More trips - Hoover Dam and Las Vegas!

I know what some of you might be thinking from my posts on my US trip recently. Some of my frens actually asked me if i went to US for work or for vacation. -___-

One of the obvious reasons is because i went to way too many places, according to them. Los Angeles, Grand Canyon and now Hoover Dam + Las Vegas. So i told them, since i was already in US, it would be a waste if i didnt go to these places! It was after all my first time to the United States of America, so cant blame me fo sho! *defending*


Hoover Dam, Nevada.

It was very windy that day in Hoover Dam, i took triple the amount of time i used to take to pose while taking pictures because my hair keeps on flying and covered my face. Darn! I regretted not having them tied up.


The only complete group pic we had in Hoover Dam.

Some parts of the dam are still being constructed, not sure what they are trying to do. Sometimes i wonder how they can build a dam when the river is still there. Technology sure fascinates me most of the time. That explains the reason why im in IT, i guess...


Welcome to Las Vegas!

Las Vegas which is also known as Sin City is a very beautiful place, especially at night. There are lotsa casinos which is probably a heaven for gamblers. I am sure u have heard of Mandalay Bay, Caesars Palace, MGM, New York New York, Paris, Bellagio, etc. (i cant remember all of them)


New York New York.

I did not gamble (except losing John's $20 in the slot machine), but it was interesting seeing all these ppl betting with their money. I've learnt how craps is being played, but i will never gonna play myself. It is just way too confusing..


The Eiffel Tower from below.

Still remember how Britney Spears got married for the first time? Yes, it was in Vegas while she was drunk and there are wedding chapel almost everywhere. U can just go right into one of them and get married instantly. (just in case u are wondering, i did not get married in Vegas, haha)


The musical fountain in front of Bellagio hotel.

We were running a bit late for our journey back to PHX and only reached the hotel around 2am. There was something funny (yet scary) happened on our way back, but glad everything turned out ok.

I will always remember this trip to Vegas :)

Freezing in Grand Canyon!

If anyone were to ask us where to go during our trip in PHX, there is only one absolute answer - Grand Canyon!

I was a lil bit worried in the beginning cos first of all, it is gonna be super cold in GC (i know it is winter, but i did not expect it to be below zero Celcius -__-). So yea, i dont have any warm clothes for a temperature that low. The wool coat that i've got is good for 5 Celcius and above (according to the sale assistant). *sweat*

Anyhow, i've got it all sorted out. So no worries.

On our way to GC, we dropped by to Sedona. This picturesque city is surrounded by red rocks that has mesmerized tourists for decades.


Clear sky and very straight road.


Red rocks everywhere.

We walked around the city of Sedona for a while before continuing our journey to Flagstaff, where we stayed for the night. We are going there for a reason of cos.. (besides having a more relaxing trip, i wanna see snow and Flagstaff definitely has them!)


Ooppss, we were caught camwhoring :P

To be honest, I have always wanted to see snow since i was a kid. So when we first reached Flagstaff, i went "crazy", jumping into the snow and started making snowballs. Now, i am telling u in advance just in case if u see me and started getting hit by me with those snowballs. *haha*


Can u guess how cold it was? *freezing*


Superman's car...


It was snowing heavily :)

The next day, we drove to Williams to take the train to Grand Canyon.


Full with snow..


John, Pei Yee and me on the train.

Im sure i dont have to say much about this place. U must have heard alot about it, so i'll just let the pictures do the talking :)


The amazing Grand Canyon.


Breathtaking isnt it?

I do enjoyed this trip very very very much. I would come here again if there is a chance to hike down the canyon or maybe ride on the mule. It would be fun!

Thanks for everything, John!

Happy Chinese New Year!

Kong Hei Fat Choy!

Yes, it is the time of the year again for the annual massive gathering of all my families and relatives from every corner of Malaysia. Every now and then we do have some small gatherings, but this is like the biggest one of all.

My lil cousins were obviously looking forward to it. Well, im sure there are lotsa food served in the house during this festive season, BUT that is definitely not what they are eyeing for. Kids nowadays are super smart. All they want is the $$$$$! (toys are not the best asset for them anymore, money is!)

Ever since my grandma passed away 2 years ago, all major family events will be held at my 2nd uncle's place. With that said, CNY decorations is made compulsory by him so that it will create a better ambience for everyone who is gonna be there.


The beautifully decorated CNY tree.


Me and some of my cousins.

Most of my cousins are all grown up, finishing college/uni very soon. Look at how time flies, i could still remember the time when we were still small, fighting over some petty stuff, playing hide and seek and lots lots more. Now, the most we do are just sit around and ask about how each other's doing so far. Sounded so fake, but that is what "grown ups" do!! :)

And as expected, there are lotsa "relationship" type of questions being thrown to those who are still single/available. We get the same exact questions every year, can we have something new pls? :S


Darn, i couldnt seem to find a pic with all my cousins in it.

