| 17.8.07 |
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the lack of updates and a temporary halt on Project 365 is due to a bad patch right now... the news came right as i stepped out of Changi Airport on Monday... after being kept in the dark for months... i just broke down.. partially because i've been living it up thousands of miles away... while my family grapple with something totally different... them not wanting me to worry when there is nothing i can do to remedy the situation... i'm not sure what i would have done if they told me in the US... but i'm not sure what i am supposed to do either... the good thing is that the situation is improving by the day... but i still feel guilty... and the only thing i can do is to strive to be a better daughter... ----Stef stopped rambling at 14:24 --Link to Post |
| 12.8.07 |
 Day 193 of Project 365... self-declared slacking day... ate noodles at home... then went to watch Stephen King's 1408 with his cousin and his gf... went back home... where they played 16-tile mahjong... and i went to buy taiwan sausages and instant noodles with his aunt... the former coz my family loves them... it was a pretty nice last day in Taiwan... the weather was too mean to miss it too much... i miss the food though... this is the pork ribs rice that the guy always eats when he goes Taipei... pretty yummy stuff... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 11.8.07 |
 Day 192 of Project 365... it was dan shui lao jie with his cousins today... felt ultra sick... felt like motion sickness... but didnt quite understand it coz it was only a 40 min MRT ride... which is peanuts compared to 24hrs to Las Vegas.... didnt eat much... especially after a full breakfast and lunch at his granny's... still... managed to sneak in a few bites here and there... so i have to agree... Taiwan is really good for their street snacks... the taiwanese love their doll-catching machines too... his cousin caught one and gave it to me... and their bball machines... which i suck at... took a bus to their Fisherman's Wharf... where we walked.... took pictures with the new bridge... and took a ferry back to dan shui... took us an entire day... sore feet and tired eyes... his cousin ta powed tian bu la and yan shu ji for us... then went to play pool... i was so tired i slept through the entire thing... in the middle of nowhere... i think it's jet lag... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 10.8.07 |
 Day 191 of Project 365... finally met up with the guys.... at the National Palace Museum... or so i believe it is called... pretty interesting place... although the guy gets bored of such things... i kinda want to go to the museum in SG too... have been wanting to do so for a long time... went to shih lin for food after that... settled all our cravings... oyster mee sua... oyster omelette... super huge chicken cutlet... bubble tea... met the rest for BBQ buffet... ate lots of fatty meat... lots of unlimited Hagen Daaz... got a bad stomachache... went home... felt better... went over to his cousin's place... played some really awesome Wii... the bunny game is hilarious... walked home late... i so want a Nintendo Wii... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 9.8.07 |
 Day 190 of Project 365... arrived at his granny's house super early in the morning... like 7am in the morning... kinda got settled in... then we took her to breakfast at a little cafe near her place... the area is crawling with awesome boutiques and quaint cafes... it is, afterall, the Orchard Road of Taipei... the photo was meant to be a really touching shot of the guy supporting his granny... showcasing his filial piety and traits of a good grandson... but evidently... it didnt turn out that way... coz his granny looks as if she is squirming away from him... like he's some weird stranger who picked up the wrong arm... i guess it's still sweet... especially when you know how the guy is like... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 8.8.07 |
 Day 189 of Project 365... heading over to Taipei... this is the day we lose due to the time difference... so here's the first picture i took when we got off the plane... the guy looking for directions regarding the bus to take to his granny's place in Taipei... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 7.8.07 |
