremely cold so I could still don my left glove and stick my right hand in my pocket for warmth. But i'm not going to let that deter or dampen my spirits!

Ground Zero, some construction going on

Wall Street, Money Never Sleeps

And the next day happened to be shopping day! Yes, as I had a conference call in the morning which lasted due late morning, I decided, let's make it a shopping day! So off i went to Jersey Garden Outlet Mall and Shopped!! I bought a new pair of gloves (unfortch they didnt have white so I was stuck with Blue, and you'll find out the fate of the Blue later in the other episodes). Had a great time shopping, but mind you, I'm a cautious and thinking shopper, not mindless spree. I bought what I absolutely decided that I'll wear and need and was happy with my choices! It was a short day but meaningful haha! When you've shopped in US, you kinda feel disappointed back home in Singapore!

After a day of shopping, it was onto more of NYC the next day! And as it happened to be a Wednesday, it was the perfect day to visit Grand Central Terminal! Because they have free tours every Wed and Fri at 12.30pm! So if it's free, you have to go! Although at the end of the tour you're encouraged to give a little donation... But the tour was worth the time and effort. It was almsot 2hours and the tour guide brings you through the entire Grand Central Terminal and talked about the history, the architecture etc etc. Did you know that GCT almost didnt make it to this time? Yes, they had planned to destroy the GCT for more modern development but luckily it was saved! Phew!

Grand Central Terminal

After the GCT, I walked to UN HQ, which was not that far off! Did you know that UN HQ is effectively NOT USA? So it means, when you stepped into UN HQ, you're kinda NOT in US anymore! So you can tell pple that you were NOT in US for like 5mins and they'll think you're crazy but you're actually not crazy! Haha so yes, I travelled out of US for like 10mins on Wednesday 22 Dec around 2.30pm! There are 192 flags on display and I found Singapore fairly quickly! By happenstance, I met a German Friend, Mario, there and was glad to have company for the rest of the day. It gets abit boring when you're travelling alone, so it was great meeting a fren!

After a day of travelling, finally it's time to eat at 4pm in the afternoon. Thing you need to know about me when I'm travelling, esp when I'm alone. I like to walk alot, explore everything that I plan to achieve b4 I actually stop and rest. So that means most of the time, I don't eat alot or I don't stop to eat until I suddenly look at the watch and go 'Geez, look at the time' and 'Hmm I think i'm hungry'. Ha I'm the kind of person who'll walk and walk and look and explore the whole day and not think about eating! And most often, I'll just buy some bread or sandwich and eat as I walk! I know I prob should stop and enjoy my food and pple watch, but I feel like I have alot to do and sitting down eating is going to take up some of my time! Haha, I just can't really sit and relax, but mayb I should learn to do that more! Then again, when u'r alone, it's kinda lonely to do that...But ok I'll try the next time. That's y I lost quite abit of weight after I returned.

Me @ UN HQ

Me @ Flatiron Building

The last official full day in NYC (i was heading to Niagara falls for my whirlwind 1 day trip. More of that in the next episode). Started off hectic as I rushed over to Greyhound station to change my departure time (i was going to watch STOMP with Mario and was afraid i might miss the bus if I didnt change it). And also, I had to settle my return bus ticket which was totally screwed up. The story goes, I ordered online and the only option was 'Deliver to address' which I put as my Charlotte hotel. That was like 5weeks ago. And they screwed me up by either NOT mailing out or lost it or whatever! I didnt receive and the stupid Customer Assistance center is bloody slow in responding and there was absolutely no follow up or news to the ticket even though I called about it. Ended up I had to engage in a long long conversation with them to get my return ticket, to which they replied 'We'll contact the manager in Canada who will give you more information. Bye' Thanks man! What can I do, but cross my fingers and PRAY that I can return! Anyway, the manager didnt call me back. But I still got back (i'll explain more in the next episode)

After all was done, I felt slightly more relieved. Then i headed to Mdm Tussaud's! Yes! I was looking forward to this visit man! To be surrounded by celebrities! Lucky for me, I met a Korean guy who was touring on his own as well. So we sorta paired up so that we can take photos for each other! It was fun meeting Tyra Banks, Britney Spears, Johnny Depp, George Clooney etc etc. Although I would have liked to meet Ryan Reynolds (he's recently single again Woohoo!!) or Hugh Jackman or Orlando Bloom, but I s'pose they've not had their wax figure made...

I Kissed George Clooney (sorta) Not that i'm estatic over it

After mingling with celebrities, it's time to learn about where the film was made. By the film, I mean 'Sex and The City'. I joined the SATC On Location tour and visited all the filming sites of the series and the movie. It was an ok tour, nothing much, just brings u ard NYC to where some of the series and movie was filmed and we got to taste cupcakes and cosmopolitan! Ok way to spend an afternoon, esp when the weather just turned really really cold and cloudy, so it was nice to sit in the bus and enjoy the warmth!

