| 30.6.07 |
 Day 150 of Project 365... we loaded ourselves into a back of a pick-up and Jon, from Security, drove us to Bozeman... it was a chilly 1.5hr ride... but we had fun... it was Fantastic Four at the cinema... which wasnt entirely fantastic... especially with the lame jokes... and cupcakes from Wal-Mart... while Jon, the guy and myself were waiting for the rest outside Wal-Mart... i kinda whined to the guy about whether i should get these pretty cupcakes... dressed in the red, white and blue of their Independence Day... Jon heard it and dashed into Wal-Mart... so i had to run after him... i spent 10 mins trying to convince him that it's against Chinese customs to eat food as a gift from someone else, just so he wouldnt pay for the cupcakes that i want... but he saw through it right away... he's been a real nice guy so far... the kind of friend you need when you're thousands of miles away from home... ----Stef stopped rambling at 09:59 --Link to Post |
| 29.6.07 |
 Day 149 of Project 365... we climbed Mount Washburn after work today... all the way to 10,243ft for the sunset... then hike back down in the moonlight... cause it was a full moon night... for lack of a better photo... here's Justin and myself in the orange of the sunset... he works in the employee dining room... probably one of those that i dont work with yet get along pretty okay with... the view from up there is spectacular... seeing mountain ranges, canyons and lakes... and the sunset was a pretty pink, orange and blue... it was terribly windy up there... but the beauty and serenity makes it all worthwhile... including the 5.2mile hike... did most of the downhill away from the group again... in some sense it gave me a piece of solitude... some time to reflect and think about the school year ahead... and of course, life... that was until i reached a semi-forested area... and thought a sage bush was a bear... hikes are nice... pity i'm not fitter... i'll try more mountains if my lungs could take it... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 28.6.07 |
 Day 148 of Project 365... boring day... back at work and a start of working 12 days in a row... so here's a random picture of a bison rolling over... dont ask why it's doing so... considering its so big and slightly un-cute... totally looks like niu mo wang right? ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 27.6.07 |
 Day 147 of Project 365... our day off today... although it's a Wednesday... the guy and i kinda declared it a lazy Sunday... wanted to go on an Old Yellow bus tour, Calvary to the Rescue... but no guests signed up... so we couldnt hop on... on the bright side... Frank happened to be at the hotel as well... about to drive to Gardiner on some errands... he offered us the ride so we hopped on... walked by the restaurant at which we had dinner the other day... no watch... he told us about the nice little bookstore, the Tumbleweed... so we went there to hang out while waiting for him... smoothies and mocha blends... just chilling in the shade... sitting on the swing... chatting... it was cool... Frank joined us soon after... and we talked for a long time... about travelling to Europe... people.... Japan and its eccentricities... and basically just about life... it was nice to say the least... an enjoyable day off... considering the next schedule will be a 6-day week... since some people have left the company... i kinda want to work more having seen the more important attractions in the park... i seriously need to save for my graduation trip... if it's something i want... i want to be able to pay for it myself... without burdening my parents... Europe, here i come! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 26.6.07 |
 Day 146 of Project 365... picture is unrelated to day... worked as usual... then had class from 6pm to 8.30pm... it was quite interesting really... Finding your way as a Supervisor... apparently our position now is supposed to be supervisory... even though we're paid almost the same as before... it was fun and useful because i realised the rest of the TLs are also having the same prbs... just a matter of how we handle it... we also realised that the guy is the only male TL left... it somehow felt like a support group... which is cool really... something i totally need this week... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 25.6.07 |
 Day 145 of Project 365... i got no photo of the watch... so here's a pretty flower in remembrance of it... *sobz sobz* ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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a pretty darn terrible day today... to start off... i realised i lost my Fossil analog... i passed it to JF on our way to Gardiner yesterday coz i didnt want a watch tanline... then when i asked for it this morning... he couldnt find it... said he probably dropped it in the restaurant at Gardiner... called the restaurant up after work... no watch... i know it's just a watch... but i cried and cried like hell... i even gave lunch a miss so that i could stay in my room and cry... the guy gave it to me on our second anniversary... after i've been wanting a Fossil for the longest time... i know it's no Rolex... but it just means a lot to me... i've always made sure that i dont lose things... even sometimes to the extent of being overly paranoid... coz i hate the