norman's crashpad

2005-06-28T23:09:00.000+08:00

Hi folks! Out of boredom, i have decided to start on a new blog. As i am not the sort to actually have a diary of sorts, it's going to be more of a place where i can display the pictures that i like. Yes, i'm more of a visual kind of person so i guess it's more fitting for me to fill it up with my pictures rather than words..

2005-06-20T14:09:00.000+08:00

Hi folks, just to let you know that the underwater pictures i posted recently has been replaced with scanned ones, so they're more clear now.

2005-06-17T14:16:00.000+08:00

Why i like window seats..

2005-06-17T14:12:00.000+08:00

Tabitha & I

My flight to Taipei was at 7am the next morning. Thankfully, I have a friend in Honolulu to keep me company for a while. Tab, if you're reading this.. Thanks for dinner!

2005-06-16T08:57:00.000+08:00

Last day in paradise..

I'll miss the wonderful scenery..

But too much of paradise can kill a man.
I'm flying to Honolulu tonight to catch a morning flight home to Singapore via Taipei. Hard to believe i'm going home. In a way, i'm relieved. I miss my friends and i'm down to my last packet of Fisherman's Friend.

2005-06-15T15:46:00.000+08:00

We have finally moved into the new place. She has chosen the apartment which was the last choice in one of the previous blogs. It's about the size of a 3 room HDB flat (less 1 bathroom). The furniture has not arrived yet so we borrowed 2 beds from the hotel plus towels and toiletries. The barstools were bought from a 'moving sale' next door for US$15 and these are the only things we have to sit on! And praise the gods.. we finally have INTERNET!!

The place is located only 10 minutes from the beaches and 5 minutes from the shopping areas.

2005-06-14T15:06:00.000+08:00

If i spend another 3 weeks here.. i'll go CRAZY!!

2005-06-12T19:32:00.000+08:00

Reminds me of Tiger beer..

2005-06-11T18:44:00.000+08:00

Hawaii
Interesting fact: Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States only in 1959 (Prior to that, it was only a United States territory) and is the only US state that does not have a white majority. Asian Americans form the largest percentage of the population.

2005-06-11T11:38:00.000+08:00

Ok folks! Here are some of the pictures (the better ones) i took with the underwater camera. These are pictures from my digital camera which i took of the developed pictures, so they're kind of 'fuzzy'. I'll replace these with scanned originals as soon as possible. (Note : These have already been replaced with scanned ones on 20 June 2005)

I spent one hour snorkelling along the reef just to catch sight of a turtle.

I had to 'skin dive' to take these pictures. There were some close-up shots of coral and other stuff but i guess the camera was not made for close-up shots. Hmmm.. i should look into getting an underwater casing for my Canon.

2005-06-07T07:06:00.000+08:00

The not-so-fantastic view.
Being an employee of the hotel, my mom was of course, not entitled to the best room-with-a-view. It's also close to the gardener's entrance so it can get noisy once in a while. Well, i'm thankful that it's clean & comfortable and doesn't have any 'special guests'!

The hotel room.
I went snorkelling this morning to try out the underwater camera. Took some shots of Rectangular triggerfish (humuhumunukunukuapua'a)and Snowflake moray eels, then decided it was best to return to shore as the sea was getting choppy. Hopefully, it'll be calmer tomorrow.

2005-06-06T15:25:00.000+08:00

Singaporeans UNITE!

Chinese 'fast food'.
We met a Singaporean living in Maui today! She's a manager with Panda Express and has been living in Hawaii for about 8 years. We have been eating there quite regularly so today, she asked where we were from and that's when she told us that she was from Singapore too. She said that she recognised our 'accent'. My mom exchanged numbers with her before we left.

