| 31.5.07 |
 Day 120 of Project 365... we went on a full moon hike today... at the Yellowstone River Picnic Area Trail... and as always... we jinxed everything... from bears and even the moon... it was hiding behind clouds... the bad thing was... we did most of the dirt trail in pitch dark... stepping on poo... tripping over steps... but the good thing was... we managed to catch a moonrise... which translates pretty badly on a photo... so here's a shot of the sunset at 9:15pm on our way to the trek... a really bad shot... taken in the moving vehicle... but bo pian... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 30.5.07 |
 Day 119 of Project 365... Xinyi, Lilo (from Thailand) and i took a little walk without the guys after work.... to try find a spot to catch the sunset... we didnt see no nice sunset... so check out our cute little chipmunk... IF you can spot it that is... i SO need a big-assed camera... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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results have been out for some time now... and amazingly... it's the best so far... 2A... 1A-... 3B+... so i think it's an average of 4.42... which brings my CAP up to, yet another, painful stage of 3.94... which is so close to second upper... yet not there.... now this gives me hope... but i need to keep up with this result to ensure that i cross the 4.o mark... much as i want to tell myself forget it... >4.0 will certainly be nice... especially when the guy is >4.5... not that i'm being competitive... but i would hate it if his mom sees his graduating cert... and asks me for mine... =( and i'm sure my parents will be disappointed too... for the most of my education... they have been thinking i'm at least pretty good with the academic stuff... and i cant even hit 4.o? thing is... i'm pretty pleased though... coz despite juggling a job in the midst of the exams and half of the semester... everything is working out pretty well... now i can safely decide to continue with my job... perhaps taking up a siong-er schedule since i have less modules to take next semester... things are pretty okay over here in Yellowstone... i requested to work in the hotel instead of the cabins... coz i'm afraid the weather will get me sick... snow...rain...sun....wind.... and a visit to the clinic will cost us, employees, 15USD... money that i will not be willing to spend... especially since my dream of Europe might go through... need to save! ----Stef stopped rambling at 19:00 --Link to Post |
| 29.5.07 |
 Day 118 of Project 365... it was Singapore vs Romania today... the Romanian couple played table tennis with us... the guys lost the doubles match... but Jian Feng won the Romanian guy... and i lost to the Romanian lady 15-21... i is lousy... but it was good fun... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 28.5.07 |
 Day 117 of Project 365... Happy Birthday Daddy!!! just a random shot of some scary looking wormy insects... in other insect news... one of our team leaders got bitten by a spider... the Brown Recluse is suspected... and it got pretty bad... she visited the hospital twice... and apparently they have to remove the infected portion of flesh... Ron was telling us people have lost limbs to its venom... probably due to delayed medical treatment... so we got pretty freaked out... but those at home please do not worry... we have a spider man in our group... he works with spiders in school... catching, feeding, studying and whatever not... so we're in safe hands... he caught a unidentified spider today... and placed it in a glass cup... so yeay... one less spider to worry about... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 27.5.07 |
 Day 116 of Project 365... went on the Beaver Ponds trail with the guy again today... apparently a black bear was spotted on the trail... but we didn't see anything more than a few elks... AND a couple of snakes! this was one... the more colourful one crossing the trail... the other was grey... and it was just slithering away when we walked past it... not a bear... but at least... it's my first time seeing snakes in the wild... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 26.5.07 |
 Day 115 of Project 365... we had a boring day playing ping-pong... although the guy might want to go pit his pool skills against the angmohs later... so here's a random shot from our day in Bozeman... when we first arrived in the state of Montana... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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it's interesting how the place doesnt feel entirely foreign... i guess when you're with people you know... it doesnt feel that different anymore... just worked a five day stretch... so it's my off day today... didnt do anything... except play ping-pong at the Recreational Hall... with the guy, who is off with me... my ping-pong is terribly lousy... but i think i'm getting better... and it's fun... days at work pass pretty quickly... especially when you think about all the Due-Outs you have to clear... it's not as bad as it sounds... housekeeping... but the guy and myself have been on a permanent cabin shift... and it's rougher out there.... the weather... the cart being heavy... and while the ground squirrels are cute at first sight... they can be quite a bother when they tear up your trash bags... or even the linen bags.. crazy little things... but most of us concluded that the people (other than us) who