idea of losing things of value... things i buy with the money i save up so desperately for... this was a gift... so of course i feel even worse... the guy didnt blame me and offered to buy me a new one... not too sure about that... cant hear nuts amidst my crying... but it just isnt the same anymore... i was quite on the verge of trekking that 5miles again today... just so i can maybe spot the watch on the side of the dirt road or something... i want it back that badly... that aside... being TL aint that fun after all... i get shit from above... and when i feedback my RAs or send them back to do things they left out.... i get black faces... i am just freaking doing my job... but that is so freaking difficult... and its not as if we're being paid more... but i guess the day wrapped up pretty nicely... enjoyed a good chat with a Chinese girl who came over here with us... it was a heartfelt bitchfest... watching the guys play soccer... badminton at the rec hall... something i totally need on a day like this... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:00 --Link to Post |
| 24.6.07 |
 Day 144 of Project 365... the day i lost my watch... we trekked down to Gardiner, 5 miles away... to eat with our Romanian friends who have just left the job... it was 12oz medium done ribeye for me... while the guy downed a 16oz... it was quite yummy... havent had good steak in some time... it kinda reminded me of Judy's cooking... steaks that we have over at the guy's place sometimes.... this Two Bit Saloon in Gardiner is quite cool really... and apparently one of the top 3 must-do things in Gardiner... but then again... Gardiner is so small... nevertheless... 12oz ribeye for USD15 is quite okay la.... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 23.6.07 |
 Day 143 of Project 365... the last couple of days have been birthday mania... having been Emily's and Mary's birthday... this was part of the housekeeping department at Emily's surprise party... thing is... we were too late to be part of the surprise factor... talk about being Singaporean in and out... the disregard for punctuality.... Mary had a bonfire up on the nearby hill... it was my first.... pretty cool experience... especially trekking downhill in the dark.... in fear of elks that might charge at us... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 22.6.07 |
 Day 142 of Project 365... we went Boiling River again! this time with some new Singaporeans who just arrived... having just finished their exams in SIM... we walked down to the river... since we had no ride... Joe is far away at Lake... but it wasnt too bad a walk... just that we took a wrong trail... and ended up at a pretty scary steep downhill... it was pretty bad... especially since we were mostly in slippers/sandals... but we came out of it unscathed... and the river wasnt that far away... we managed to climb up another way on the way back... and hitched a ride on the back of someone's pickup... the water level is lower now... so the chance of getting swept away is pretty low... it was terribly fun... totally enjoyed myself... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 21.6.07 |
 Day 141 of Project 365... a ride to Bozeman that we almost didnt make it for... apparently our friends managed to secure a ride to Bozeman... but of course, there were so many of us... the guy and i were left out... but luck had it that, Jan, the driver who offered them a ride knocked on our dorm door... so we spent half hour chatting/crapping and got offered a ride as well... we had to squeeze though... all 7 of us in a Toyota Corolla... all the way to Bozeman, 1.5 hrs away... but Jan was a fabulous driver... superbly safe... and wonderfully skillful... shopped a good deal actually... bought some stuff from Bath & Bodyworks.... since they were having a semi-annual sale... didnt see anything my type/size at Victoria Secrets... bought 40USD worth of clothes/shoes/bikini top at the Old Navy sale... wasnt planning on spending so much... coz i thought my 16.50USD shoes were off 50%... and i was wrong... Wal-Mart was the last stop... for Ben & Jerry's at 3USD a tub... a beach towel so i can sun tan back in SG... more Doritos and the Godfather trilogy as a DVD collection... the guy got a cool grey Mustang tee for 10USD... pretty good deal if you ask me... looking forward to the factory outlet stores in SF... luckily the guy has relatives there so we wouldnt be so lost... hurray to free lodging and rides... *crosses fingers* ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 20.6.07 |
 Day 140 of Project 365... the guy and i finally went on the Yellowstone in a Day tour... it is free for employees and it goes to all the major villages and some worthwhile attractions... we had to wrestle someone else to get on... felt bad... but then again... it was more logical that we went since we made up the right numbers... quite a number of waterfalls... Rustic Falls... Gibbon Falls... Tower Falls... Upper and Lower Falls of Grand Canyon of Yellowstone... saw Old Faithful, the famous geyser, go off... visited the 103 year-old Old Faithful Inn... parked next to lazing bisons at the Yellowstone Lake Hotel... one even rolled over for reasons unexplained... walked the thermal areas of Fountain Paint Pots... and we were just in time to see a geyser that only erupts quite rarely go off... spotted a good number of animals... especially since i was sitting by the window... 3 bears, a grizzly and 2 blacks... a beaver... a hare... a chipmunk that jumped really high... (best part was, we were at a very crowded Artist's Point, and only we saw it...) 2 bull elks with fully grown antlers... a moose, without antlers though... a baby bighorn sheep... pronghorns... bisons... red-tailed hawks... ravens... sandhill cranes... pelicans... geese... ducks... elks... so i guess it was pretty awesome... therefore... picture of the day must undoubtedly be the world renowned Old Faithful geyser... during its eruption... not as spectacular as i imagined... but still pretty cool... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 19.6.07 |