Waterproof Fujifilm camera.
Bought a disposable waterproof camera today. I was snorkelling at the beach yesterday and i came across 3 turtles! I was even swimming along side one of them for a couple of minutes. The visibility (water clarity) and lighting was perfect for a photograph. Now, i won't be caught without a camera when that next underwater photo op arrives. I should have bought it before the trips to Molokini. The downside to it is that i would not be able to post the underwater pictures online until i get them scanned.

Today's sunset.

2005-06-04T08:28:00.000+08:00

Pure bliss..

My observations for those who wonder what it's like here.

1. The weather here is great. It's nice and warm, but not humid like Singapore. And the beaches here are beautiful with plenty of offshore reefs to explore.

2. Some of the girls here are really really gorgeous. They're caucasian and either half chinese/japanese or hawaiian. Very exotic!

3. The key to not looking like a tourist is to NOT wear an aloha shirt. I realise that if you do, you're either a tourist or a hotel staff! Better to walk around topless. Also, leave your shoes at home. The norm here is flip-flops. And i recommend Havaianas! Some people will say Reef flip flops are the best but don't listen to them..

4. There is public transportation here but it's not frequent. Having a car here is a MUST!

5. Maui is basically made up of 2 volcanoes which are connected by low-lying land. So even though i think Maui is bigger than Singapore, it's not as heavily populated.

2005-06-03T11:53:00.000+08:00

The 'Maka Koa'.
I dived with Maui Dive Shop and i'm quite impressed with their service. They basically rig up everything for you even if you bring your own gear. Rental of BCD and regulator is an additional US$10.00 and the wetsuit is provided FOC!

The 'local' boy..
I was the only 'non-caucasian' on board and the boat captain asked if i was a local boy.

The dive site at Molokini.
Just look at how blue the water is! And you can see many trigger fish swimming around the boat. As i mentioned earlier, there wasn't much coral to look at compared to Pulau Aur or Tioman but there was a lot of marine life. I was looking out for my favourite - sea anemone with clown fish but couldn't spot any. We did see a white tip shark, moray eels, sea turtles and an octopus. The dive master found the octupus and we were basically playing with it.. or rather traumatising it! We prevented it from swimming away by placing our hands on it's head to stop it from swimming away. When i held it, it crawled up my arm using it's sticky tentacles and wrapped itself on my head! I was so afraid that it would start gnawing on my head with it's beak! Ahem, i've been told that i have a tasty head..

2005-06-02T11:22:00.000+08:00

Ma'alaea Harbor
Our boat for the snorkeling trip was the 'Frogman II'.

View of West Maui.

The view was great!

The lucky bastard..
The first snorkel site was Turtle Town, which was off the south shore of Maui. It's called so because turtles come to this place to rest and and for the 'cleaning' stations. It was about 12 metres deep and there were a few of them 'sleeping' at the bottom. A few land blubbers attempted to free dive to get a closer look but of course, it took a real pro (me) to show them how to do it.

The second spot was Molokini. It was an 'okay' spot i guess. I couldn't help but notice that there were many dead coral at both locations. I guess the draw was the clear visibility and the marine life.

2005-05-29T12:05:00.000+08:00

The beach in front of the hotel is great for snorkelling. It's only good in the mornings though because the wind and surf builds up in the afternoon and the sea will get quite rough.

I have already spotted 3 eels, several trigger & puffer fish and i was told that a turtle was here yesterday. Sometimes, i feel like saying 'What is the big deal?! I was once a diver at Underwater World in Singapore! I worked with sharks and turles everyday!' But then, i guess it's the thrill of seeing them in the natural habitat.

Tomorrow (monday), we'll be taking a boat trip to Molokini crater for a snorkelling trip and on Wednesday, i'll be scuba diving there.

Molokini crater.

Man, after all this spending of money, i'm broke!!

