Abstract.

Friday, October 17, 2008

10-14/10/08

Japan lights up and darkens really early. Hit major towns like Shinjuku, Harajuku, Ginza, Asakusa, Ikebukuro, Tsukiji Fish market, Ueno and Shibuya. Went to the Asakusa Kannon, East Imperial Palace garden, Meiji Shrine, Hakone to see Mt Fuji and cruise on the Lake Ashi. Fuji had a lot of clouds and the changes were really fast, did a crazy thing though, ate ice cream in the cold! Got to ride the Shinkansen, which is the bullet train. Saw the Tokyo tower, and crowds of crowds everywhere! Apparently, they were having 3 days of national holidays and they closed streets for shopping and some cultural dance event. It was so happening and crowded. The Japs are really polite man. Nice place

7/10/08
An unforgettable trip to movie wonderland, Universal Studios. The studio tour was a must, taking us to scenes such as the plane crash in War of the Worlds, Wisteria Lane of the Desperate Housewives, lake scenes such as that in Bruce Almighty with Jim Carrey walking on water. (that has been used in a couple of films with details in background added in later.) and JAWS. Saw a couple of 2D and 4D shows of the Terminator and Shrek, took the Mummy Ride which was an absolute blast! Quite literally as well, ONE HELLA RIDE! Loved the special effects studios! The sounds, make up, visual and physical, totally awesome. Movie magic is really fascinating.

8/10/08
Today was a free day, decided to hit the beaches! Come on, wad’s the point of coming to CA if u dun get to the sand and the sea rite? Joined the OC cruiser tour which brought us to the great beauties. Huntington, Newport – Balboa and Laguna. Thought of getting a hand at surfing but there wasn’t really much time. Had a great time exploring the tide pools and just laying on the sands. Crystal clear waters on a bright sunny day, what more can I ask for?

9/10/08Time to leave LA and on to Tokyo! Long flight time again. Haha..

4/10/08
A quick rest and off again today to San Francisco. This ride was even longer than to Vegas. First stop was at Yosemite National Park, needless to say, it was cold and it was drizzling. SF is on the whole much colder than the other counties, plus strong winds. The Yosemite Falls were slowed to a “trickle” compared to what it would be in the summer. Nevertheless, breath-taking.

5/10/08
Had the city tour of SF, went to places such as the Lombard street which is known for this winding shrub lined road, Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate. Took boat ride that went a ard the Alcatraz, under the Golden Gate and Bay Bridge. It was a trip back to the past and into the present all over again. I’m sure many have heard abt the famous Alcatraz which houses the “finest” criminals of all times. Didn’t go onto the island itself, but it all looked just so stone cold from the outside that you could imagine how desolate it actually was. The height of each cell size was approximately a person standing up with his arms raised slightly above his head and the width was abt a person raising his arms to his side. Sadly pathetic. The day ended with a visit to Twin Peaks which allows an aerial view of almost the whole of SF, dinner at Chinatown and a trip to Treasure Island to catch the night scene of SF and the Bay Bridge.

6/10/08
It’s time to head back to LA. Got on the Monterey 17 miles, saw how the rich live it up with millions to their homes and great views to accompany it. There was the cute and interesting Pebble Beach, and surely the Pacific Ocean. Met a lot of great ppl on this trip. Of cos, there were all the different nationalites and with every trip, there will certainly be ppl that can quite get on one’s nerves. Got to know this lovely Indonesian Chinese family, they have a nephew, Jay, who’s in the states and travel with us. Jay’s with the Disney animation team. Their youngest son, Jeremy is really adorable =) only 11 yrs old. Long ride once again.

1/10/08
Headed to Sin City, Las Vegas. Crossed the Mojave Desert, states of Nevada and Arizona. Once again, long bus ride there. There’s an outlet shopping stop and guess what, almost everyone hit the Coach store! It’s packed like nobody’s business and I was amazed by the Taiwanese and Chinese. This is how they shop: one design, 4-5 bags taken. Both arms filled with bags with a store assistant lugging more. There’s this thing going on, donate a dollar for Breast Cancer foundation and get an additional 25% off. But, due to communication problems they din understand when the assistants tried to get them to donate cash as they wanted to pay by card. So, they just took out a whole wad of cash and handed it to the cashier! Are they that rich?? It’s insane. There’s a reason why I’m not crazy for shopping. Lol.