 Day 139 of Project 365... this is a bald eagles' nest... the eagle is in the nest... though the angle didnt quite capture it... this is on our way to the West Entrance of Yellowstone... towards West Yellowstone town... this nest has been here for a long time now... years even... way cool... lots of times i cant capture the animals i see... coz it's tough enough with the naked eye... they dont always walk across the road for you to take pictures of... or pose in the meadows... although i heard of some who do... the Boys of Summer, a bunch of bull elk, with their nice full-grown antlers and all... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 18.6.07 |
 Day 138 of Project 365... a better shot of Angel Spring Terrace at around mid-day... the previous shot was at dusk... so it was kinda bad... pretty blend of colours... although the guy insists it looks like longkang water... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 17.6.07 |
 Day 137 of Project 365... on our way back from the rodeo... there is this big cloud that looks like a tsunami... not quite a cloud person... so i have no idea what it is called... but pretty cool huh? ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 16.6.07 |
 Day 136 of Project 365... the rodeo was way cool... lots of events... Steer Wrestling... guy jumps on a baby bull from a moving horse... wrestles the bull to the ground... Bull Riding... cowboy riding a buckling bull... bull buckles because its balls are strapped like real tight... Saddle Bronc... cowboy on a buckling horse... Bareback... cowboy on a buckling horse... but now without a saddle... Team Roping... 2 competitors on horses... one ropes a bull calf by the horn/nose... the other by its two hind legs... Barrel Racing... ladies and juniors doing a timed course of 3 barrels on the arena... done in a clover shaped fashion.. Breakaway Roping... guy on horse ropes and lets go... Calf Roping... guy on horse ropes calf by neck... jumps on calf and ties up 3 of its legs... legs must stay tied for 6secs... totally enjoyed the experience... my first ever rodeo... second if you count yesterday... picture is of the Saddle Bronc... if you look carefully... you will see that all four legs of the horse are off the ground... there are cooler pictures... those of the Bull Riding is way cool... but due to my horrible photography skills.... and lousy "seats"... we were on the grass on the second day... no stands... didnt manage to capture anything fantastic... will upload the rest of the pictures to Webshots soon... have some of ultra young pick-up guys as well... these boys ride horses to chase the calfs and young bulls in after each event... and a couple were so young... i dont think they were even as tall as the horses' legs... yee-haa! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 15.6.07 |
 Day 135 of Project 365... the guy and i ran our lungs out just for a ride to Gardiner... i thought since we had nothing to do... no harm going to the rodeo tonight instead of tomorrow... it turned out to be a bad idea as the return trip was only scheduled for 12:30 in the morning... when we had to report to work at 0745 hrs... will talk about the rodeo tomorrow... since we will be going again! this picture is of us at the North Entrance of Yellowstone National Park... the Roosevelt Arch... in other news... the guy and i just got "promoted" to Team Leaders... but only on a Stand-In basis... think they have way too many Room Attendants already... it has been fun... but tiring... pay is slightly more than what we were getting as RAs with our maximum premium... and we dont have to rush like mad people just to get the premium... responsibility is kinda heavier... as we are the last people to check the rooms before we release them to guests... lalalala.... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 14.6.07 |
 Day 134 of Project 365... our long awaited off day... since we have been on a 6-day week for some time now... didnt do much... since we missed another ride to Bozeman... but we did get on a tour, Across the River Styx... saw the hot springs and the nearby areas from within an open-top bus... so it was cool... this is a pronghorn crossing the road on our way back... once again... hope you can spot it! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 13.6.07 |
 Day 133 of Project 365... we finally managed to get a ride to Bozeman... all 6 of us... it was quite mad really... 1.5 hrs... 9 people in a Chevy Tahoe... but we managed to eat our first US McDonalds... shop at Wal Mart... watch Pirates of the Caribbean... so we're happy people... save for the fact that we felt a tad shortchanged about the ride... but then again... we got there! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 12.6.07 |
