Frightful - entry drafted on 31st Dec 17 #lateposting

I wouldn't say that I'm a 100% fearless person. I used to be fearless when I sat on roller coasters. As we age, we know what is fear and tend to be more cautious and prudent over every thing which we wouldn't feel when we were younger. 

Then we heard the news of a Singaporean family accident in Grand Canyon while we were in Yosemite showed me how vulnerable our lives are when we're driving in foreign countries.

Now I know why mom was chanting when we were driving in NZ. I did twice in the US! In the dark into Grand Canyon and out of Death valley. Though it was the same route we took 16 years ago, but I kindda forgot what we were driving along in the Park before reaching our hotel. Are we driving next to the rim of the canyon? Where one wrong move may land us down below in the canyon? 

Hubby drove on most trips, and I had to help him keep a lookout most time. Firstly, he is quite a reckless harried driver. Secondly, nobody was looking out for him or trying to keep him awake.
The time I was chanting (Yes! I was chanting prayers as hubby was driving) prayers was when we had to get out of Death Valley fast. It was a last minute decision to check out at 4.30pm, so we were driving in the dark. And OMG! I didn't know it was that huge! 2 hours later, we were still in Death Valley!! We were driving on 190 through Panamint to Lone Pine. Lots of winding roads, I had to remind him to go slow. The other two adults napped in the car. (Which explains why I'm hesistant in him driving in snowy conditions. His pride! Didn't want to learn how to put snow-chain, claims he knows how but ... in actual fact didn't know. Do you think I'd like to risk my and my kids' lives?)     

I’m always learning new things everyday. Prior to trip I read about this but having being so used to having lights everywhere in small Singapore, I never realised how dark dark means. It’s really 手伸不见五指. Freaking scary and I was chanting myself while the other 2 adults slept. I can’t believe it! How complacent. I’m not only worried about the straight road which can put anyone sleepy, what more someone behind the wheels but also on the curvy roads where one wrong turn might land us dead.

Death Valley has terrains that we can see gradient slopes going up and down in the daytime. So when driving in the night... I had to keep reminding him to go slow. Now you should understand why I was so frightened and started chanting prayers. 

Booked for 2018 - entry drafted on 18th Jan 18 #lateposting#

The year has rolled into the 3rd week and our holiday for year end is booked. 

Last year, we booked our holiday on 18th Feb. Record breaking, this year we booked on 18th Jan. Maybe 2019's holiday will be booked on 18th Dec 18? 

But..... I just remembered. We will miss the registration day in Secondary school. Need to send a proxy.  I hope I will also remember to ask hubby to give me auto-roam during the holiday, as school allocation results will be sent out on SMS. 

Free n Easy

The girls wanted F&E again, of course that was subjected to which countries and whether it was safe to do so. 

Listing down

The girls like it in US so much that initially they wanted to go to east coast this year. The man is not keen, citing that NYC is too expensive and the hotels are lousy. Well.... emm...... that's coz' you weren't willing to spend (plus I don't mind 3* hotels as long as I have a bed and a place to shower) for the atas hotels the last time we went. 

They listed down :

1) US - East coast + Niagara Falls. Which che-che went before but she says she has minute recollection of the places she saw. Lil' one kept exclaiming "but I wasn't born yet!!" Maybe it was also the fact that his wife was too overzealous the last time and planned the journey in such way that he had to drive for 7-8 hours that he has phobia. He was livid! Well...... the recent US trip, he planned the max drive time  6 hours but we stretched with constant breaks in between.   

2) Midwest US - I think coz che-che wants to cover more National Parks. But I'm worried about the snow as midwest usually snows earlier than anywhere and it's snow blizzard. 

3) Germany - Che-che has been asking to go Germany since she started taking History. She's keen in the concentration camps. In the man's eyes, nothing to see in concentration camps. I'm beginning to feel the presence of  a 2nd ME!! Though I didn't take History (I hated History) but I was very interested in the Holocaust.