Then after the tour, it was off to watch STOMP!! It was FANTASTIC!!! Sorry, u'r not s'posed to take photos inside, so I only have photo of me outside. The show was very loud but good! And we got the best seat in the house! Front row seats! And I didnt even know our seats when I ordered the tickets!

After the show, we still had some time to spare b4 my bus ride, so we went up Top of the Rock Observation Tower for the view of NYC at night! I highly recommend going up there cos the view is FANTASTIC!! You can see everything and Empire State Building being lit up!! It was very very cold up there but the view was worth it! Just remember that YOu can actually go up to the very top! When you first go up the escalator, you may think that you're already up there, but no! You still can go up a flight of steps to the very top where u have uncovered view and great spot for photo taking! The wind was damn strong that night, so even tho you place your camera on the ledge and set timer, the wind was still able to sway your camera, resulted in slightly burry shots...

Then of cos, it was bye bye to my German Friend, and Hello to 12hours bus journey to Niagara Falls... Stay Tuned to the next episode..

After 4 days in NYC, i have to say 'I LOVE NY'!! Yes, it's a city that's easy to fall in love with. It's so vibrant, full of activities and just bustling with sights and sound. & pple there are friendly! Any moment in time, u can strike a conversation with strangers and they'll tell you their live stories! Just like when I was waiting for the bus, I met this sweet couple who were stuck in NY due to weather and in the short 5mins, i knew their name, where they came from, where they were heading to, what their son was doing and living, what they had done the previous day and what they planned to do that day! Not just waiting for the bus, even waiting in cashier Q, u can just start talking to the person in front about anything! And I've sorta gota used to 'Hello, how are you doing today' and start yakking about something! Haha, that's not sth we're used to in Singapore, we don't go greet e'ryone, but it's like the norm in US, and you just get used to it! Now, instead of waiting for pple to greet me, I start the ball rolling! But of cos, when u'r back here, you don't do it, cos pple will look at you weird hahaha

And The Journey Begins.....(Pilot)

It all started sometime late of 2010 when I was told 'You're going for Cross-Cluster Assignment in Europe'! Well, yea! Can go somewhere different for some holiday! As time nears, more information was leaked, 1st it was the timing of the audit - Late Nov, which is good cos I can then take the rest of the year off for vacation. Then it was 'Paris' WooHoo! City of Lights, Romantic City, Some place I've never been to and frankly speaking, if not for the audit, maybe not in the near future! So excited! Of cos, work comes 1st then leisure!

Then 1mth b4 i set off to explore Paris, I was told that, hey maybe you can drop by Charlotte, North Carolina, for another audit! Woohoo USA! Shopping! And, the plane gota stop over at Newark Airport, so that's like New York! And so begun my 7weeks journey out of hot, humid Singapore into Cold, dry Paris and US.

1st off, 4.5wks of work duties await me in Paris and Charlotte. Of cos, not to mislead you guys, it was actually not Paris Paris. The nearest airport is Paris but the work place is a warehouse in Marly (20mins from Paris) and subsequently we moved to stay in Chantilly, which was actually good cos I got to visit the beautiful Chantilly Castle!

Chantilly is a beautiful little town! I kinda liked the feel of the little town (maybe better than Paris?? More on that later) but unfortch, english is like an alien species there. Well, at the hotel they do speak english, and sparingly when you go out to some cafes, but overall, zilch! So i kinda felt quite alien when i walked out to the town. Anyway who cares! I'll just point, grab and pay! Start with a 'Bonjour' and end with 'Merci' 'Au Revoir'! That's all I can do and that's fine enough!

So my weekend was spent exploring the Chantilly castle which was a nice beautiful little castle, 2nd to Versailles (which due to unforseen circumstances, i didnt manage to go shucks!) The weather was perfect that day for sightseeing, cos it was cloudy and snowy the few days earlier, so I was damn lucky!

Chantilly Castle

Lots of Swans!!

The garden which would look really great during summer

Then it was 'Bye Bye' Paris (for now) after 10 days, and 'Hello' Charlotte for the next 3 weeks. YooHoo to Shopping! Off i embarked on my 10hour flight, and landed at the airport to pick up my beautiful white Chrysler that's f***ingly big for a small sized girl like me. Oh well, who can resists such a beautiful car! I guess there is such a thing called Karma! Haha and it repays! Sexy lady with sexy car!