 Day 132 of Project 365... we finally went on the Old Yellowstone Bus tour today... me and the guy... and a few others we kinda know... it was a cool ride up to Lamar Valley thereabouts... but the best part of the trip is that we finally saw a bear! a black bear... it was pretty close... just by the road... my camera zoom is freaking lousy... so just look for the black patch in the rough direction i am pointing to... i attached another photo to this post... it's a better shot... the best i could do before the driver shoo-ed us all back in coz the bear was headed our way... but it was a gentle creature... came up to about 10m away from the bus... before heading down back to the trees again...  gosh... it was a great experience... to finally see one... although the place was packed with mossies... and i joked that the bear was in it with the mossies... to lure humans there for the mossies to feed... the bus ride itself was fantastic... it's open-top.... so the whole experience is quite unlike being in a conventional car and all... you see everything... tall trees, cliffs, hills.... the ride and scenery made me feel lucky to be here in Yellowstone... its a good place to retire in... i should be back in future... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 11.6.07 |
 Day 131 of Project 365... didnt do anything much today... so just thought i can post a random shot of a random waterfall... this was on our way to West Yellowstone... literally... we were moving thus the bad shot... no place to stop... and our driver wasnt planning to anyway... but i'm a fan of waterfalls... so i need to see the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone bad... and all the waterfalls the park has to offer... somebody send me a car please... i already have a driver... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 10.6.07 |
 Day 130 of Project 365... brown grizzly and I saying HOWDY from West Yellowstone! outside what someone told us to be the 2nd most expensive McDonalds in the US of A... which i think is bull... but a fun, if fake, fact anyway... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 9.6.07 |
 Day 129 of Project 365... the ultra fantabulous theatre... i know it surely doesnt match up to the expensive stuff like Broadway or the like... but it was a nice, intimate setting.. with us in the fourth row, right in the middle... so the entire experience was very good... with the laughs and the very developed characters... think tiny, whimpering old man or deranged Russian fugitive or the pesky gossipmonger... i so want to go back for more! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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just back from the Playmill Theatre... and i must say... it was one of the best performances i've been to ever... not that i've been to many... but the cast was real talented... and they even had the ushers singing while they were seating the audience... and that was fantastic... there was even this pre-show thingy... where they had little skits and stuff... and one of them was an interpretative Spiderman ballet... with green goblin and dr octopus, upside down kisses and all... boy was that hilarious... i dont think i laughed this much in a long time... actually i did... with episodes of Will and Grace... man, i love sitcoms... the whole experience was pretty cool really... it felt like a real date with the guy... something we havent had in some time... prior to that... we had steak and iced tea at a nearby restaurant... decided to share one 12oz cut of ribeye that came with the works... salad, fries and stuff... we wanted to devour the sack lunch we had in the pack on the journey home... but we were so full after the meal... it set us back USD25 including tips... it was well worth the money... coz it was our first experience in a restaurant in the U.S... so dinner and theatre was a lovely combo for the evening... simply what i needed to recharge me for the week ahead... in other news... instead of being shorthanded like the last couple of weeks... the housekeeping department is now overstaffed... now, we might be down to a 4-day work week... which really isnt so bad if we had wheels... but we dont... so it's a real pain... been talking to more people lately... so it's been fun... sometimes when i talk about Singapore... i kinda sell it so much... STB should sponsor me or something... but the thing is... being halfway around the world kinda made me appreciate the little things back in SG... the food, the transport, the humidity, the warmth... i even miss school sometimes... not that i'm not enjoying myself over here... i am... but i do miss home... family, friends... and even my laptop with bookmarks of blogs i voyeur and gossip pages i frequent... and OOOOO, the shopping! looking forward to phase T of WATUSA... Traveling California! ----Stef stopped rambling at 22:30 --Link to Post |
| 8.6.07 |
 Day 128 of Project 365... just a car we saw in West Yellowstone... so Fadz... this is for you... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 7.6.07 |