4) France - never been to France

5) Japan - getting nearer and nearer to Singapore. Trying their luck with daddy as long as he don't suggest China or Malaysia.

6) Wait! He did suggest somewhere in the northern part of China. Then che-che suggested Russia.  Honestly I don't mind, I'd love to go Russia one day. But it's dangerous for a F&E. I remember one year he wanted to bring the girls to Serbia and Croatia (by tour), think it was in 2016? So was hoping he's suggest this place again. 

7) In my mind, I also wanted to go nearer to Arctic. I want to see the Northern Lights before I die, before I cannot tahan the cold.  

8) He suggested Turkey, but we had to join a tour if they wanted Turkey. 
9) NZ - che-che wants to go back to the same place again. 大了所以比较董事, she will have the second chance of re-looking and understanding the places better. Lil' one has no recollection of the place coz' she was too young. 

Surprise surprise

I was surprised when out of the blue he mentioned "how about Amsterdam". OMG! Did he read my mind?? I've been missing Amsterdam since last year, hoping to plan for a solo short trip when the girls' major exams are over. Generally I miss Europe. Every place is so different, I miss Switzerland; I miss Italy, London. But yet I've been wanting to go Amsterdam more than anything. I was still thinking if I should bring lil' one there, extend the days after PSLE Marking Days. But sometimes I shudder at the thought of bringing this lil' grandma. She is ahem..... quite troublesome. Not a sightseeing person, only likes to walk in shopping centres; sit down; eat; pee; poo. 

Final destination  

He said he'll consider the airfares first. 

Today, he came home with a printed e-ticket to Amsterdam and back from France.  

It seems so recent that I was mugging through the nights planning the travel journal. I will have to do so again. This time round, better have everything written down where to go. The man is the relax as he goes; whereas che-che and me is like must see everything. But I have an idea that we could still hit the western part of Germany and perhaps where the 3 countries (Germany, Belgium and Netherlands) borders meet. Although I've sat on countless numbers of trains travelling in Europe while I was flying, sometimes crossing the borders I'm still fascinated when I see the officers get onto the train. Baarle-Nassau and Baarle-Hertog has caught my attention many years back when I read about the cafe that sits in the middle. Although I've been to Dreiländereck in Basel (where Switzerland, Germany and France meet) thrice, I wouldn't mind going the fourth time.  

Meanwhile... let's get down on ground and study hard. The girls can dream and think about this later after their exams. No time for daydreaming.       

         

That moment ! - entry first drafted on 23rd Dec and re-edit #lateposting#

That moment I felt, a step back (actually it was more than one step) I took when I was drawn into space. Literally! It’s been many years since I saw such sight that I almost forgot there are stars in the sky. 

We were getting out of the car outside our room in Grand Canyon, I looked just above the roof and beyond miles away are countless dust specks. My jaw dropped! Having lived my life in light-polluted Singapore; spent the few days in LA and well-litted Las Vegas, I was suddenly blinded by the darkness and some sparkly hope in the sky showing me the way. Ha!
At that moment the man was more eager to enter the room, the girls jumped down from the car and che-che had to exclaim so loudly "wow! mummy! camera camera!" when I had my hands full with food items. Honestly, I was really angry at that impatient girl. How can she expect me wring the camera bag out of me when I have my hands full (and hers empty). Kept asking me for the camera. I simply dumped the heavy food bags onto the floor near the door and went out again to marvel at the sky. I understand that girl's excitedness coz' she's never seen anything like this before.  

I've always been so interested in looking at stars. With our hectic life in Singapore, there is simply no time for us to stop and look into the sky. Anyway, even if I had the time, I can see more streetlights and headlights than the stars. I never thought that it was possible to see stars in Singapore but che-che told me in the darkest spot where she went camping with the school, she was able to see stars and the nice big moon. I guess I must have rubbed my interest in her. She spent the night (2am) outside the room in the dark with another friend and admiring the sky while everyone else were counting sheeps (and perhaps one classmate - busy counting the number of Hail Marys she recited)

I'm not good in identifying the constellations because they all look sparkly the same to me. And how would I know if they are stars or satellites? And it's not like I have the opportunity to practice in Singapore every night right? Though I know I would get a telescope if we lived in a penthouse. 