work in the cabins are nicer... even the Romanian couple have been offering us rides... after the guy worked with him once... it's harder to get rides for the whole bunch of us... so we've been turning down trips to the nearby towns... thing is... we really need a car to get us around Yellowstone... and out of Yellowstone when we're done as well... it's a bother because we need to get to Bozeman which is 1.5 hrs away for a car dealer... and it's hard to get a ride so far away... we've been dying to watch Pirates of the Caribbean... but it's the same problem... i'm the glad the guy brought TV series and movies... so we've been stuffing ourselves silly with Everybody Loves Raymond... and french movies like Amelie and Delicatessen... weather has been a bother... i've finally seen snow... both falling and fallen... so that's a first... i havent made snow angels... although i have a tiny one that i drew with my fingers on the fire escape the night it snowed... it is cold sometimes... but dad and mom, please dont worry... the clothes keep me warm enough... food has been pretty good... we had very yummy chicken cordon bleu for lunch today... and i just discovered that the root beer at the self-serve soda machine at the EDR is fantastic... so i made myself a root beer float a couple days ago... the soups could really do with less salt... and their cooked vegetables are pretty bad... but the salad bar is fantastic... and the way they eat mandarin oranges here is peeled, leaving only the pulp... not even the chewy membrane is spared... so i guess the down side is that most of the fruit i've been eating is processed... not very healthy yeah? our hikes have reduced pretty much... probably because we've done as much as we could in this area, without needing a car... and to do most things else... we need like the snow on Sepulcher to melt... and 10min rides to trailheads that would probably take us 2.5 hrs to walk to... it has only been 3 weeks... but it feels as though we've been here forever... it's hard to keep track of days when you have a non-weekend off day... thing is... weekends dont matter when you're in the middle of a nature reserve.... bleah... ----Stef stopped rambling at 18:59 --Link to Post |
| 25.5.07 |
 Day 114 of Project 365... a shot from the first night of snow.. but it snowed like hell again today... and ambushed my molly cart... drats... but the sight was real beautiful... it was snowing heavily... and i was in the momentary warmth of the cabin... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 24.5.07 |
 Day 113 of Project 365... a shot from last night at Lamar... some angmoh spotted a black bear from a mile away... and had us scoping at a hill far far away... and agree that a black spot was a bear... =( ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 23.5.07 |
 Day 112 of Project 365... spot the coyote pups! on our way to Wildlife Watching at Lamar Valley... bad picture, i know... but bo pian... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 22.5.07 |
 Day 111 of Project 365... FIRST SNOW! it's finally snowing!!! i dont know why i said finally... coz it isnt supposed to be snowing anyway... it started off pretty cool... literally and the YO-YO sorta cool... till it got wet and eeky... i was working in the outdoor cabins... so i guess it's a little colder and harder coz everything in our cart got wet... even the nice terry cloth towels... my fingers are still freezing... but the Gumbo soup at lunch today was perfect for the weather... and we had beef ribs for dinner... so i'm a happy camper... SNOW SNOW SNOW! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
 view from the cemetery the guy and i found when we were climbing hills in the vicinity... ----Stef stopped rambling at 08:47 --Link to Post |
| 21.5.07 |
 Day 110 of Project 365.. the man of my life... siam-ing pungent sulphide gases at the Norris Geyser area... he does stupid things like this... and irritates me with catchphrases like KA-CHOW!... coz we just watched Cars... and that was Lightning McQueen's favourite expression... but that said... he has been a great source of support so far... i'm not yet homesick... no tears yet... if you dont count those at the airport when i called my grandpa... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 20.5.07 |
 Day 109 of Project 365... took a walk to Gardiner town... kinda like those cowboy towns ya? about 5 miles away... was walking on Old Gardiner Road... a dirt road that links Mammoth (where we were staying) to this town... hitched a ride after from Phil, a guy we met while hiking previously... on our way back... a nice old couple kindly gave us a ride... and showed us lots of lovely pictures they took on their road trip... silver-tipped bears... coyotes.... bisons... waterfalls with rainbows... lovely churches... a great experience really... they work at the General Store nearby... great to know more people... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
 anyone remotely interested in my mediocre pictures can check out the link.. just click on the picture... ----Stef stopped rambling at 12:21 --Link to Post |
 view from Old Gardiner Road...  view from the top of Mammoth Hot Springs... just a couple of lame-assed attempts at paranoma... they didnt join together that well... i used photoshop and tried to smudge them... *guilty* ----Stef stopped rambling at 04:12 --Link to Post |
| 19.5.07 |