2005-05-29T11:12:00.000+08:00

We took a tour to visit the Haha Highway yesterday. It's not really a highway of the normal sort. It's more of a simple road that skirts the east side of Maui. It is 52 miles long, has 617 curves and 56 bridges. Some parts of the Highway is so narrow that only one car can pass at a time. The road also can sometimes take you over steep ledges, so if you're not an experienced driver, best to let a tour guide take you! I saw several car wrecks lying at the bottom of the cliff during the tour. A certain portion of the highway is also unpaved, so i can't imagine how people who are proned to motion sickness survive the trip. Furthermore, for 80% of the trip, the driver is navigating through the 617 sharp curves in the road!

View of Wailea & Kihei and Kahoolawe, Lanai & West Maui.

View of South Maui coast.

Ohea Gulch (Seven Pools).
I was quite disappointed with the tour as i thought that we would stop by at some waterfalls for us to take dip in. The only place where i could take a dip was where we stopped for a 1hour lunch. Plus, it was a 5 minute walk to the waterfall so i only had about 20 minutes because we had to gulp down our lunch and all that. Well, at least there were some girls in bikinis for me to ogle at at the waterfall..

Waterfall along Hana Highway.
This was one place i would have loved to stop by and spend some time swimming in the pool below.

Another waterfall..

North Coast of Maui.
This picture was taken from the van and as you can see, it was VERY close to the cliff!

Surfers & Windsurfers at Hookipa Beach.

A different kind of sunset..

2005-05-28T09:39:00.000+08:00

The last few days were spent housing hunting in a rented car. Here are the potential candidates..

House in Pukalani (Upcountry Maui).
New and clean but it's 45 minutes from the hotel.

The following places are located in Kihei Town..

Ohana on Alulike St.
Nice personal yard.

Ohana on Aliilani Place.
Great storage space and parking spot but it's dark and dinghy inside the house. The front of the house has a great view of the West Maui mountains.

Ohana (left corner of house) on Halama St.
This place is only like 20metres from the beach!

House (upstairs unit) on Kaiola St.
Now this is my favourite place! The unit is on the second floor and has a big deck (balcony)! And from the deck, this is the view..

The deck & the view..
The owner says that she used to sit on the deck and whale watch. I could just visualise myself sitting here in the evenings with an ice-cold beer in one hand and Jennifer (Not YOU Sin!!) in the other..

Apartment (1st floor) along South Kihei.
This place is also quite close to the beach and the shopping area. It has plenty of parking lots. With my mom's atrocious parking skills, i think this would be best for her!

There was another house which we visited. And the only reason why i liked it was because the owner had such a HOT BABE of a daughter!! Pity i didn't have my camera with me..

So can you guys guess which one is the 'chosen one'?

2005-05-27T08:49:00.000+08:00

Rain over Wailea.
During Whale season (Nov - Apr), Humpback whales come into these waters to give birth.

Rain over Lanai.

Lahaina town.
This town is located in West Maui and is a more 'touristy' place to shop compared to Kihei town. It reminds me so much of Krabi, Thailand.

Haleakala and Kahoolawe.

2005-05-25T08:45:00.000+08:00

Sunset view from the hotel's deck.

The hotel's in Wailea, which is south of Kihei town. The whole coast of Kihei and Wailea faces west, so this is your typical daily sunset view.

2005-05-24T08:22:00.000+08:00

First view of Maui
After 5 hours, the island of Maui came into view.

My first sunset in Maui

Lanai and West Maui mountains

Me (who else!) on the beach.
The above pictures were taken from the beach in front of the hotel (Four Seasons of course) we're staying in.

2005-05-23T13:26:00.000+08:00

The FOG!

Okay okay.. this is the SECOND last entry. The last few days were really hot (summer's approaching) but today, it was foggy! The above picture was taken at 8pm and if you look carefully, you can see 3 surfers waiting for the surf! Damn, it must have been freezing.

2005-05-23T10:18:00.000+08:00

Me in our US$600 per night room.

Okay people, this will be the last entry from Santa Barbara, California. The next entry will be posted from MAUI, HAWAII!!! Ahem.. anyway, we're staying complimentary at the hotel (Four Seasons Biltmore) tonight because the apartment is empty (everything has been packed away by the movers). One thing's for sure.. NO MORE NOISY NEIGHBOURS!!