My interest started a long long time ago
I love going into the cockpit on night flights and have seen the stars and milky way from there before. I remember talking to some pilots and I bet they were trying hard to entertain me when I asked them questions. Obviously, they weren't interested in the stars or some rubbish stuffs this stewardess was talking and asking. Oh well..... 
I rubbed shoulders with stars onboard but still I'm not so attracted to them as compared to the celestial stars. After the 911 incident, there was no way any crew can step into the cockpit.   

Anyway, back to the time in Grand Canyon. I was quite distracted and kept going out of the room. It's been so long since I saw the pitch of black with twinkling stars. Although we travel every year, we were mainly in the cities. This is the only time we travelled out into the National Parks and I must say the girls love it. Che-che loves nature, ignorant lil' one is more afraid of encountering bears. That girl ah! So timid. 

Out of the three NP we went, only GC and DV are designated International Dark Sky Park (IDSP). Woah! Sounds alien right? Basically it gives me an idea of how dark 伸手不见五指 DV would be. They do have stargazing activity but we didn't join any! As we arrived at each destination at close to 6pm, the only thing I wanted to do was to shower and sleep. I didn't think much about joining the experts. I should have! 

Two regrets :

1) I should have dragged myself and che-che out somewhere in the dark (and maybe get mauled to death by the bears/wildlife) out of our accomodation coz we have no idea when we will travel F&E or able to see the sky filled with stars.
2) I should have done a better research prior to trip on the camera settings. Infact, I did task che-che to do it since she was free (and she's the one wanting to bring the camera) and I was busy doing up the travel journal. But it seems like she didn't do a good job, probably she used the internet time to do her own things? In the end, I realised that I needed a smaller aperture of 2.8 but both lens has a min of 3.5. No wonder I couldn't get any pictures of the stars

I thought to myself as I stood outside (I should have brought out a chair and sit outside that time) if I could sit outside everyday and stargaze it would mean that my life has slowed down. That will be the time when they girls leave the house. For years, I've been so busy with the girls and household, did I miss out anything more important than that? What's my perspective on life? Have I given so much in return for nothing? If my life would have been different and carefree if I had not settled down and have children, perhaps still flying close to the stars and UV radiation. Would I have achieved more and lived my life to the fullest? As I held my breath and gaze into the sky, suddenly it seems like everything was still (though the earth is still rotating), I felt so connected to nature. If I am lying down on the ground, I bet I'll be reaching my hands out as if trying to reach for the stars.     

Rubbed interest into che-che

I have no idea when she was interested in astronomy. Maybe when I was flashing flashcards to lil' one? I made my own flashcards then, and constellation was one of the topics I covered. I should have seen it coming when she insisted we had to go Griffith Observatory in LA. At first, I thought she was crazy enough to go there after watching Lala Land but she told me she wants to go in. Meaning she has some interest. Alas, our time there was short coz everyone else isn't as interested as us. What to do? This is partially the reason why during my flying days I like to travel alone.    

I know since I have a person with common interest, we can go together next time. Can go with che-che coz we are quiet n probably talk when necessary. If lil’ one is with us, she’ll want to go back to hotel to sleep. Or she yaks too much that I get interrupted while I’m absorbing all the earth energy into me. Making me frustrated that I’ll want to commit suicide or make myself prone to being taken away by aliens. Haha! 

These photos are taken by hubby's friend. He went so fast, we didn't even get to go to this section. But perhaps coz we were taking our time reading the information (and for me-some extra time needed to explain to the blur sotong lil' one)

12-inch Zeiss refracting telescope in the Observatory Dome. I wasn't able to take a picture of this, Samsung phone has better camera aspects. Taken by hubby's friend. He has good eye for photography.