Overall, it was great meeting up with everyone again. May all of you have a very prosperous and succesful year ahead!

Life in the 1500's

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about Britain in the 1500s. These are interesting...

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don't throw the baby out with the Bath water.

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, It's raining cats and dogs.

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying, a thresh hold.

(Getting quite an education, aren't you?)

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old..

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could, bring home the bacon. They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and chew the fat.

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the upper crust.

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a wake.

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift.) to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be, saved by the bell or was considered a dead ringer.

Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !

Can you add any more “Truths” to this list?

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Got this from a very good and close fren. It is so cute that i've decided to share it with u all here. Kong Hei, Kong Hei!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Got a forwarded mail from a fren today. Very funny.

Happy Valentine's Day

Have fun boys and girls... and a personal message to those stores and restaurants who raised prices to stupid levels on Feb 14.

Fun @ Los Angeles

I know some people has been complaining about this. Yes, it was a long time before i can get this done. I was busy, with other things :)

And now that im back from US, i will be busy with this... for quite a bit.


Disneyland

It was the first time i went to US, so i was really looking forward to the whole business + vacation trip. And so u know, when it comes to topic about US, the first thing that came across my mind is DISNEYLAND. Well, u cant blame me, really, cos i was a super cartoon fans when i was small. Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Rapunzel, Beauty & The Beast, u name it!

Me and PY stayed in Best Western Stovall's Inn, a hotel very close to Disneyland. Even if our hotel is not nearby, the transportation in Anaheim is very very convenient.


On our way to the magical Disneyland.

There were a lot of people already queuing up at the Disney's entrance. I was tempted to go to the California Adventure Park (opposite Disneyland) initially, cos i would like to try the thrill rides there. But i guess i should go to the historical and my childhood dream Disneyland this time around.


California Adventure Park.


Disneyland!

It was a very crowded day, as the school children were still having their holidays. We took a long time just to take one ride. And the place is so big, we certainly have no time to be wasted. So, we skipped lunch and keep on going...

Nothing can be in our way when it comes to FUN! *wink*


Disneyland at nite.

There was at one time they sprayed foam to the crowd, and it really looked like snowing. That was the best moment of all that is still fresh on my mind. I went disappeared the minute i saw the foam and PY couldnt find me at all. She wanted to take pictures but instead ended up looking for me. Haha, she knows how crazy i can be with snow. ^_^

Disneyland was opened till midnight that nite and we were there till the very last second. I couldnt believe we could stay that long (even now), but i guessed we were too excited in this land of fantasy.

Here are some other photos for this trip.

Sea World, San Diego

Sea World in San Diego is about 2 hours drive from Anaheim. We took a tour from a local travel agency so there was nothing for us to worry about in terms of transportation and entrance fees.

I have been to the Sea World in Gold Coast, Australia last April so i kinda know what to expect from this theme park. Dolphins, whales, sea lions, sharks, and etc, they have the same thing. But still, i enjoyed going there.


Shamu, the killer whale.

Rushing to see the performances by the animals wasnt a problem for us, cos all we need to have is a good time planning. But being soaked and having strong winds during winter is the most challenging task i've ever had. It all started when we took a ride called the Shipwreck Rapids. I thought we will get a lil wet, but NOT SOAKED! That was really unforgettable, us jumping around to get warm.. My whole body was practically frozen.


Sea Lion to the rescue.


Ice Cave.


Polar bear (it is a poster) :P

I saw some ppl actually wore sleeveless and shorts only. I wonder how they can stand the cold, do they have another layer of fat underneath their skin? Amazing..

I can never ever do that... not in that weather. -__-


Universal Studios & Hollywood

Get Ready! Action!


Universal Studios.

I have always wanted to have a look at how the American series and movies took place. Desperate Housewives, 24, Smallville, etc. Universal Studios is where all the actions started and ended.


Kiss Kiss.


Flinstone :)

PY and I have had our lessons at Sea World, so we wore a thicker jacket to keep ourselves warm and cosy that day, which seems to be a smart move. It was again very windy and chilly. I couldnt feel my fingers anymore.


Spidey and us.

And we never dare to take any rides where we will get wet again :P


Road to Hollywood.

Taking a stroll at the Walk of Fame in Hollywood is nice cos u get to meet a lot of celebrities. Well, not in person obviously, only their hand and foot marks + signatures.


John Travolta.



I saw some cool celebrities (again, only people in disguise) but they will only take pics with u, if given adequate tips. And in case u didnt know, everything in US is about tips. U need to tip almost everyone.. It was such a hard thing to get used to on our first few days. Either we forgot to tip or forgot to consider tax in the groceries that we are buying. O_o


Help me!

Anyway, I do feel like a star for a while. :)