Sunday, May 06, 2007

trip down south.

portland was just a typical american city. it's oregon's answer to seattle. it has a rather quiet downtown. it has quirky neighbourhoods. it has mountains all over. just like seattle. so we didn't really see anything new or out of this world.

but i still love my portland trip. i had great company. 6 of us singaporeans - shian chi, yinyin, suhui, jieying, alvin the only guy and me. we had a room to ourselves at hostelling international. it was fun. there were great things to do too.

the damien rice concert was amazing. i'm biased because i like him. but objectively speaking he overused his alternative distortion microphone wayyy too much. i don't know why he liked it so much because it made his voice lose all its essence and warmth. so the best parts of the concert were the songs with just him, and him playing the piano or guitar, with the warm sounds of the cello. ahhhh. and those familiar songs from O. i'm surprised he only did 2 songs from his new album 9. the ever popular 9 crimes, and me, my yoke and i. banter was less than the singapore concert. but i now know the stories behind several songs of his. and me having a general admission ticket means i had to stand in front with all the tall caucasians. so shian chi and i managed to squeeze rather front so we got a pretty good view.

i love great concerts. sometimes i wished i lived in US just because the concerts are so frequent and cheaper too.

there was tons of shopping done in portland too. i love it when oregon state is tax free. why isn't washington state tax free too? 8.8% is really too much. shian chi and i shopped a lot downtown, buying stuff for ourselves and gifts for friends back home.

and the other highlight of the trip was our roadtrip to mt. st. helens. that legendary volcano in our geography textbooks that blew its top in 1980. it was AMAZING. the drive up was amazing. just 2.5 hours of mountain ranges and valleys and meandering streams and rivers and a crater lake. it's good that we rented a big Ford Expedition SUV to fit all 6 of us. so we could stop anywhere along the road shoulder to take pictures. and roadtrips are always fun 'cos you get to sing songs and snack and eat. and the rest slept a lot in the car but i couldn't 'cos i was the navigator and the one that keeps alvin the driver from speeding or dozing off or veering into the wrong lane. we made 2 stops at 2 visitors' centers but we couldn't get to the one closest to the volcano 'cos it was still closed for winter. darn. we were just a few days away.

then we decided to hit the factory outlets! we knew from friends who have been to portland that the outlets are not accessible by public transport. so since we have the car, why not right? and all of us were shopaholics. hurhur. including alvin. with no tax and a huggee factory outlet with many many shops, it was irresistable. but i already spent a LOT at downtown portland. so shian chi and i bought very little. haaa. and on the way home to portland we got detoured off I-5 by the police and almost lost our way. but we kept our cool in the dark dark roads and highways and found the way home. had nice chinese food for dinner at chinatown too. =)

then on the last day we were supposed to return the car with a full tank. so we drove around town looking for a gas station for like 30 minutes. and we were late for returning the car. lots of drama that morning. haha. but we managed to talk our way through to prevent them from charging us another day. muaaahahaaaa.

love the portland trip. =)

now i'm at gerri's house. long story. will blog another day. my sisters are here! and i love gerri's kids. =) the sweetest ones i've seen.

Labels: portland, travels

This girl posted at 12:42 PM

Thursday, March 29, 2007

a moment of silence.

Labels: new york city, thoughts, travels

This girl posted at 10:35 AM

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

in transition.

there are tons of pictures to be showcased here. spring break was a great experience. coupled with tons of photos which i can't possibly upload everything here. so you'll only see a selected few photos, some of which have impacted me in a big way. some of which tell a beautiful story. that's the aspiring photojournalist in me. hurhur.

meanwhile, for some contemplative thoughts while i settle my subjects for spring quarter and stand in awe of spring's arrival.

while viewing the exhibits in the White House visitors' center in Washington DC, i saw something that literally made me stop in my tracks and ponder.

one of america's great presidents, John F. Kennedy said,


so this is america's stand. on the other end of the spectrum, is singapore. so maybe the government is really, indirectly, afraid of us.