There was a city tour in the evening to night time. It meant that those who joined the city tour entering virtually every major hotel there is on the Strip. Hotels like Bellargio’s, Caesar Palace and Luxor. My hotel was just beside Fremont Street, so the nights get really loud. That street is also the one with the light bulbs-filled sheltered walkway. After a certain time at night, look up and watch a short show and it happens every hr until midnight.

2/10/08
Off to a geography lover’s haven, Grand Canyon West. Got to take a helicopter ride to the bottom of the canyon, and a boat ride along the Colorado river the flows through. It’s really awesome to have this chance to experience what has been created over time that seems like eternity. KC, was the boatman, a cute guy =) hahaha. He scooped up some of the river to touch, it was COLD. Due to the long wait for the helicopter ride, had less time at the other lookout points and ended up rushing pictures and catching the shuttle back to the terminal. The view is totally indescribable, one has to be there to experience the entity and entirety of it. There’s a surreality that shrouds the grandeur of countless towering rocks. If I go on any more, I might just do greater injustice to the beauty of it all. Passed by Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam on the way to the canyon.

3/10/08
Las Vegas is done, all the lights and numerous casinos. Dropped by M&M’s store, all 4 levels of it. I adore their candy display, it’s a sweet lover’s wonderland. Haha. Went back to the same outlet shopping area again and yes, Coach is still as filled. On the way back to LA.

USA part 1

28/9/08
Got to Changi Airport at abt 3am, checked in and waited for the 6am flight. The flight’s really long and tiring. Transited at Tokyo-Narita and got to know that the flight to LAX was delayed for abt 2 hrs! How each flight was like? Sleep, eat, watch movie, eat and sleep summore.

Due to time zone changes, arrived at LAX abt 12pm on the 28th. Someone picked us up from the airport and sent us to the hotel – Wyndham Anaheim Park @ Fullerton. We were just beside freeway 91. Din do much that afternoon/night. Walked ard the area, Orangefair marketplace and shopped, hit the supermart which sold all organic stuff – Henry’s.

29/9/08
Was out the whole of today, had the LA/Hollywood tour.

Hit Beverly Hills

Melrose Ave, Rodeo Drive, Walk of Fame, Chinese Theatre, The Grove, Farmer’s Market, passed Johnny Depp’s house

witnessed a robbery on a jewelry store and filming. YEP, u read right. Mainly passed those places on the bus. However, there was time at Santa Monica

to walk ard.

The beach just stretches endlessly to the sides and the Pacific Ocean to as far as the eye could see. Simply beautiful. And cold as well!

30/9/08
SEAWORLD DAY!

Really looked forward to this day before getting to the US. It took abt a 2hr drive to get to SD from Manchester Ave. Anyhow, the view along the way made up for it. Literally never ending sand and sea. Reached there abt 12pm and spent the rest of the day there. Saw Shamu’s Believe show, the dolphins, animal actors. Missed the sea lions though. Got to touch the bottlenose, they are really rubbery.

Took pics with Oscar the dog. He’s an animal actor, starred in Jane Fonda and JLo’s movie. Utterly adorable little fella =) Chatted with Bethany, GRO at Seaworld. Somehow, it sounds like it’s the same scenario everywhere. You are a GRO, and that’s how things will be for u.

I’m really overwhelmed by these animals, marine mammals. Their world is like a totally different place, living in a whole new universe. Watching the belugas frolick, I could just stay there the whole day. sumtimes, I’d just feel that connection when I look into their eyes.

Btw, the seagulls there are so aggressive that ppl have to be warned not to leave young child alone with food. Boy do they do anything for food.