Was excited abt getting the car, but as a car idiot (who never drives in Singapore, only overseas sporadically), I was stuck fiddling with the ignition key for 15mins, poking the actual key into the hole, but not quite fitting into the hole. Then I gave up and walked up to the counter for help, only to be told that the key is for the door, not the ignition. The bulky stick-like key is the ignition key! Oh rite, well done! Everything set to go, but my seat. Damn these cars! Too sophisticated to be understood by 1st-timers! Seeing that I had wasted enough time, the hell with the seats, I'll just endure it for 30mins and deal with it later. So with a extremely laid back seat, I sat damn straight up and drove out in the eerie darkness. Why do they skimp on street lights? And tiny street signs! Not everybody has eagle eye! Which made me take the wrong turn, even tho i had my gps! You know GPS is not the most easy machine to read correctly when u use it for the 1st time! They tell u to turn next but sometimes, their instructions are not so perfectly clear and u end up turning too early or missing the turn! But eventually i managed to turn my way out onto the right road.

This is the monster! IT is freaking big, u know like those high end cabs we get here

Stuck with the magnificent car for 2weeks, got somehow used to it, but glad that I had to return it for a new car(going off-site for 2 days so had to return the car). So what did i do over the weekends? 1st sunday - Shopping BIG TIME! I'm not normally a shopper, but there r good deals there! And I'm not a reckless shopper, I buy with caution and only absolutely necessary, so even tho i shopped a fair bit, by no means it is mad shopping spree by true shopaholic standards! I mean Levi's jeans for USD30? That's a steal!

Of cos it's not all shopping! I was so tired after shopping for like 3hrs! Time for sight seeing and nature! So I decided to brave the snow and drive up the mountains! Yes, I knew it was going to snow but I really wanted to see the mountains! So even tho my car is not equipped with snow tyres, heck it! It was a partially good decision. 1st - I got to see snow covered mountains!! Yeah!! I drove in the snow with no problem!! Yea!! But I missed going up the mountains cos it was closed due to snow Booo :( So as it turned out it was a 2.5hrs drive up, 1hr drive through the bending mountains to the closed site, 2.5hrs drive back, a total of 6hrs on the road of non-stop driving! Heck, I never knew driving was such a chore! It really gave my shoulders an exercise! They were aching after that day! And as I'm used to right hand driving, it was mainly my right shoulder getting the work out! Sorry, I still can't really drive with my left hand!

I'm in heaven...Not it's fog

Snow covered road. As I drove on the snow fell even more heavily like rain only it sticks onto the windscreen

I had a much better time the following wkend when I drove up Crowders' Mountain for a fantastic view of the city with a fantastically blue clear sky! WOnderful! I love climbing mountains and getting a good workout so I was pleasantly surprised and happy at the view I got on top! If only Singapore had such mountains, but then again, there would not be a great view cos it's all buildings here! Ha!

The last weekend, I went to Latta Plantation area, Birkdale Town (a little European style town) and some park near the Lake Norman Area. THen the highlight was the night drive through McAdenville, aka Christmas Town for the annual Christmas lighting! It is essentially a drive through attraction spot, where literally the whole of North Carolina was there, driving through and viewing all the Christmas decorations and lightings! Of cos I parked somewhere and enjoyed the deco, b4 getting into the car again and driving out! It was a whole 2hrs snailing through the town at 10miles/hr...

McAdenville

And that was essentially my time spent in Charlotte. Of cos I went for 2nd round of shopping (didnt buy much cos I already was filling up my 2nd suitcase), but I'm so loving Walmart, and the outlet malls!

The Black Lincoln, Cool right?!

Oh yes, and I did change a car! I like to say a trade up cos i like the 2nd car better. It's a black Lincoln, sleeker, meaner and sexier :) And the best part, I spent even more time figuring out how to start that machine! I saw the prompt going 'Step on the brake and push the button' so i did just that but it just didnt move AT ALL!! I was there for at least 20mins b4 once again 'Help'! And turned out, you had to step on the brake and NOT RELEASE it as you push the button, and 'Ding ding ding' (ok it really had a sound) it starts and it brings forth the steering wheel and your seat! Yes it does! And once again, I had no bloody idea how to move my seat forward. I managed to do it until it cannot be moved, but still i'm like WAYYY back! So heck it, it was 11pm, i just wanted to go! THis time i didnt get lost! And i figured out the magic button on the side door that brings my seat forward more! Damn! They need to hand out instruction manuals to drivers! Each and every button in the car needs explanation!! I so love that car! It has seat warmers (for cold days) and seat coolers (for warm days)! And it has a sun roof!! Which i obviously didnt get a chance to open up, freaking cold!

After a hectic 3 weeks of work, and a hectic 2010, I finally get the rest of the year off to enjoy my holidays in New York New York!! Off to New York, and off the the next episode of 'And The Journey Begins...'

p/s: For pple wondering..Did you freaking drive ok in US? The answer is YES!! no accidents, no honkings i really drove ok! Up until the very last day when I drove to return the car, i was freaking confused by the road side and accidentally drove into the wrong lane, but luckily there were no cars ard and I quickly turned ard. It was only like 2mins at most! The only black mark on my record but other than that I did ok! I even did reverse parking 90% of the time! When I don't even drive in Singapore! Give me some credit! I used to think head in is easy, but I think NOT so now...