 Day 188 of Project 365... here's a picture of some of the guy's cousins and us... it's our last day here in the US of A... pretty sad... and not very happy to go... especially since his relatives were really nice and took very good care of us... the guy would probably miss the weather... miss the SGD1 Hagen Daaz ice cream bars... and i will miss nice things to take pictures of... quite frankly... i really like his family... the whole extended family deal... thousands of miles apart... yet they are even closer to each other than my own extended family is... i guess i am also opening up more... getting involved in conversations rather than just keeping quiet like i did 2 years ago in Taipei... it's how i want my old age to be with my siblings... still close... and still lots of fun... the whole US experience can pretty much be described to be life-changing... i think i grew up a little... although i'm still horribly emotional... and still expect too much of people... we just about made back the amount of money we pumped in for the trip... i'm glad i didnt take/borrow money from my parents... coz it made me treasure every little bit more... i guess it also relieves me of the guilt trip i would have been on... enjoying myself thousands of miles away while my parents work hard for the money... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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i just realised that i've been spending 24/7 with the guy for the last 3 months... and trying to think whether it has been pleasant or otherwise... i thought i would be rather sick of the guy.... coz we are quite the opposites... but it has been pretty awesome... coz he gives me his blanket when i say that i am cold... minus his inability to wake up early in the morning... truth is... i think i like him more than i ever did... it's crazy how many people mentioned the idea of marriage to us in this trip... especially when they find out we're heading to Vegas... not that it excites me... but it's funny coz we never thought about it before... maybe in their culture they kinda rush a lot into such things... thus explaining the high divorce rates... i think we're into our 32nd month together... aint a long time... and still a long way ahead of us... but as of now... life is sweet...  ----Stef stopped rambling at 22:00 --Link to Post |
| 6.8.07 |
 Day 187 of Project 365... it was a super expensive mall today... so all i could afford was Coldstone ice cream! Cookie doughn't you want some... and Cheesecake Fantasy... and the guy bought hair stuff from his favourite brand, Aveda... and 3 bottles of shampoo for his mom... the stuff are pretty expensive but all his relatives swear by the brand... found another Abercrombie store here... and the guy found jeans going at 39.90... thank goodness for the additional luggage his aunt gave us... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 5.8.07 |
 Day 186 of Project 365... shopping again!!! this time with the shops we have been dying to see... the outlet shops of Abercrombie and Hollister! yeay! bought a couple of knits i really like and could use for work... even the kids section's clothes fit! happy happy! didnt buy much from Hollister... but got another pair of jeans at 26.99 from Levis... am a happy bambi! picked up his second aunt who flew in from Boston having just visited her son... so we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner... they kinda knew the owner as well... so we had a free meal! starting to get used to the "Chinese" food here in the US.... but i guess nothing beats those at home... mommy! please plan Boon Tong Kee into my food itinerary! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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hi mummy and daddy! just another shout-out to let you know i'm fine... been shopping a lot the last three days... and you are really going to boil at the amount i've spent... but i guess my rational is that i'm in the US just this once... and i've probably shopped a whole year's worth of clothes... somemore a lot of brands SG dont have... and a lot of shopping was done at outlet stores... so they are very much cheaper than usual... will be flying to Taipei in a couple of nights... Lu's aunt gave us a large luggage to bring our additional stuff back... including stuff that we are helping them bring back to SG and Taipei... will call you tomorrow when i double confirm my flights... love you guys and miss you! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:30 --Link to Post |
| 4.8.07 |
 Day 185 of Project 365... it was outlet shopping at Gilroy Premium Outlets today! quite interesting that we bumped into our friends from Yellowstone there... the guy's aunt brought us to In-N-Out Burger for lunch.... coz she said once we ate there we will never eat another burger at Mac again... and it was true... the burgers were awesome.... but we headed to Mac for dinner later that day... coz we wanted a quick meal so that we can finish out shopping... *shrugs* have been totally looking forward to this day coz of COACH! but the guy was wrong about coach at 20USD... so i didnt get no bags... this is 2 of the 3 items i bought at Coach... a lanyard... a multi-case (almost a wallet)... and a name-card holder for work... spent alot of time at DKNY Jeans as well... coz you would too if you saw they had jeans going at 12.97 + 25% off! but those were for guys so only the guy bought a pair... i got a tee i really like for 5bucks... and male tees were 5bucks + 25% off too... top i could really use for work at 15 + 25% off... his aunt liked it too... so she got one as well... i managed to replace my Fossil watch at 30USD... which works out to less than 50SGD... it's not the exact same design but it was one of two the guy was considering back in SG... found really awesome undergarments that were a steal at 12.99 + 50% off... and many more things... the three of us... the guy, his cousin from TW and myself... swiped almost 2k off his aunt's credit card... mom & dad... please dont worry... the bulk of it is them needing to buy gifts for relatives... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 3.8.07 |