P R O F I L E. Amanda 19 exTPS.exAHS. TemasekPoly.BIO E M A I L. mail T A L K S. L I N K S. myFlickr Friend 2 P A S T. 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Went to the Asakusa Kannon, East Imperial Palace garden, Meiji Shrine, Hakone to see Mt Fuji and cruise on the Lake Ashi. Fuji had a lot of clouds and the changes were really fast, did a crazy thing though, ate ice cream in the cold! Got to ride the Shinkansen, which is the bullet train. Saw the Tokyo tower, and crowds of crowds everywhere! Apparently, they were having 3 days of national holidays and they closed streets for shopping and some cultural dance event. It was so happening and crowded. The Japs are really polite man. Nice place Friday, October 17, 2008 · 7/10/08 An unforgettable trip to movie wonderland, Universal Studios. The studio tour was a must, taking us to scenes such as the plane crash in War of the Worlds, Wisteria Lane of the Desperate Housewives, lake scenes such as that in Bruce Almighty with Jim Carrey walking on water. (that has been used in a couple of films with details in background added in later.) and JAWS. Saw a couple of 2D and 4D shows of the Terminator and Shrek, took the Mummy Ride which was an absolute blast! Quite literally as well, ONE HELLA RIDE! Loved the special effects studios! The sounds, make up, visual and physical, totally awesome. Movie magic is really fascinating. 8/10/08 Today was a free day, decided to hit the beaches! Come on, wad’s the point of coming to CA if u dun get to the sand and the sea rite? Joined the OC cruiser tour which brought us to the great beauties. Huntington, Newport – Balboa and Laguna. Thought of getting a hand at surfing but there wasn’t really much time. Had a great time exploring the tide pools and just laying on the sands. Crystal clear waters on a bright sunny day, what more can I ask for? 9/10/08Time to leave LA and on to Tokyo! Long flight time again. Haha.. Friday, October 17, 2008 · 4/10/08 A quick rest and off again today to San Francisco. This ride was even longer than to Vegas. First stop was at Yosemite National Park, needless to say, it was cold and it was drizzling. SF is on the whole much colder than the other counties, plus strong winds. The Yosemite Falls were slowed to a “trickle” compared to what it would be in the summer. Nevertheless, breath-taking. 5/10/08 Had the city tour of SF, went to places such as the Lombard street which is known for this winding shrub lined road, Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate. Took boat ride that went a ard the Alcatraz, under the Golden Gate and Bay Bridge. It was a trip back to the past and into the present all over again. I’m sure many have heard abt the famous Alcatraz which houses the “finest” criminals of all times. Didn’t go onto the island itself, but it all looked just so stone cold from the outside that you could imagine how desolate it actually was. The height of each cell size was approximately a person standing up with his arms raised slightly above his head and the width was abt a person raising his arms to his side. Sadly pathetic. The day ended with a visit to Twin Peaks which allows an aerial view of almost the whole of SF, dinner at Chinatown and a trip to Treasure Island to catch the night scene of SF and the Bay Bridge. 6/10/08 It’s time to head back to LA. Got on the Monterey 17 miles, saw how the rich live it up with millions to their homes and great views to accompany it. There was the cute and interesting Pebble Beach, and surely the Pacific Ocean. Met a lot of great ppl on this trip. Of cos, there were all the different nationalites and with every trip, there will certainly be ppl that can quite get on one’s nerves. Got to know this lovely Indonesian Chinese family, they have a nephew, Jay, who’s in the states and travel with us. Jay’s with the Disney animation team. Their youngest son, Jeremy is really adorable =) only 11 yrs old. Long ride once again. Friday, October 17, 2008 · 1/10/08 Headed to Sin City, Las Vegas. Crossed the Mojave Desert, states of Nevada and Arizona. Once again, long bus ride there. There’s an outlet shopping stop and guess what, almost everyone hit the Coach store! It’s packed like nobody’s business and I was amazed by the Taiwanese and Chinese. This is how they shop: one design, 4-5 bags taken. Both arms filled with bags with a store