New Year New Life New Hopes...

Well 2011 has come, believe or not, and it's time to start a new life in the new year. And as what most pple will ask - What's your new year resolution? Ok remember I blogged about this 2 yrs back, finally getting down to setting resolutions, but I now firmly believe that I should stop doing that! I never really monitor the status of my resolution or go back and reflect upon them! I prefer 'Go With The Flow', whatever comes comes! It doesnt mean that you achieve nothing if you don't do any of your resolution cos you may just be fulfilling some other interesting ideas!

However, since I've set some resolutions for 2010, I should follow up on them. Afterall, I'm an auditor and I write pple up for not following up on the status and comparing actual against budget/forecast!

So a reflection, refer to the 2009 post 2010 Resolutions

1 - My knee has somehow feel better now, although it'll never really fully recover cos my knee caps are slightly misaligned due to my flat feet. However, with the right shoes, strengthening of quad muscles and knowing when NOT to push myself too hard, I'll live with it!

2 - Still no Mt KK. You know all this kinda depns on Timing, People, Environment, and a whole lot more! But, no Mt KK, i can always conquer other things!

3 - Tennis haha my passion. Not an expert but i'm getting there. In fact, due to my injury (i sprained my ankle) i was out of the sport for as long as 5mths! But i'm back into it! Hey, I don't really have to excel in it, just enjoy playing it is good enough for me!

4 - Oh yes, I've completed Sword of the Truth series of books, and now I'm onto the final 3 laps of teh 12-part book series Wheel of Time. So yes, i've been reading ALOT in 2010!!

And yes, on other things, health and fitness is getting there.. I've mastered freestyle swimming all thanks to YOUTUBE!! And that was something not in my resolution but i've always envied pple who can swim that!

I've had a really really busy year, assignment after assignment, back to back, non-stop working. It was really tiring and stressful at times, but what can you do? Just breathe hard, and suck it up! You've gota do what you've gota do right? Give your best and finish your job! I feel that I've far exceeded what was expected of me in 2010, and now I'll have to see where it brings me to, and what my future will be. Nothing is for certain, you make your own destiny and fate. People around you may be promising many things, but nothing is for certain. Things are not what it seemed or promised almost all the time. You have to make your own future happen!

What will my future be? Nothing is firm at this moment in time, opportunities come and go, just gota grab it when it presents itself. Who knows what will happen or what I will do.. Maybe i'll jet off somewhere in 2011 to explore new territories or new adventure, maybe i'll pick up the books again (altho i'm quite positive I'm not study material at this moment), or maybe i'll just get hitched and start a family in a snap! Ha! If you believe the last statement, then you better think twice...

Who knows.....

One thing for sure, I shall start bloggin abt my year end trip. Yes that can be 1 resolution for 2011 that I'll be able to keep, altho it will take time to make it happen

Hmm, I shall have to be less accident/incident prone in 2011. I hate being injured.....

Choice of English Name??

I'm back! Been gone for the longest time yet - 7 weeks and now i'm back, leaner meaner & tired haha But Happy! I'll have to blog abt my travels when I find the time to sit down and formulate the words and where to start!! Summary - Shopped a fair bit in US, flight got delayed, got stuck in train station and spent some great time in Paris counting down to the New Year! And the end result - I lost 3kg during my travels! Woohoo! It's always nice to lose weight..But it'll come back soon....Stay tuned for more

Anyway, after more than 1/4 century of my live, i've come to a point where I think I may need to have an English name! Yes, it didnt seem necessary during my school days, no trouble calling my name then, no trouble during EY days. But seems like as the world gets more connected and international, chinese name is not the easiest to pronounce and remember!

Person A: What's your name?
Me: Dian Shan
Person A: Sorry??
Me: Dian Shan
Person A: Can I call you Dian?
Me: Eh no, it's Dian Shan
Person A: Ok, it's not easy to remember. I'll try
Few minutes later..
Person A: Hey Dian.....
Me: *....*

I've sorta given up trying to give my full name, and sometimes just resign to hearing them call me Dian. Damn I hate the sound of that! So mayb it's time to pull out the name I once had thought of calling myself during school days...And some other choices I've been thinking of:

Calene - This was the name I thought of calling myself back in my secondary school days. Haha, no idea why but just liked the sound of it then, but it didnt really take off and I dono why...

Shannon - I think i am a Shannon. It fits me! And it's made up of part of my name!

Shantelle - With S instead of C. Again another play on my name. Shantelle, do I sound like a Shantelle? Maybe

Shann - Easiest ever to think of.

Shanne - Double 'N' gives it a more feminine feel...I hope...

Shyan - I like the sound of it...

I'll NEVER accept Dian. Actually I don't like that name. Even Diane, don't realli like the sound of it. I'm not gg to be a Dian-e.