Our flight is at 11.49am tomorrow morning and we're flying out from Santa Barbara Airport on United Airlines to Los Angeles where we'll transit for 90 minutes before flying to Maui Wowwee.
Adios Muchachos!!

2005-05-23T10:08:00.000+08:00

Taken from a bus.

One thing i'll miss in Santa Barbara are the bus rides. During a ride, I love to look at houses (no apartments please) and observe life in a typical American neighbourhood.

2005-05-22T10:05:00.000+08:00

Climbing kakis.

I'm so thankful to have met these guys.. because if not for them, i'd be climbing nowhere but Goleta Valley Athletic Club.. alone.. for 2 months.

2005-05-22T09:59:00.000+08:00

Last climb in Santa Barbara..

It seems that a great scenic view is customary with every climb in Santa Barbara.

2005-05-20T04:25:00.000+08:00

Thank you Michael..

Met one of my mom's neighbours and when he heard that i'm from Singapore, he immediately mentioned Michael Fay!! It seems to me that here.. 'Singapore = Michael Fay'. So thank you.. Michael Fay, for your delinquency. You've made Singapore FAMOUS!

For those unfamiliar with the Michael Fay case, please visit -
http://www.answers.com/topic/michael-p-fay

2005-05-18T14:08:00.000+08:00

Current Bear Flag.

2005-05-18T14:06:00.000+08:00

First Bear Flag.

History trivia : California was once a part of Mexico. Well, before that, they were basically under Spanish rule (that would explain all the Spanish names for cities.. eg : Los Angeles) until Mexico's 'War of Independence' from Spain ended in 1821. California then naturally fell under Mexican rule until 1846 when American settlers revolted and formed the California Republic with the 'bear flag' above.

The California Republic later applied to the United States for protection (bear in mind that they were not part of the United States then) from Mexico. The US was at war (1846-1848) with Mexico then, so the California Republic joined the war under the 'Stars & Stripes' Flag. When the war ended in 1848, Mexico surrendered California to the US. California officially became a state of the US in 1850.

I guess the main reason why i did all this research was because i was curious as to why quite a number of roads/towns/cities in California have Spanish names. If you're interested in reading a more detailed history, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_California.

2005-05-17T12:15:00.000+08:00

*yummy*

Yes! It's available here (4 pieces per box) at US$4.90. Not as fresh & juicy as back home but it's close.. beggars can't be choosers right? The whole actual durian is sold too and it's *GASP* US$10.00!!

And have you ever heard of 'Frozen' AND 'Fresh' going together?

2005-05-15T10:40:00.000+08:00

Great view..

You can see the Pacific Ocean in the distance.

2005-05-15T10:38:00.000+08:00

Climbing kakis.

2005-05-15T10:37:00.000+08:00

View from Hueco wall.

Went climbing in the Santa Monica Mountains yesterday. The climbing site was an hour's uphill hike from the parking area but it was worth it.

2005-05-14T06:52:00.000+08:00

WOOHOO! A Great White Shark has been spotted at Molokini Crater, Maui! I hope he's still around..

2005-05-13T11:58:00.000+08:00

Need beer? GET A FREAKIN JOB YOU BUM!!

2005-05-11T14:11:00.000+08:00

Armed suspect shot

On the news tonight -
1. Armed suspect is shot and killed by police after car chase (see above).
2. Man in car shot in the head, another in the shoulder.. in drive-by shooting.
3. An assistant district attorney shoots his mother, wife and 3 kids.. THEN shoots himself. Now why didn't he just shoot himself first..?

On a lighter note - I LOVE Sex & the City!

2005-05-09T05:08:00.000+08:00

My 'observations'-
1. Practically everyone owns a dog.
2. One in 2 person drives a 4WD or truck of some sort.
3. ALL hot girls wear thongs (must be a regulation here..).