Labels: spring, thoughts, travels

This girl posted at 3:11 PM

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

spring is here. almost.

some cherry blossom trees are in full bloom at some obscure parts of campus. and hence they really stand out. i'm always so mesmerized by its beauty.

spring is almost here. it's said that before spring arrives, winter has to unleash its power one last time before packing its bags till next winter. so that power is being unleashed right now. night temperatures are falling and parts of washington state are snowing and ice-flaking at night. the wind is merciless, with wind chill temperatures going as low as -2 degrees, with the sun shining bright.

nevertheless, i'm hoping that season passes soon so the beauty of spring can come.

not that i dislike winter. it has its perks. like the cold air and the warm feeling of snuggling in bed or clutching a hot steaming cup of latte. not to mention winter sports.

but spring brings a whole new world. the flowers bloom and temperatures are cool. i get to wear nice clothes other than jeans and sneakers/boots. i get to go whale-watching and tulip-fields viewing. i get to visit the national parks and volcanoes and go hiking. i get to go wide-water rafting.

not to mention a weekend trip to portland at the end of april to shop and watch damien rice in concert. =) =)

***


on the school front, i finally finally finished my drug discovery final exam paper. i rewarded myself by going to ikea with suzanne to eat swedish meatballs and we ended up having a great adventure. after coming home but still really excited abt my ikea trip and good food awaiting for me at home, wanquan stumbles into the room and invited us to xiaojun's farewell party at venom, a hip club at downtown seattle.

so within minutes i threw on my new heels from aldo factory outlets, grabbed my new bag from levi's factory outlets and my coat (not new. haha.) and was out the door where tony, our singaporean friend studying at UW full-time was waiting with his car. drinks were more expensive than in vancouver. didn't drink much 'cos i'm a good girl. but the dancing was good. i had good dance partners, girls. the men are more blatant with picking up girls and dancing with them. much more daring than the guys back in singapore. its a different culture. either that or they're desperate. hurhur. went out for supper. my legs were SO tired after dancing in heels for 2 hours straight. supper of chinese food at chinatown was good! and it was 4am when we got home. after i fell asleep at 5.15am...

at 930am the next day, my morning call woke me up. we were going to the factory outlets. this time i was bringing those that didn't get to go the last time. and yes i bought stuff again!! someone help me.

i like my weekend. sunday was spent at home. resting from an action-packed friday and saturday. i think being on exchange is supposed to be like this. u work hard during the week, and you get to have a great time during the weekend. whether it is traveling, or exploring our surrounding cities, or eating, shopping, dancing, drinking.

***

i learn more and more with each experience. i see things from the sidelines, from another perspective. i've learnt to hold fast to my faith and my love for God and His Word. I've learnt to depend on Him on strength and comfort at the worst of times. and i feel so happy that this is just the start of this beautiful journey. and i really want to be able to walk worthy of Him.

***


vancouver was a blast. canada is just so scenic and beautiful and idyllic. lots of mountains and plains. as far as the eye can see. vancouver is just as happening, if not more, than seattle. our hostel was very nice! and clean. and right at the heart of downtown vancouver. with pubs and clubs around us everywhere. both nights we went out to sit at a pub and talk and have fun. drinks were cheap so everyone was happy.


our whirlwind tour of vancouver started and ended at chinatown. with good chinese food! cheap too. we also visited lynn canyon suspension bridge, walked the nature trail to see the twin falls. we went to lonsdale quay public market in north vancouver. we also went to the other market, grainville island market. i love walking through such markets. there's always something nice and unique and quirky to look at. plus the gorgeous vegetables and fruits and cheese and fresh produce and flowers. and good food...=) we also went shopping at downtown. haha as usual.

alright. school work beckons. do check my pictureblog for more pictures of life in seattle. toodles for now.

Labels: damien rice, seattle, spring, travels, UW

This girl posted at 11:16 AM