So any suggestions?? MAybe I should put up a poll hahahha

Bonjour! Cava? Merci Au revoir

Those are about the only French I truly know, plus a couple of other non-words (not really useful words).

2nd day into Paris and I'm almost done with the city! Weather is alright, not as great as it was in NY when I was there (b4 the snow came tumbling down), but good enuff, at least it's not snowing, raining, or snowing & raining, and windy etc etc...


1st impression of Paris - It's not very clean. Or organzied. Haha! It's called the City of Lights, but when I was out on Wed night up the Eiffel Tower, the surroundings did not actually seemed very bright..I wonder why????


Yes, it's not very clean, the streets seemed grey n dusty...Isit the winter?? I don't know. Compared to NY, i think NY seems cleaner.


How do I find Paris? Hmm alot of pple told me I'll LOVE Paris, like when they told me you'll LOVE NY. Well, I agree with the latter, I really do like (or love) NY. It's a great city really! But Paris, hmmmmmm.... somehow feel that it doesnt rank up there with NY. Parisian lovers dont hit me on that, it's only my personal opinion. The city doesnt seem all too friendly as well. General impression of the French - They smoke ALOT! They don't seem all that friendly (unless u speak French). That's like a deterrent, altho there are LOTS of tourists, they just seem unfriendly towards non-French speaking pple. Of cos there are nice French! When I was lugging my 2 big bags manouvering the Metro up and down the stairs (yes another thing i wana complain! Bloody stairs! Why can't they have elevators or escalators?? Stairs man!), pple came up to help me carry my bag, which is very comforting to me. Cos i was really struggling with the bloody stairs!!!!!


Then when i was walking up the cobbled streets (bloody streets), a lady came forward to help me carry my smaller luaggage, which was so nice!! Lady mind you, I felt so touched! Those were the bright sparks in the French community. Other than that, they were..let's just say..like that. Nothing more nothing less, not much of a smile. After coming from NY, it's sorta a minus point where pple in NY seemed so friendly and nice! I mean u just strike a conversation standing in line queuing @ the cashier or bus station!! Here, it's the language man. U sorta feel very out of place. I don't feel that way when i'm in Bangkok or Vietnam where language is also a problem, but here it's really quite extreme.


Anyway, i'm not saying Paris is not nice, i'm just saying personally it's not THAT great as what some pple put it. Well maybe if I came with someone else, it might be different! Hahaha... But i still prefer NY. NY is a place I don't mind going back to... Things r not cheap there, but compared to Paris, NY is heaven!! Shopping heaven!!! Haha!! Paris is bloody expensive! Just a plain baguette with ham and cheese is like Euro 7. I can make that for SGD2 lor. Luckily there's supermarket. U'll realli go broke ...


On another note, good thing happend to me today. I bumped into (or rather this lady approached me) a Shanghainese auntie, asking me to help her buy LV bags. WooHoo! Gave me a chance to walk into LV with an agenda and enjoy being served! Haha! So nice walking into the branded store and looking at the bags, not batting an eye on the price (cos i'm not paying for it!!) Anyway cos there's quota per pax, she wanted to buy more so she asked me to help her buy. Money on hand (cash) i walked into LV with a purpose! Got down to business after browsing through the expensive bags and got the ones she wanted and walked out with LV bag in hand! The great news?? She didnt take the tax refund! So in a way it's like a commission for me to help her buy! Woohoo! Just like that, doing nth, enjoying myself in a branded store, I earned abt Euro 130 in less than 30mins!! Haha That means free accomo in Paris + some cash left for food!! Fantastic!! Anyone wants to use me?? I will agree provided I claim the tax refund! Haha


Anyway these pple r crazy (esp the Chinese from China) they buy like nobody's biz man! And the bags are not cheap (ok by my standard not cheap) but I think it's like ALOT cheaper than in China or even Singapore. 1 medium size bag is like Euro 600-700! Siao i wouldn't spend my $$ like that! I don't mind taking a free bag but def will NOT buy it. Anyway don't buy a bag that cost that much for me, just give me the $$. Haha I am a firm believer of the philosophy 'SHOW ME THE MONEY' as popularized by Jerry Maguire.


1 more day in Paris and I'm Home Sweet Home. Been very tiring 6 weeks of travelling, not easy.. Esp dealing with the bloody flight delays and train delays, those r even more tiring.. TIme to go back home, rest, massage & go swim! I miss swimming in the pool, with the sun shining on my back. I need warmth & sun! I miss the heat back home!! And I need a good massage on my shoulders. They are killing me, very painful. And my little toe is swollen for 1mth already...Ya I'm walking hours ard with a swollen toe...What can I do, just endure and move on...So need to get that looked at when i get back...

And I will be back writing abt my adventures when I get back home with all my stuff sorted..Till then....