2005-05-08T02:30:00.000+08:00

Santa Barbara sunset

When this was taken, it was about 8.00pm. And it was 11.00am in Singapore. Whenever i see sunsets here.. i'm thinking 'The very same sun i'm looking at.. is starting a new day in S'pore'.

2005-05-07T02:19:00.000+08:00

Mom's place

This is where i'm staying in Santa Barbara. When we move to Maui, i hope my mom gets a house instead of an apartment so that we don't have to put up with LOUD NOISY neighbours! Sigh.. i miss HDB flats..

2005-05-05T15:44:00.000+08:00

The rain is back and it's really cold today. I actually spent the whole day in my jeans and a sweater. I've stopped my gardener job now so i'm pretty much just bumming around. I think everyone needs this once in their working life.. to just take a break from work and.. bum. Oh yeeeah...

Just spoke to a friend in Singapore and it was so very nice to hear an Ah Lian's voice again.. You know who you are AH HUAY!!!

2005-05-04T13:46:00.000+08:00

My mom brought back spices and other ingredients from Singapore and now.. WOAH! Today, i had chicken curry just like from home! Not that her cooking wasn't good.. it just that now, it's more spicier.. just the way i like it!

2005-05-02T10:43:00.000+08:00

Maui Wowweeee...

News update people.. I GOING TO MAUI!!! My mom is transfering to the Four Seasons Hotel in Maui and i'm tagging along. We're flying over on May 24. And because we do not have a place to stay yet, we'll be staying at the hotel for a while.. heh heh. But i will miss Santa Barbara. Just when i'm making new friends and bouldering at all these fantastic places, i have to uproot and start all over again.. and there's no climbing there. Only beaches.. dive sites.. girls in bikinis..

2005-05-01T09:52:00.000+08:00

It's a whopper!!

This is 'Painted Cave'. Another bouldering place on West Camino Cielo we visited today. Before that, Grant and I were at Lizard's Mouth helping a local climbing store clean up the area. We were basically clearing out the trash and broken glass left behind by idiots. There was lunch and a lucky draw (we didn't win anything..). But we did get something good though. Everyone who registered to help out got a large pack of Metolius Superchalk! Woohoo!

2005-04-30T13:58:00.000+08:00

baa baa black sheep man..!

I was on the beach in a nearby town (Carpinteria) and this vintage WWII plane flew by.. what a treat! Someone must have restored it to it's full glory.

2005-04-30T13:37:00.000+08:00

woohoo!!

Yes! I'm one step closer to achieving my dream.. i met someone (Lisa, Grant's wife) who personally knows a Playboy bunny! Woohoo! And yes, i'm pointing her out. Now if only i can actually meet one..

2005-04-29T11:16:00.000+08:00

I miss HDB flats. The walls are thick concrete and most importantly.. SOUNDPROOF (well.. sorta)! The walls of the buildings here are made of wood and plaster (i think..) and sound travels easily through them. And the neighbours upstairs are so F*@KING NOISY!! Sometimes, i feel like i can go crazy what with all the talking & walking going on upstairs. I tell myself that it just can't be helped. To drown out the noise, i either turn on the television loud or listen to my music with my headphones (i'm doing both now). I miss HDB flats..

2005-04-28T08:33:00.001+08:00

The cache..

After entering the waypoint of the cache, you basically just follow the arrow direction that's shown on the GPS unit. It'll show you how far you are and how long it'll take to get there. The GPS unit took me right to the spot (i had to cycle uphill for 10 gruelling minutes!) where it was hidden under some rocks in a park. After finding it, you log in your find in the log book in the box and can help yourself to a momento from the box. Of course, you have to leave something in return, hence the S$2 note.

2005-04-28T08:33:00.000+08:00

My first cache find!