assistant lugging more. There’s this thing going on, donate a dollar for Breast Cancer foundation and get an additional 25% off. But, due to communication problems they din understand when the assistants tried to get them to donate cash as they wanted to pay by card. So, they just took out a whole wad of cash and handed it to the cashier! Are they that rich?? It’s insane. There’s a reason why I’m not crazy for shopping. Lol. There was a city tour in the evening to night time. It meant that those who joined the city tour entering virtually every major hotel there is on the Strip. Hotels like Bellargio’s, Caesar Palace and Luxor. My hotel was just beside Fremont Street, so the nights get really loud. That street is also the one with the light bulbs-filled sheltered walkway. After a certain time at night, look up and watch a short show and it happens every hr until midnight. 2/10/08 Off to a geography lover’s haven, Grand Canyon West. Got to take a helicopter ride to the bottom of the canyon, and a boat ride along the Colorado river the flows through. It’s really awesome to have this chance to experience what has been created over time that seems like eternity. KC, was the boatman, a cute guy =) hahaha. He scooped up some of the river to touch, it was COLD. Due to the long wait for the helicopter ride, had less time at the other lookout points and ended up rushing pictures and catching the shuttle back to the terminal. The view is totally indescribable, one has to be there to experience the entity and entirety of it. There’s a surreality that shrouds the grandeur of countless towering rocks. If I go on any more, I might just do greater injustice to the beauty of it all. Passed by Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam on the way to the canyon. 3/10/08 Las Vegas is done, all the lights and numerous casinos. Dropped by M&M’s store, all 4 levels of it. I adore their candy display, it’s a sweet lover’s wonderland. Haha. Went back to the same outlet shopping area again and yes, Coach is still as filled. On the way back to LA. Friday, October 17, 2008 · USA part 1 28/9/08 Got to Changi Airport at abt 3am, checked in and waited for the 6am flight. The flight’s really long and tiring. Transited at Tokyo-Narita and got to know that the flight to LAX was delayed for abt 2 hrs! How each flight was like? Sleep, eat, watch movie, eat and sleep summore. Due to time zone changes, arrived at LAX abt 12pm on the 28th. Someone picked us up from the airport and sent us to the hotel – Wyndham Anaheim Park @ Fullerton. We were just beside freeway 91. Din do much that afternoon/night. Walked ard the area, Orangefair marketplace and shopped, hit the supermart which sold all organic stuff – Henry’s. 29/9/08 Was out the whole of today, had the LA/Hollywood tour. Hit Beverly Hills, Melrose Ave, Rodeo Drive, Walk of Fame, Chinese Theatre, The Grove, Farmer’s Market, passed Johnny Depp’s house, witnessed a robbery on a jewelry store and filming. YEP, u read right. Mainly passed those places on the bus. However, there was time at Santa Monica to walk ard. The beach just stretches endlessly to the sides and the Pacific Ocean to as far as the eye could see. Simply beautiful. And cold as well! 30/9/08 SEAWORLD DAY! Really looked forward to this day before getting to the US. It took abt a 2hr drive to get to SD from Manchester Ave. Anyhow, the view along the way made up for it. Literally never ending sand and sea. Reached there abt 12pm and spent the rest of the day there. Saw Shamu’s Believe show, the dolphins, animal actors. Missed the sea lions though. Got to touch the bottlenose, they are really rubbery. Took pics with Oscar the dog. He’s an animal actor, starred in Jane Fonda and JLo’s movie. Utterly adorable little fella =) Chatted with Bethany, GRO at Seaworld. Somehow, it sounds like it’s the same scenario everywhere. You are a GRO, and that’s how things will be for u. I’m really overwhelmed by these animals, marine mammals. Their world is like a totally different place, living in a whole new universe. Watching the belugas frolick, I could just stay there the whole day. sumtimes, I’d just feel that connection when I look into their eyes. Btw, the seagulls there are so aggressive that ppl have to be warned not to leave young child alone with food. Boy do they do anything for food. Friday, October 17, 2008 ·