Crazy!! Massive Train breakdown out of NY towards Airport direction resulted in thousands stranded for hours!!!!!!

There I was sitting in the train at 2.55pm, thinking how wonderful it is to go back to the hotel, slack and lie in bed, watching videos and enjoying when suddenly, the train stopped in between stops. The reason - a train was disabled. So we were stuck in the train halfway in the middle of nowhere for 30mins. Then, they said power failure at the stations, cannot go forward. So just like that, I was stuck in the train with many others for 1hour only to reverse back into NY penn station where we boarded the train. Then chaos erupted at the station where thousands of people were clueless of what was happening as trains after trains were delayed and delayed. Time came and past and before we knew it, it was 530pm and no train was moving.

By instruction, many pple, including myself moved to another form of tpt - PATH to get to Newark, only to find out that it doesnt work. Cos PATH DID NOT get to Newark!! Even tho we were specifically told that it would! Talk about communication!! Now, I miss Singapore's efficiency. At least we have like 1 operator that speaks to each other, and you kinda would not be misled by the operators if a breakdown occurs! Here, it's more 'GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!' cos no one really cares! It's just all computer screens showing 'Delayed', 'Cancelled'. Go figure what to do! Go ask ard how to get ard to your destination. Hours were spent trying to figure a way to get to another place.

Lucky for me, I met a group of people trying to get to Newark and I followed them through PATH to somewhere in New Jersey. There we waited and waited for like 1hr, by then it was like 7pm and no trains were moving to Newark, even tho pple were saying yes there are! It's just very frustrating when things like that happened. Cabs are not so easy to get, not like in Singapore. So we waited... Luckily there was a family staying @ Ramada near the train station we were stranded at and I followed them to the hotel, and got on the free shuttle to the airport to catch my shuttle bus back to hotel. Still, I had to wait till 9pm b4 the shuttle arrived due to the bad road conditions (snow covered roads). Then by the time i reached the airport, it was 10pm. Waiting and waiting for 40mins b4 the shuttle came, and now at 11.44pm, i'm lying in bed (it's freezing cold even tho i set the temp @ 30degrees celsius), writing this.

This was how I spent the whole day! Well actually it started out pretty well, sky was clear, sun was bright trains were running smooth, I was in NYC shopping @ H&M, happily walking through snow covered roads...

The wind was also damn strong that it blew me off my track!!! I had to resist being blown off track!!!

but that was short lived, cos what came after was 8hrs of nightmare!! Now I'm back... Actually I'm glad that I stay near airport. Imagine I was one of those trying to get to the airport on the trains, I would have missed my plane & be helpless!!! Now i'm near airport, I dont have to worry too much abt not getting to the airport, just be sure to catch the shuttle! Hopefully tomorrow will be good for flying. I've been stranded in NY for 2 days...Paris Paris, will I ever get there??

Updates

Last day in US, going to Paris tomorrow. Excited and nervous and tired... Hate the cold in Paris, but excited to see the city. Tired of the constant moving ard with TWO big luaggages and also from my extensive 1 day tour to Niagara Falls which consisted of 2 overnighter. It's Xmas here, quiet. Time to get alone time b4 moving to staying in hostel in Paris (no alone time).

It's been almost 6 weeks away from home.....

More updates soon when I get back home in 2011.....

Merry Xmas!!

Beijing Travelogue

Oooo, finally got down to writing my travelogue after 2 weeks. Procrastination is such a powerful yet dangerous habit. So here goes, with some narrative and photos to showcase the fun I had with 2 other frens!

1st of, to answer tons of qns floating in the minds of my frens out there (i've answered every single one with the same reply) - Why are u going to BJ for hol? Ans: Song! Cannot meh! Sometimes, u gota go to places u'r more familiar with, with familiar faces (chinese) and familiar language (mandarin). Somehow it makes for a much easier task during travelling when u can actually speak the language. & pple think u'r from China too (southern part)

Yes, why can't I go BJ for hol? Now, answer that pls... I don't have to be visiting all exotic plcs all the time, in time these plcs will no longer be exotic! Anyway, who is to say BJ is not exotic, it's relative to where u'r from! Anyway, it was a good trip to BJ, fun & great sight seeing. Of cos, there's sth abt BJ that u nd to know, or even is wide spread enuff for e'ryone to know:

人多，车多，交通差！(Translated: Crowded with people & cars & terrible traffic)

Yes, u do know how many pple there are in China, so it seems majority live in BJ, + tons & tons of visitors make BJ damn crowded! U don't have to fret abt being lonely or alone, cos there'l be a grp of pple next to you every min! No matter what time u take the MRT, it'll be so crowded. We nvr had a chance to sit in the MRT for the entire duration (& we took the train almost e'ryday, at diff times too!!)