This is a hobby where the participant is the 'search engine'. With a GPS unit, the participant looks for hidden caches placed by other participants using the coordinates (waypoints) which are obtained from www.geocaching.com. Go find out more!

2005-04-27T12:06:00.000+08:00

Happiness is a well stocked fridge.

2005-04-25T12:11:00.000+08:00

I bought a new toy today.. WOOHOO!!

2005-04-24T15:47:00.000+08:00

Panoramic view from West Camino Cielo.

2005-04-24T14:40:00.000+08:00

Attempting an overhang route.

This place (Lizard's Mouth) is fantastic. I call it a bouldering wonderland. The rock is cold water sandstone and ideal for bouldering (unlike Joshua Tree!). A person could spend years here working on all the problems. I never had so much fun bouldering. This place reminds me so much of all those pictures you see in climbing magazines. Many thanks to Grant for introducing me to this place and being my climbing buddy & photographer!

2005-04-24T14:38:00.000+08:00

pure bliss..

Grant brought me to this bouldering place high up in the hills (West Camino Cielo) today. Very very beautiful place. From there, you can see the Santa Barbara coastline and the distant Channel Islands. The weather was great except for the occasional cold wind. There was even a time when we were bouldering with our jackets on. What a contrast to Singapore..

2005-04-22T11:56:00.000+08:00

Cutting grass requires skill.. dun pray pray.

For the last 2 days, this was my job site. We were cutting down some trees and the grass/weeds. There are orange and avocado trees and i tell you, fresh from the trees.. they taste GOOD! This place is also up in the hills and the view is spectacular. To the right are the mountains and to the left is the coastline and beyond that.. the Pacific Ocean.

It's on a steep slope and we're always walking up and down it with grass-cutters. What makes it tiring is that you have to try to NOT trip (and roll down the hill) and to always be on the look out for poison oak. And you'd be pretty f*#ked if you tripped, rolled down the hill AND landed in a patch of poison oak!

2005-04-20T04:58:00.000+08:00

I learnt a valuable lesson this afternoon. I was cycling to the nearby supermarket, which is only about a 5 minute ride away, to get some supplies. It was 12.30pm.. the sun was shining and i thought, no need for jacket. I thought wrong. My teeth was chattering all the way to the supermarket! When i got home, i checked Yahoo's weather report and it was 17 degrees celcius. Lesson learnt? ALWAYS bring a jacket out.. no matter how bright the sun is shining.

2005-04-19T12:14:00.000+08:00

I saw a remarkable thing today. I saw this guy riding a bicycle. And what was so remarkable about it was that he had prosthetic legs from the lower thighs down and a prosthetic left arm.. AND HE WAS RIDING A BICYCLE! I wanted so much to stop him to shake his hand..

2005-04-17T06:16:00.000+08:00

My new friends.

These are the guys who took me climbing at San Ysidro Valley today. The guy on my right is also going to be my mountain biking buddy. We might even be going surfing together as he's got a few spare boards.

2005-04-16T15:30:00.000+08:00

I made dinner!

With my mom in S'pore for 3 weeks, it feels as though i'm living here by myself. She normally prepares my lunch and dinner (something i'm grateful for!), but with her gone, i pretty much have to fend for myself. I know i already do that back home (aka eat at coffeeshop), but here, everything's so new and different, so i guess that's why i rely on my mom quite a lot and it has become a habit.

2005-04-15T14:49:00.000+08:00

Today was a really tiring day at work. All i did was... dig.. and dig.. and dig.. and when that was over, i'd dig some more. By the way, we were planting plants. I tell you, if i ever come home with a trim and fit body, it's because of all this digging! I just kept telling myself 'desperatehousewivesdesperatewivesdesperatehousewives'..