 Day 184 of Project 365... it was a little more shopping at Union Square... i got my favourite flats at just 8 bucks! beat that! then the bunch of us split up coz his cousin was rushing to the airport for a flight to Las Vegas... and we were off to the CalTrain station for the ride back to Sunnyvale... the ride was damn comfortable... like in aeroplane sorta comfortable and without the squeeze... but instead of dropping where we were supposed to... the guy's uncle got us to stop at Palo Alto where he picked us up... and brought us to Stanford University campus... which is damn huge can.... the place itself is pretty awesome... and we checked out its size on the map... think its at least a few miles wide.... we went to Stanford Shopping Mall after that... where we windowshopped the expensive brands... and i got a steal at Banana Republic... skinny jeans at 23USD... at a proper store leh.... think the original price was 98... *pengz* from there it was home sweet home for a fantastic home-cooked meal... talking about food... we've been eating mostly at Chinese restaurants and his uncle cooks yummy Chinese food.... so i think i'm not that homesick for SG food anymore... still... i'm looking forward to going home... yumm yumm! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 2.8.07 |
 Day 183 of Project 365... it was the piers today... had to have the famed clam chowders in bread bowls.... so we went to the Boudin Cafe... where we shared clam chowder, roast beef sandwich and a sourdough pepperoni pizza... the area is really like a theme park in disguise... 3D rides, carousels,aquarium, sea lions, fantastic scenery and cute shops... found stalls selling stuff like paintings and amazing photographs... so the guy bought some of the Golden Gate Bridge and one of lightning hitting the water... i got some tshirts as souvenirs and Ghirardelli chocolates coz they are pretty awesome... imagine walking into the shop and getting free samples of their squares... full squares! and they sell those like 9 for $6... ice cream there was fantastic as well... had a hot fudge sundae and a butterscotch one too... the latter with dark chocolate fudge... dinner was at a quaint little italian restaurant... the decor was loud and cramped but it kinda added warmth and coziness to the place... their crab salad costs 30bucks but it was worth every penny... yum yum! it's really great that the guy's cousin lives in such an accessible and convenient place... cabs here are damn expensive... $3.10 starting fare and $0.45 for every fifth of a mile... so the walking kinda adds to the unique SF experience as well... especially along the hills of SF... having drove up and down the steepest ones around... we know which to then avoid... will be headed for Union Square again tomorrow... i kinda wanna hit more shops... then outlets here i come! ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
| 1.8.07 |
 Day 182 of Project 365... finally in San Francisco... the weather here has been amazingly cold... especially since the guy's cousin lives superbly close to the Piers... we can see Alcatraz from her large windows... and Chinatown is within walking distance too... his uncle gave us a driving tour... went to the Golden Gate Bridge... checked out Lombard Street... then dropped us off at Union Square... the Orchard Road of SF... where we met his cousin... the place is sprawling with shops... and it's hard trying to control myself so that i can do serious shopping over the weekend... where we'll be doing frantic outlet shopping... Coach, Abercrombie, Hollister and other big name brands... dinner was at Chinatown where 4 of us had lobster and other dishes for 30+++... which is freaking worth it can? less than 10USD per head and you get lobster... mmmm mmmm.... SF is really my favourite place on our USA adventure... if only i can spend more time here... like months... hur hur... ----Stef stopped rambling at 23:59 --Link to Post |
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and to mommy and daddy... i am doing okay! sorry i havent been calling... not that i'm too busy playing but havent got much internet to use around here... now i'm finally at Lu's aunt's place... so i'm using the internet but it's 3am Singapore time so i better not call... we'll be heading over to his cousin's place in SF to stay a couple of nights... then coming back to San Jose for the weekend... and regarding my school module allocation... my friend has done everything for me already... thanks Suli! so i'm all set for the new school year... i miss you guys lots... will be home in less than 2 weeks! Piao Ji fish soup on the day of my return please! ----Stef stopped rambling at 14:00 --Link to Post |
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