 Day 127 of Project 365... the weather these couple of days' pretty bad... rain and stuff... so this is what part of the hotel looks like when it's cloudy and wet... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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day didnt go too well i guess... work was kinda fun today coz a new guy from Hong Kong was working with me... but my RAP got withdrawn from me... so it means that my premium of USD1.80 per hour is withdrawn for the day... approximately USD14 altogether... even though i was fast... i thought it was rather uncalled for... i mean... who gets the bathroom floor in that fashion? i do clean it... but never in the way she required me to... it's not the first time she has inspected my rooms... and why didnt she have anything to say before this... feels like i'm being picked on... so now there's something to dread in the hotel as well... i think she has an anger problem as well... throwing the duster on the floor just because i didnt have the chemical with me... just hope it's not going to persist... i just want to earn the money i deserve... ----Stef stopped rambling at 21:35 --Link to Post |
| 6.6.07 |
 Day 126 of Project 365... a shot of us outside a theater in Jackson Hole, Wyoming... the guy and i just signed up for a show at the Playmill Theater in West Yellowstone... so we'll be heading there again! apparently, it's a British comedy... and the actors are supposedly good... so i guess a USD15.45 ticket is quite okay... we have to pay USD3 for the transport there... but considering it's almost a 2hr drive there... i guess thats pretty okay... even if it sucks... my justification is that it's an experience in itself... theatre in a foreign land... we caught a bit of a short performance on the streets of Jackson... and i must say i was pretty impressed... so... here goes nothing! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 5.6.07 |
 Day 125 of Project 365... finally the long-awaited trip to West Yellowstone and Jackson Hole... the Romanian couple needed to run some errands in both these places so off we go... our furthest destination, Jackson Hole, is a whole 4-hour drive away... we drove from one end of Yellowstone to the other... and through the Grand Tetons National Park as well... which is flanked by the mountain ranges you see in the picture... passed by loads of scenic places... but as we were rushing for time... there were no stops... didnt see much animals... save for some elks jaywalking and a couple of moose... i dont know what the plural for moose is... Jackson Hole is a pretty place... will upload the link once my mediocre pictures go up... they have a Wildlife museum and a Ripley's Believe it or not!... but didnt have time for both... found a Dollar Tree outlet... so we bought shower gel, shampoo, titbits and stuff all at USD1 each! the guys finally got a chance to eat Wendy's... apparently they used to have it in SG... but they closed down when they were little... interesting trip to say the least... it would have been much better if we had more time in these places... we so need a car... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 4.6.07 |
 Day 124 of Project 365... the thai people are going home already... quite a pity... considering i just started getting to know them... especially Lilo... am smiling too widely, i know... but was running coz we were on timer... bleah... great people really... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 3.6.07 |
 Day 123 of Project 365... the truth is... i'm blogging this four days later... and considering i didnt take any photos on this day... here's a shot of the Old Yellowstone Bus... pretty cool and vintage looking... havent gotten a ride in it before though... hopefully we'll get to soon... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 2.6.07 |
 Day 122 of Project 365... Joe took us to Boiling River after work today... it's a really cool place... and you can swim in it... unlike any other parts of the river which is way too cold... the reason is that water from the nearby hot springs get channelled into the river here... so the mix of hot/cold water makes the temperature totally bearable... and rather spa-like... the current of the river is pretty strong... and it's quite easy to get swept away when you lose your footing... so it's good to be with friends who will catch you when you do... it's still a safe activity... there are kids all over the place... totally enjoyable... would totally be back... it's my sixth consecutive day at work today... the guy and i are doing another 2 days making it 8... just so that we can take up an offer to visit Jackson Hole... it's south of Yellowstone... so i guess we'll be able to see animals and stuff on our drive there... i heard there's a Wal-Mart... so i need new shoes, shampoo, shower gel and antiseptics... totally looking forward... it makes work much easier... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 1.6.07 |
 Day 121 of Project 365... just a random shot of some weird flowers... in other news... the guy played in the pool tournament... he lost in the first round to our assistant manager who went on to win the entire thing... the guy's saving grace was that he beat him before... a couple of days ago... so that's alright... and i still think he looks utterly pro/cool/sexy/hot when he plays pool... especially since i have never seen him play back in SG... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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