2005-04-13T08:47:00.000+08:00

I made a skunk (first time i ever saw one!) homeless today. At work, we had to remove a jacuzzi from someone's back yard. Can you imagine that? It's so huge, and it's resting on a thick concrete base which we had to remove too. And what we discovered was this skunk that had made it's home under the jacuzzi tub! At first, there was this pungent smell and we found droppings and what looked like a nest. After a few minutes of hacking away at the wooden covering, one of my co-workers spotted it and he started running away! He then took a water hose to try to get it out. That was when i saw the skunk making a beeline for the bushes. My boss later told me that if a skunk ever sprays you, the stink will stick to your clothes and skin for days! Anyway, that poor rotten stinkin animal has no place to sleep tonight no thanks to us..

2005-04-12T14:59:00.000+08:00

My first completed project (green tape) at GVAC!

For the uninitiated (you poor sods), a project is a climbing lingo used to describe a climbing problem a climber is attempting to complete. Anyway, i met 2 guys today at the climbing wall and they were really friendly. One of them even offered to bring me to the bouldering sites he frequents that's up in the mountains here. We exchanged contact numbers and email and if all goes well, i should be going this weekend.

2005-04-12T14:53:00.000+08:00

yummy..

This is my favourite fast food burger restaurant here. A crying shame it's not available in S'pore. The thing about ALL fast food restaurants (including Mcdonalds) here is that they only make your burger AFTER you place your order and they'll call your number once it's ready.

2005-04-11T13:53:00.000+08:00

My comfy bed.

Okay, i know it's just the sofa.. but DAMN! It's the most comfortable bed i've ever slept it! I NEVER have any difficulty sleeping. My mom once commented that she heard me snoring the moment i put my head down.. zzZzzZzzz...

2005-04-11T04:27:00.000+08:00

Ocean View street.

We live at the end of this street. Look how blue and clear the sky is! One of my favourite things to do is look for airplanes. Have you ever noticed a plane in the sky with a streak of white cloud trailing behind it? I just love to look out for them. Because Los Angeles Airport is 2 hours away, many flights go over Santa Barbara. The most i've ever seen here is 7. Just imagine it.. 7 planes with 7 white streaks in the clear blue sky.. beautiful.

2005-04-10T12:16:00.000+08:00

I was in a chinese/vietnamese grocery shop today and to my surprise, they sold Maggi Mee! And to my horror, it's US$0.50 a packet! That's like S$0.85!! The Americans' version of Maggi noodles is Ramen noodles which is much cheaper than Maggi. I guess they import Maggi all the way from Malaysia, and that's why it's so expensive. This shop also sells a lot of other oriental stuff and my particular favourite is their garlic chilli. It reminds me so much of the 'chicken rice' chilli back home..

2005-04-08T11:47:00.000+08:00

Santa Barbara harbour

The thing i hate most about the days when i'm working is the first 20 minutes of it. It is always so freakin cold (in spanish it's 'frio') that for the first 20 minutes while i'm cycling to work, my teeth are chattering.. And i'm even wearing a jacket! My head always feels like it's stuck in a freezer!

The place from where i took the above picture from is very close to my boss's house. I normally arrive early so what i'd do is just sit on a bench and soak in the view. I do the same at the end of the day too. A few days ago, there was a sailing competition for catamarans and i had a great view of everything. I was lucky enough to catch sight of a pod of dolphins swimming right in the middle of the race.

2005-04-06T10:34:00.000+08:00

climbing at last!

Finally! I found a bouldering wall worthy of my time! It's an hour's bus ride from where i'm staying but the journey is worth it. The wall is located at www.gvac.com, in a neighbouring town. It reminds me so much of SAFRA because of it's facilities.. pool, climbing wall, gym. Hmm.. maybe i could get a job here.

2005-04-05T10:07:00.000+08:00

the movie theatre..

Went to watch Sin City today. Man, Jessica Alba is HOT!! The ticket price is US$5.50 if the show is before 6pm, and after that, it's US$8.oo! Thankfully, i made it for the early show. The seating system is 'free seating', so basically you just go in and choose any seat you like. By the way, did i mention that Jessica Alba is 'OH SO HOT!!!!'?