Traffic is bad, almost all the time, & loads of cars on the road!!! Bicycles which used to be the main sight on roads, are overtaken by cars! Foreign made cars! But i must say, their public tpt is cheap! MRT is RMB2 anywhere u go (it's per trip basis), public bus is bet RMB1-2 (per trip basis unless u take a really long dist), and cabs are very cheap!! Meter starts at RMB10, and we took a 20min cab ride for RMB11 only!! Yes, the meter jumped RMB1 just mins b4 we alighted. But of cos, to fight the traffic, opt for MRT, even tho u have to fight ur way through the massive crowds, but still better than stuck in non-moving crowds of cars on roads!

So anyway, let's do a summarized chronological list of events/places during the 8 day trip (only the highlights):

Moi & Mei Mei arrived on Sun morn, while Angeline arrived at night (different flight), but the 2 of us spent most of the day just sleeping in the hotel & walking abit along Wang Fu Jing (our hotel is walking dist from there).

Officially, our journey begins on Mon with a trip to Forbidden City. & Yes, crowds & crowds of pple even though we arrived at 9am which is damn earlier already!!! Guess u can forget abt trying to fight the crowd (u just can't win). So forbidden city, well majestic buildings & such, but after a while, all the buildings look the same with different names... But it's a large area! And we spent 2hrs just walking thr from south to north.

At TianAnMen Gate en route to Forbidden City. U need the skill of quick snap in order to avoid crowd in ur photo

Doing our jumps in a 'secluded' area of Forbidden City, only to start attracting crowds

One of the highlights of the trip was the visit to Great Wall. We purposely chose a more remote & less well-known Great Wall - Huang Hua Great Wall aka Water Great Wall. So called because a dam is built ard it, so u sorta have a great wall surrounded by water (got mountain, got water). The view is fantastic, weather was fab! & best of all, NO ONE!!! Ok not entirely no one, but like 10 pple only?? That's like a great feat considering u'r in China! So it's like a paradise! Take all the photo u want, & u'r guaranteed (almost) no excessive or unwanted images!! We went crazy snapping ard at the fantastic view & posing funny for the camera, not afraid cos no one is there to laugh at us! And all these for just RMB2 per pax! Yes, we paid only RMB2 not cos tt's the entrance fee, but cos we went up through local villagers' farms, so we'r paying to trespass.

Look at the view man!! & Yes very steep

The view is fantastic!!

Air is so much fresher in the remote area!! & so fun climbing up the super duper steep steps and walkway! Mind you, this great wall is not refurbished at all, so it's quite worn down, with fallen walls, shelters, and slippery walkways, so gota be careful when trekking up! We had to climb up a small part of the mountain & access the great wall via a metal ladder that is just put there by someone (maybe the villagers??) with not much security. Just have to trust that the ladder is still there after many (a few??) pple have used it. It wasnt even secured to the wall, just placed against it. But we survived! & so did many others b4 and after us! Yes, we thot we were only like the 2nd grp up, but shortly after, a grp of ang moh joined in the fun.

The makeshift ladder to go up

Very slippery... No friction!
THe view makes the tough climb worth it!

It's not an easy climb, and really quite steep & slippery, so hold on to the walls (if there is) for support. But it is a really great plc for photography or portfolio cos u don get disturbances from unwanted pple walking by keke.. Yes, we spotted a couple taking wedding photos there! We just wondered how did the bride climb up that ladder cos they did not bring much eqpt up, and we didnt see changed clothes...& she was wearing a big puffy red evening gown.

A series of group shot, jumping, posing.. Lots more, these are just a few

Yes, I'm standing at the edge!! No walls!!

After almost 3 hrs, we head to Ming tombs & sacred walkway. Let's just say, paying RMB65 for Ming tomb is the worst investment of the entire trip. U go in, nothing much to see or photograph, just a few fake replicas of coffins & signs. It's like 'That's it?". But then again, it's the feeling of 'I'll regret if I don't go, but after going I regret even more' Hahahha... & that place was the least crowded place of all touristy places!! Really can feel the difference...

Our days followed with more tourist attractions like TianAnMen Square, where we Q-ed for 1hr before getting inside to view Chairman Mao's preserved corpse (it's just a 2min walk through the plc), Temple of Heaven. Of cos we went to the summer palaces (old and new) and WOOHOO, how big are they!! I mean if u thot the new summer palace (YiHeYuan) is big, wait till u see how big the old one (YuanMingYuan) was!!! Super big! Words can't really describe. Let's just say BJ Uni & QingHua Uni are currently occuping space used to be YuanMingYuan. Add those 2 up, plus the current site of YuanMingYuan, & i suppose even more acres of land..... We walked like a million miles that day!!! FYI, we didnt' manage to complete the entire YiHeYuan. TOo big I tell u...

