Exhilarating West America

Yoz, I'm back from my West America vacation and I super duper enjoyed this vacation! How I wish I could stay there longer, maybe even migrate there!

Highlights of my trip in brief... (ahem-ahem)... visited this J. Paul Getty Museum which we were told it is famous for its architecture and panoramic hilltop view, enjoyed the sea breeze and caught the beautiful sunset at the Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles, went shopping at Beverly Hills shopping district, checked out the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Staples Center (LA Lakers' homeground) and Nokia Theatre, fascinated with everything at the Universal Studios, Anaheim, overwelmed by the experience of riding on this revolving Palm Spring Aerial Tramway (what we call cable car in Singapore), played with fallen snow at Palm Springs which is about 8,000 feet above sea level, captured all the magic you can find at the magical Disneyland, had loads of fun and adventure at the California Adventure Park (the roller coaster ride was the best, 360 degrees, wooh-oh!), pass by the huge Hoover Dam (so much bigger than the Marina Barrage), went to the mangnificent Grand Canyon (yes! I've been to 2 out of the 7 natural wonders of the World now, 5 more to go!), were bedazzled by the beautiful skyline of Las Vegas and the hotels built in Las Vegas, enjoyed the stunning 17-Mile Drive along the Pacific Coast (you will find the houses of celebrities and big shots there), enjoyed the breathtaking view at the Bird Rock, the Lone Cypress, Monterey Bay (beautiful place for couples) and South Sausalito (yes, another beautiful town to stay), took the bay cruise under the Golden Gate Bridge and go close to the Alcatraz Island, took the iconic tram ride at Fisherman's Wharf at San Francisco to the Union Square and of course, not forgetting the shopping at the Premium Outlets for super-worth-it deals for branded stuffs along the trip.. really cool! [Check out "Mes photos" link for the photos we took during the trip.. ].. Nothing beats seeing the real thing yourself though..

Well, this vacation of mine was a package tour (first time) but we didn't find it hell of a rush or tiring like most peeps told me. Perhaps the itinerary was pretty well planned so the pace was alright for us. We started our daily journey early (ranging between 7plus to 9 plus in the mornings) because of the short daytime during the winter season. Anyways, I doubt anyone would really sleep late when they are on vacation, be it a package tour or their own planned itinerary, yeah?

Other than the itinerary, I guess the tour leader and the peeps in the tour group makes a lot of difference. We were really lucky to have a wonderful tour leader, Christine to orientate us on the "must see" attractions and the "must do" activities. She is a 'Los Angelian' and one humorous lady, like a big momma to us! She is very familiar with the place and knows exactly where to bring us so that we will benefit and bring back lotsa wonderful memories from this trip. The peeps in our tour group were fun and 'interesting' too so the coach journeys weren't that boring afterall!

Some funny comments from Christine and the peeps...

(As the coach drove past houses along the way.. ) Christine: "Why do Singaporean call our houses 'Landed Property' in Singapore. So where was it before it LANDED? (Laughter followed..hahaha..) In the States, they simply call them houses! (That's true yeah.. makes me wonder too..)..

(Sitting on the coach and simply looking at the kiddo walking up and down the coach... )
Kiddo: " How can I help you?"
Jess: "Nothing"
Kiddo: How to do nothing?
Jess: *Dumbfounded*

Everything was perfect about this vacation except that we did not get to spend a white snowy Christmas, did not get to take the helicopter ride at the Grand Canyon due to bad weather and did not get to stay longer, longer and longer.. haha..! The States is really big and I'd welcome the idea of exploring the many States through self-drive and have stop overs at the different places along the way. But that would mean I need to have lotsa time and money to be able to sustain the entire journey to whatever adventure and sights it may behold...hmm...

I'm so missing everything about the place.. sigh... why am I back here?

Okie dokie!... Time to wake up and snap back into reality! ;)

Counting down(s)...

Counting down to the first day of my holiday which will happen in 7 days..

Counting down to completing my report so that I can go for my holiday without worries..

Counting down to knocking off from work everyday..

Counting down to striking off the items on my to-do list everyday..

Seems like everyday I am counting down to all these and somedays I have been less productive at work so I will end up having "homework" to do at home.. Though there may be serious work waiting for me to do, I still had the time to think and calculate how I usually spend my 24 hours everyday... haha..

My Weekdays (5 days, 120hours)

Wake up at 7am and target to reach home at 7pm (Work ~ 12 hours gone)
Sleep at 11/12pm to get my ample sleep of 7-8 hours everyday (Sleep ~ 7-8hours)
Time spent for dinners, suppers, entertainment, dar dar, family, friends, exercise, do my "homework", do my french homework, run errands, ME time (Others ~ 4-5 hours)

My weekends (2 days, 48 hours)

Sleep anytime at night (depending on the plans for the day) and wake up after 7-8 hours of sleep (Sleep ~ 7-8 hours, total 14-16 hours)
French lesson (Study ~ 5 hours)
Taking care of juniors (Chores ~ 4 hours)
Time spent for meals, entertainment, dar dar, family, friends, exercise, do my "homework", do my french homework, run errands, ME time (Others ~ 23-25 hours)

That's how I spent my hours passing each day of my life... Looking at it, time is precious and it ain't alot to go around (or do I have too many things I want to do) so I have to plan my time well in order to have a happy and fulfulling life!

I have a feeling that today will be another unproductive day at work, you know why? ..heehee..

Anyways, the past few days of this week had been interesting for me! My bro left for his business trip in Paris on Sunday night (I want to go also but.. :(..) so I helped to look after baby Elsie and baby Chloe which had been such a joy to me! ..hee.. Pacify them, change their diapers, feed them, sleep with them at night etc... It was really sweet waking up to the sight of them playing by themselves and flashing their beautiful smiles and cute giggles once in a while like happy babies who have had enough sleep.

Well, it's coming to an end soon cos my bro will be back tomorrow evening! I am sure my bro must have missed being with his precious darlings and lovely wifey! Believed it was tough to be away from them but am sure a strong boy like him is doing fine over there! Counting down for him from this moment.. 32.5 hours to go (approx).. See ya tmr, dude!..

Adventurous US..

For the past week, my colleague and I found eating around this area abit boring so we decided to travel to the Marina Square area for lunch and shop around. While we were there, there was this Sesame Street performance at the Marina Square central stage area which we managed to catch a few scenes, the atmosphere was nice and relaxing. It triggered us to think how nice it would be if we were on half day and can sit there and watch...haha... She could have brought baby Clarisse to catch it too if she takes a full day off work..cool!

Anyways, we were so spoilt for choice when we reached the shopping malls.. we settled for Kenny Rogers, Coffee Club, Jap desserts, Thai Express on those days.. We will perhaps have our lunch at all the other eateries when we go there again.. yeah! Apart from being able to have our lunch in a different and enjoyable way, the pull factor is convenience cos there are many buses that go towards that area which cut shorts our travelling time. So ppl working in Shenton area, when you are in the mood for some fun and adventure during your lunchtime, you know where you can go.. ;p