2005-03-29T09:26:00.000+08:00

I started my new job today as a gardener and it was tough because we were cutting down trees and uprooting them and there was a big mess to clean up. My 3 colleagues are Mexican and only one of them can speak English.. and even then, it’s atrocious! When the head guy asks me to do something, it’s either through sign language or he gets the guy who speaks the atrocious English to tell me. Sometimes, they would forget and just speak to me in Spanish. I guess this is good in a way as we would hardly talk and I could work in peace. Thankfully, our boss is American and speaks English (he speaks Spanish too) so at least there’s someone for me to talk to!

At the end of the day, I was so tired that when I was cycling home along the beach, I almost knocked down a woman! I managed to swerve in time and only hit her hand. To think that I almost rammed right smack into her sends shivers down my spine! I wanted to stop to see how she was but this thought flashed into my mind: this is America, and Americans LOVE to sue each others’ pants off! So I just yelled out my apology and continued cycling.

2005-03-28T08:47:00.000+08:00

Went to Los Angeles today to do some shopping and I saw my first Hollywood actor. Well, he’s not exactly famous as he has only acted in small roles and forgettable films. Those who have watched the movie ‘Dodgeball’, it’s the guy (Justin Long) who acted in that show *yawn*. Oh where oh where is my Jennifer...?

2005-03-25T08:24:00.000+08:00

the beach..

Took a short cycling trip to the beach today. I wanted to familiarise myself with the traffic and roads here. And as usual, it was REALLY cold again. I felt as though the cold wind on my arms were going to kill me!

2005-03-24T08:09:00.000+08:00

she lives!!!

I finally put my baby together..

2005-03-23T08:03:00.000+08:00

brrr..

The weather was fine today so I took an hour’s walk into town. It was chilly though. Many times, it felt as though as if I was standing in front of an air con in S’pore turned on at full blast! This is Spring?!

2005-03-22T07:56:00.000+08:00

secure your roof!

Rain, rain.. and more rain. That’s what we have here. So much for ‘Sunny’ California. There are warnings of flash floods on TV and the advice that if you are living next to streams or creeks, to get to higher ground. Oh, and as the picture above demonstrates, to securely nail down all moveable house items.. like your roof!!!

2005-03-21T21:35:00.000+08:00

leaving on a jetplane..

Ok, the big day has FINALLY arrived. The flight was at 8am and 2 close friends, Jacqueline and Serene, sent me off. Stuff I’m going to miss: friends, Tiger beer and LOCAL FOOD!

The flight was long and grueling.. 4 hours to Taipei, 4 hours in transit and then 12 hours to LAX. It was bearable at first but the last 6 hours was the bad. It would have helped if the in-flight movies didn’t suck. Fat Albert? Spongebob Squarepants the movie? What the heck?! This isn’t a kindergarden flight!

US Customs were thorough with me when I told them I was staying for 3 months. They even went through my wallet! The guy checking me seemed so intent on finding something discriminating about me. I just kept reminding myself that they were just doing their jobs.. but man, it took me one and a half hours to clear US Customs!

2005-03-14T00:13:00.000+08:00

sleep well my precious..

Just finished packing my Trek bike. It will definitely be put to better use in California rather then trying to survive the roads in Singapore! And there is so much to do on a mountain bike over there. During my last trip in Sept 04, there were so many times that i wish i had my bike with me. This time, i will!

2005-03-10T12:38:00.000+08:00

Donner Lake

I am so looking forward to returning to this place. Donner Lake is situated somewhere north of Lake Tahoe, close to Truckee town. The air is crisp and clean (unlike S'pore's, BLEAH!) and there's plenty of mountain biking and climbing to be done there.

2005-03-10T11:54:00.000+08:00

Rania & me

this is my new cousin, Rania.. (the baby!)

2005-03-10T01:33:00.000+08:00

Okay.. the first entry of my new blog. Hmmm....