 Day 108 of Project 365.. took a van trip down to Norris Geyser area... pretty cool stuff... though nothing like Old Faithful... guys in front are our colleagues from Thailand... cool peeps... the picture is of the Steamboat Geyser... which is apparently bigger than Old Faithful when and if it erupts... but its eruption is rather unpredictable... the spray of water you see here is nothing man... apparently when the real thing happens... even the surrounding rocks fly... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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the people... so far it has been pretty alright... at least for the first week... probably because we're too caught up in adjusting to the climate, time zone and job... that we havent got time to analyse the people around enough... there are people from quite a few countries really... so far i've noted Thailand, Ukraine, Singapore, China, Germany, Romania... and America of course... Caucasians here are probably quite unlike those we get back home... the fact that they have traveled halfway across the globe probably shows that they are receptive to and like pretty much, the Asian culture and its people... thing is... we've met people who have been great... Joe, Ron, Kristy, Mary, etc... and alot of the older individuals, employees and hotel guests alike... but i guess... with that... we've also met people who look at us differently... passive discrimination, i gather... i dont think you need to do anything bad to be discriminating... sometimes it's what you dont do or do differently that is the problem... the good thing is... we're here as a group together... so that's something good... just looking forward to when we can travel independently... on another note... i misplaced my Abercrombie fleece... think i left it in the Housekeeping Office... will go check tomorrow... if not... i'm pretty screwed... nothing to keep me warm from the mind-blowing winds of the mountains i'm going to climb... Sepulcher, here i come! ----Stef stopped rambling at 12:12 --Link to Post |
| 18.5.07 |
 Day 107 of Project 365... view from a lookout on Bunsen... as you can see... the roads are damn blardy the scary... narrow... and winding... these have barricades... but those by the side of steep slopes do not... so can you imagine how i felt when we were on the big yellow bus... going at a not-so-friendly speed? still... its a nice view... and the guy is so bored that he's tying a ribbon on my arm... -_-" ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 17.5.07 |
 Day 106 of Project 365... just a quick post of the red fox we saw the other day at Bunsen Peak... quite the pretty thing really... but its a little skinny... looking forward to more animals! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 16.5.07 |
 Day 105 of Project 365... the hot springs that we are working near to... it's probably the only attraction here... but there are loads of hiking trails in this part of the park... and people here dont bathe in their hot springs.. hur hur... i guess its just too hot... and it stinks real bad too... sulphide of some sort... am not the chem pro... but sometimes the gas we fart has same smell... we concluded that the EDR's food gives bad gas... quite cool really... will be visiting Norris Geyser on Saturday... totally looking forward to that... woohoo! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 15.5.07 |
 Day 104 of Project 365... just a random shot of our meal at the EDR... Employee Dining Room.... they just love their abbreviations here... for 60USD per week... we get a pretty decent spread... with lotsa choices, a full salad bar, a variety of cereal and free flow of drinks... including fruit juices, soft drinks and even hot chocolate... which is really not bad considering we're in the US of A... the guy says this shot is lousy... looks like prison food... but i think it looks rather colourful... and i'm not going to risk looking like an idiot again... but pointing my camera at my chow in front of so many people... i had to rave about the food today... coz they served amazing French Onion soup and some Cajun Etouffee... minus the seafood but with super shiok chicken and sausages... it was the first time in a long time that i had something spicy that isnt mustard... the guy has been enjoying the meals... i guess its because he digs American food... *shrugs* he's a complicated man... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 14.5.07 |
 Day 103 of Project 365.. BUNSEN PEAK! at the very peak! totally! Joe says the rockpile is supposed to assimilate some Tibetan custom... Stac... can you fill me in on this one? the view is fantastic.. but my camera is lousy and the photographer (AKA me) also... so better not spoil your appetite of the beauty of Yellowstone... come see it for yourself! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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the weather here is pretty insane... one moment i'm totally fine with a tank top... it was warm and we got sunburnt even... the next moment i'm shivering and trying to put on my fleece... the temperature changes pretty rapidly here... we're pretty high up already... so it got even crazier when we went up Bunsen Peak (8,564 feet) after work today... we got off early... so by 4pm... Joe, our Team Leader, brought us there in his Nissan SUV... and we went up the little mountain... fallen snow... and stuff... and my first solo trek... for about 15 mins i think... coz the guys took the harder route... leaving 3 girls on the easier route... but the trail got covered by snow... so we were left to bash... the girls fell behind... and i was alone.... with only the sight of the peak as directions... the trail was both snowy and rocky... pretty darn scary when we lost Joe on the way down... the guy, another guy and i... were on the wrong side of the mountain... so we came right up to a cliff... i knew something was wrong when the ground was mossy... i din remember any moss on our way up... so i told the guys to head west... since thats where the massive flats were... we had a good view of those on the way up... it was pretty scary... but fun at the same time... spotted a record number of animals on our roadtrip today... a red fox was following us... saw ducks and a beaver in the nearby pond... and a mountain goat on our way to Gardner... and of course the usual elks, ravens and magpies... i've never thought of myself to be a nature freak.... but it has been real cool so far... looking forward to more when, and if, we get our own car... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:58 --Link to Post |
| 13.5.07 |
 Day 102 of Project 365... we went on some trail today.. and there was the bear danger signage... it totally freaks me out really... think i watch too many of those When Animals Go Wild kinda show... but thing is... ALL animals here are wild... but this is also the first time i see fallen snow... or ice kachang as my guys call it... at the nearby Snow Pass... actually it aint all that near... walked until cannot walk.... we hitched hike from fellow employee... siong man... we scared sky goes dark when we still in the wild... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 12.5.07 |
 Day 101 of Project 365... the group i'm travelling with... and more... all of us are in the housekeeping department... it's really not as bad as imagined... though we're desperately trying to keep up with the amazing speed we're expected of... quite fun la... nice people and stuff... think by the end of my stint... i'll be darn good at making beds... half-miter, full-miters! you are going DOWN! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 11.5.07 |
 Day 100 of Project 365.... the guy and i went on the Beaver Pond trail today... since we're off and the rest were at work... it was kinda scary to trek alone with him... coz he is as clueless as me... and i bet he'll run away without me if we see a big scary bear... the pond is quite pretty... like golf course kinda pretty... but for lack of a better picture... this sorta sums up the day... like the Thai guy told me.... "Beaver Pond...got pond, no beaver" but we saw squirrels, ducks and elks though... and scary trees... duno why they are dying though... the whole trail took us 3+ hours... partially coz we were taking pictures... but mainly because i was slow... and scared... coz i kept thinking we were going to come face-to-face with a bear... day was bright and pretty though... and we're burnt a bright red... but we're happy campers yo! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 10.5.07 |
 Day 99 of Project 365... the guy striking a pose at the Angel Terrace of Mammoth Hot Springs... actually it wasnt a pose... just something i caught when the guy tried to look seh... he says it looks like an advert for the bottled water... hur hur... got lots more pictures... when i'm free-er i'll go upload all into some picture site... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 9.5.07 |
 Day 98 of Project 365... we did a mini trek to the attraction of the place we're working at... Mammoth Hot Spring... not much here... but fun la... see ground squirrels, elks... will venture further on our off days to find more animals... and visit places like the Lake and Old Faithful... here abit small... and the only attraction is the hot springs which kinda reek of sulphur... but still... the view is magnificent... really quite beautiful... and the above is a posed picture... the guy DID NOT carry me on our trek... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 8.5.07 |
 Day 97 of Project 365... my first dandelion... those in Sg are FAKE! these are huge... and oh-so-pretty... saw lotsa tulips and yellow i-dunno-what flowers as well... all these in Bozeman town... where we stayed one night at Holiday Inn... weather is cool and very dry... nights can be freezing though... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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i'm here in Bozeman, Montana already... Stacy, if you are reading this please tell daddy/mommy... will be heading to Yellowstone tomorrow... will call when i have network coverage... missing you guys lots.. ----Stef stopped rambling at 13:59 --Link to Post |
| 7.5.07 |
 Day 96 of Project 365... this is my first ever Krispy Kreme... i've been dreaming of this day for a long long time... not as amazing as i thought it to be... but still pretty good... picture taken while we were really really bored transiting at Salt Lake City... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 6.5.07 |