The Suzhou street @ Yi He Yuan

YiHeYuan, the view is fantastic, photos don't really do justice

The ruins @ Yuan Ming Yuan

Attractions wise, we also went to Tianjin for a day trip (nothing much there) and Da Guan Yuan (site of filming of the old Dreams of Red Mansion). The last one was not intended, but added last min as we were all caught in the fever of the Dreams of Red Mansion which was showing on TV during our stay in BJ. Yes, it captivated our attention such that we rushed back every nite for 2hrs' dose of the TV series!!! Even though it's hard to understand what the heck they were talking abt, we were still mesmorized by the entire tv series for whatever reason! Sometimes, u cannot tell why u like sth, u just like it :)

Night scenery @ TianJin

@ Da Guan Yuan. Aunties & Uncles gathering to dance.

Of cos, one of the impt event of the trip was shopping & food. Food wise, we realized Bj-ers have huge appetite!!! They really eat ALOT!!! Portions of their food are like super huge!!! & prices r reasonable! Like RMB6 for a plate of dumplings (12 pcs), that's like SGD1+ for 12 dumplings! & the dumplings r not small. RMB2 for mutton satay twice the size of LPS satay. Oh, not to forget the delicious yogurt!!! Lao Beijing Yogurt... Yum Yum!! I miss it man!! RMB3-4 for 1, thick, creamy, smooth & not too sweet! Got liquid & solid version (custard like consistency). Yum Yum...... But one thing is, the food there is damn oily & salty... & they like mains rather then sides. Like a bowl of beef noodles consist of tons of noodles, but only 3 pcs of beef, or heaps of rice to go with the veges.

Angeline taking a bite. It's a damn small worm, fried to crisp

Street Food!! We tried dumplings, hot pot, beef balls, soya bean curd etc etc

Some pan fried fish with doughy cake. It's nice but abit salty

A story about the above photo. One day, straits times happen to publish a story on Beijing Snack food & featured this place called Niu Men Snacks （九门小吃）being a disappearing art/culture. So we ventured to this place to check it out. So happen, Angeline brought the newpaper article, which featured this man. HIs not some ordinary street vendor ok. His some 6th generation famous sugar man! He makes shapes out of malted sugar (by blowing air into the sugar to create the shape) & he has been on TVs etc (many clippings at his store). So we asked Angeline to present the ST article to him as a gift, & she did!! In return, he made a sugar dog for her FOC (she even did the blowing). So that's the story of the english newspaper article seen pasted on his store (in case next time u go & see an english cutting). We hereby presume he will paste it on his board... Morale of the story, bring along all kinds of newspaper cutting of places u'r gg to visit, which feature particular famous person. U nvr know what u get in return.

Tianjin Dog's Don't Care bun (狗不理）FYI, not so nice (according to my frens). Skin is thick, filling is minimal.

A quite famous custard shop! Delicious custard!! Oh & BJ yogurts are the best man! I miss it so much.....

Abt shopping, hmmm good man! Keke, remember to go Beijing Zoo MRT station, walk out & u'll find the big wholesale market!! Damn crowded yes, but good shopping! Quality of clothes there is pretty good! I bought nike jacket & pants for like RMB40 each! Super cheap, and good quality ok! ALot of things r under RMB30 each!!! No nd to bargain (like what u have to if u go silk market). Bags for RMB39 each, sweaters for RMB30, or long sleeve blouse for RMB75 (gd quality material). Haven!!! Ya, sometimes i regret not buying more, esp winter clothes. Ya so next time, immediately head for Wholesale center @ beijing zoo (don't go silk market liao). Heard from my fren still got other plcs like Dong Si, or Wu Dao Kou. Too many places!!

Yes, u may have qns in ur head, thinking 'Hows the toilet condition?', 'Is spitting still common?', 'Taxis safe?'.

Ans: Toilet conditions are aceptable. At least they have doors, and flush works. Only they don't have toilet paper most of the time, but really it's good enuff! At least u can bear to enter & finish ur biz. Spitting not so much now, tho it still happens, but has improved. Altho we noted that act the younger generation spits more than the uncles. So.....Mayb it'll nvr really go away?? & taxis r safe! We've taken then quite a no of times, & they'r all very honest, by meter & wun take you for a ride! Ask for the receipt after the ride just to make sure, cos if they cheat or sth, they'll most prob not give u the printed receipt.

8 days, some pple say 'Wah spend so many days in BJ got things to do meh?'. We didn't travel out of BJ, only Tianjin for 1 day, yet we feel just right, not too slack. SO imagine those tour grps doing 8 days including BJ, TJ & CD. Must be very rushed. I like the way we travelled, relax, & we can do what we like according to our own timing. We didnt go out very early, like 9+, leisure leisure, still we enjoyed all the things :) Able to shop at our own timing. Good experience. U do improve your chinese after 1 week. Like what we imposed (to speak Mandarin in BJ, which unfortch didnt quite make it cos Angeline kept breaking the rules!!) Fun, look forward to the next trip