Taken outside Griffith Observatory. Look at the city lights. And there were blinking lights in the sky too! Aircrafts arriving and departing LAX airport. So busy! 

Need to be well-informed

In order to rub some interest to lil' one, I bought 2 books for her. It's really cute and shows you the orientation of the Little Dipper in different season. Once che-che thought what she saw was Big Dipper aka Ursa Major but when she looked at the book (when we got home in Singapore), she realised she was looking at Little Dipper.  

This planisphere caught my attention and I bought this for che-che and myself. This is good for the dummies, like us. At Lone Pine, I was trying to use it and commented that I needed a light to see if I've turned to the correct date. I was surprised that che-che shouted out to me to use a red light instead; I can't use torch light. She knew! 

The Night Sky is a rotating star finder- or planisphere that allows the user to recognize the constellations for any time of night, any day of the year. The sky appears to rotate (due to the rotation and orbital motion of the earth), so to be successful recognizing the constellations a beginner needs to know which stars are above the horizon at any time.

This is the full-sized version of The Night Sky suitable for the 40°-50° latitude zone (northern United States and parts of Europe). We have versions for the following latitude zones: 50°-60°, 40°-50°, 30°-40°, 20°-30°, and the Southern Hemisphere. We also have pocket-sized versions available for the same latitude zone.

Preparation
In order to help me (and to be more well prepared the next time), I've downloaded SkyWalk2, Sky Live, Moon Phase in my handphone. SkyWalk2 is god-sent, it has never been so easy to spot the planets, stars or satellites. Che-che followed suit and downloaded the same apps. I also get email updates on EarthSky News.  

Here's the first constellation I spotted - Orion in GC.

I am definitely going to get the correct lens and firmer tripod soon. And be more well-prepared with warmer accessories to keep myself warm if we are going stargazing next time in the winter. Won't freeze and die outside. This looks good, right? 

    

House Hunters International - entry drafted on 7th Aug 17 #lateposting#

Hmm....... hubby has been taking interest in watching this. And with such low price, some can even find a house facing a lake. Whatever it is, houses are much cheaper there compared to Singapore.

Is he thinking of moving?? I hope so. Move better the education system make me or the girls go insane.

National Parks - entry drafted on 26th Dec 17 #lateposting#

I noticed that che-che loves National Parks as much as I do. Hoping we'll have the chance to cover more parks in this lifetime. We bought an annual pass, which enables us to enter more than 2000 federal recreation sites. Each NP would cost us $30 per car, we went 3 and wasn't sure if we would go the 4th - Sequoia and Kings Canyon NPark. Even so, we have covered the cost for 3 parks. 

This was partially the reason why the girls wanted to go US again in 2018, so that we can use the pass again. 

I scanned in the card into the computer for keepsake, I passed the original card to che-che, the garang guni girl.  

In G Canyon, che-che saw this book and wanted to start collecting the travel stamps  

And then lil' one wanted one as well. So got her a different book

Hopefully more National Parks are coming our way soon.

Hello and Goodbye Mr Sun - entry drafted on 28th Dec 17 #lateposting#

Though I don't really welcome the Sun glaring and heating up our tropical Singapore, I do enjoy Mr Sun in US. 

Sunrise and sunset 

We watched one sunrise in Grand Canyon and three sunsets - first one in Santa Monica; second in Grand Canyon and the last in Carmel. When was the last time I watched any sunrise or sunset? It was really serene watching sunrise and sunsets. Better still when the place itself is beautiful.   

Che-che loves it (since nobody has the chance or time to be so relaxed back home) and one day she asked me a very good question :

"why our sunset colours in Singapore is so boring and different but it has a wide variety of colours here?" My lamest and perhaps ‘trying to act smart in front of her’ answer is pollution. Ha! Pollution makes the best excuse for anything.