 Day 95 of Project 365... day of departure to the US of A and guess who was in the same plane as us? XU NAI LING can? feel bad for trapping him when he was quite flustered about his flight... but i really couldnt resist a photo... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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so this is it... the night before the long flights... cold, snowy nights... and 3+ months away from home... from family... from friends... from SG food... it'll be a blast... i know it'll be... so i just hope nothing will go wrong while we are over there... to those who SMSed well wishes... my boss... Carrie... Eric... Aunt Emily... vivien... to those who called with a "Bon Voyage!"... yujin (sorry for sounding nonchalant, was stressed out)... to those who are joining in the festivities at the airport tomorrow... Rene and gang... biomat peeps... windsurfers... and family... THANK YOU very much... i will take care of myself (and the guy, i hope)... enjoy the 3 months in the land of the free... come back fatter, more broke and maybe even shorter... my bag damn heavy... not sure if we'll get internet there... but if we do... i'll be blogging loads... if and when i manage to wrestle the guy off soccernet... with pictures of yellowstone, california and taiwan... those with requests of things to buy... no promises... but i will try my best... tough to go where you want, when you want, when you are travelling in a group... Cheers! *i just realised what a ghost town my blog is....i have ZERO entries in my shoutbox to date... ----Stef stopped rambling at 01:38 --Link to Post |
| 5.5.07 |
 Day 94 of Project 365... been around the island with the folks to settle stuff for USA... kinda good bonding actually... and of course.. we'll need lotsa fuel for that... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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the flight's set for the 6th of May, 1440hrs... at Changi Terminal 1... probably gonna be a tearfest on my part when i realise i'm leaving my family for 3 whole mths.. packing has been a bitch... coz apparently it's SNOWING... yes... in spring... i dont know how my clothes are going to hold up... but i think i'll have fun with layering... yes... all 7 layers... watched Spiderman 3 today... FREE with complimentary dinner somemore... all thanks to mommy dearest... loved how the extra characters are developed in a rather comical fashion... guy and i toured quite abit of town today... lunch with his folks - Chinatown... laser printer toner + thumbdrive - Sim Lim... getting my watch's battery replaced - Pac Plaza... (mambo is closing down this Sunday by the way... go grab deals...) getting new phone for his mom - Plaza Sing... collecting my watch back - Pac Plaza... dinner and movie - The Cathay... almost like having the last look around before our 3 mth disappearance... oh ya... new shoutbox is up and running... so visitors do drop me a line... i think when i'm far away and lonely in USA... your msges on it will mean a lot! i ought to go to bed... ciao. ----Stef stopped rambling at 04:04 --Link to Post |
| 4.5.07 |
 Day 93 of Project 365... SG looked different these days... every single building and road seems more attractive than ever... maybe it's because i know i'll miss the quirkiness... the haphazard nature of our smaller towns... just like these shophouses in Joo Chiat... i'll miss SG... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 3.5.07 |
 Day 92 of Project 365... i think this is a not bad photo of Capital Tower... which houses Justin dream company... i also abit wanna work there la... but then again... i have about year to think about it... but according to Yujin... that isnt a lot of time... bleah... just let me enjoy USA first la... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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i've never been quite in tune with seasonal food... but white asparagus... from some parts of europe in early spring... is utterly and fantabulously WONDERFUL... you have so got to try it out at P a u l a n e r B r a u h a u s... ----Stef stopped rambling at 01:20 --Link to Post |
| 2.5.07 |
 Day 91 of Project 365... review at Millenia Walk today was great.... though i was abit dumbfounded against all the PR lao jiao... not that they were old... just very experienced and therefore, slightly intimidating... but i thoroughly enjoyed the food and beer... and was trying to convince they guy to bring his parents here... but the parents wanted Korean... so ahn-yong-hase-yo! spicy tofu soup HERE I COME! conquered the whole of Orchard Road with Justin prior... i got my Lonely Planet USA... a traveller's pouch.... and wonderful conversations with my Sea Sports Camp kaki... he got a shirt for work... A shirt... considering our goal that entire afternoon was his shirts... i think that guy has fantastic self-control... or very fussy taste... *runs and hide* lunch was at Big O and we did a very tai-tai thing of having tea and desserts at Hagen Daaz.... enjoyable afternoon... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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i wanted to walk in the rain... so that no one would see that i'm crying... ----Stef stopped rambling at 00:53 --Link to Post |
| 1.5.07 |
 Day 90 of Project 365... Victory Restaurant at Kampong Glam for some Briyani/Murtabak goodness... folks and i went mad trying to find a worthy place for lunch... and our Joo Chait prawn mee was closed for the day... East Coast prawn mee was WAY too crowded... Geylang mixed innards soup was closed... so we ended up here... which was quite shiok by the way... just that Dum Briyani is not quite my cuppa tea.... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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