Does this answer her question? 
Click here 

Here's another read on what determines sunrise and sunset colours

There are more links in the web to answer her question which I will not have the time to find out until when I retire... haha! retire from the girls. Meanwhile enjoy these lovely photographs che-che took.

15th December (Friday)
Sunset in Santa Monica pier. Many people gathered, just like us, waiting for the sunset. Che-che took a timelapse on her phone but her hands were really shaky, I got really giddy after watching it. I think I shall get her a tripod next time. Anyway, she was a little smarter after that, for her sunrise in Grand Canyon, she brought along a box to prop her phone up. 

At 5.14pm, Mr Sun got drowned in the waters. Goodbye tough man, I know you'll be up again tomorrow.

20th December (Wednesday)

Sunrise at Yavapai Point in Grand Canyon. Excited che-che woke us up, wanting to watch sunrise but the two old folks (us) weren't keen. In the end, somebody had to drive her out right? So everyone went along.. and so at 4+, we went out to the Visitor Centre. The 2 men went to enquire on a good spot, we were asked to turn back to the lodge as we're too early. I made a check - sunrise is at 7.35am the night before, did mention we're early but nobody listens to me. All geh-kiang... 

No regrets for dragging my fat ass out of the lodge. It's beautiful.   

Sunset at 5.15pm Hubby and lil' grandma wanted to rest. So left with the rests of us. SH, hubby's friend, drove. Initially I had wanted to head to Desert View to get a picture of sunset together with the tower. But it's too far away, so I suggested to the western side - Hermit's Rest. But midway, we stopped at Abyss when we saw the lookout point is equally nice. Turned out it was a good decision, coz Mr Sun was eager to go back to see his Mrs. It was really quick, he was gone - just like that. If we had headed to Hermit's Rest, we would have missed seeing him committing suicide in the canyon.

We spotted Mrs Moon behind the clouds. She was playing hard to get. Click here for timing 

22nd December (Friday)  

Oh yes! I totally forgot this. Death Valley. We were making our escape out of  Death Valley (checked out a day earlier) coz there wasn't any water. Haha! Certainly we weren't caught in this situation. 

Death Valley doesn't sound like we won't make it out alive. Just that the water pipe burst in our lodging and we all couldn't shower. They said it'll probably be fixed by 5pm but we didn't want risk any chances of going to sleep without a nice shower. Plus hubby wanted to trim his driving time the next day to Three Rivers, so decided at last minute to head to Lone Pine. 

We saw the sunset as we were making a dash out of Death Valley. Sunset at 5.17pm No wonder the girls said the colours are so different. If somebody needs to paint the sunrises and sunsets, they need to mix alot of colours.

Che-che took this on iphone, I posted this in Facebook. Too lazy to find pictures now. Who won the race? Mr Sun! Coz 1 hour later, we were still in DValley!! Driving out from Panamint range. Mr Sun has gone to paktor with his Mrs.       

26th December (Tuesday) 

After 4 days of break (we didn't catch any in Three Rivers or Yosemite) , we caught our last sunset in the US in Carmel arriving the area around 5+. With almost perfect execution, we wasted no time and saw Mr Sun setting at 5.20pm

Not bad huh? My girl got the photographer's "eyes"

"Goodbye yolk", the hubby said

 Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens, everyday can end beautifully 
- by Kristen Butler

This is my pano shot. Unedited.

#iamlearningnewthingseveryday#

Grand Canyon - entry drafted on 5th Dec 17 #lateposting#

Che-che asked me last night if we could make a trip to walk on the glass walkway. I was a little shocked at first, why would Grand Canyon need a glass walkway when people can hike down (walk on the real thing) and ... since there is no fence on the edge, miss one step and you'll probably plummet down the canyon, would anyone need the thrill of walking on a glass walkway? 

Truth to be told I have never heard of this before, because ....I guess I'm ignorant. Trying to act smart (even before I made checks), I told her nobody goes to West Rim, the South Rim is more exciting and has much more beautiful view than what she can see in West Rim. The glass walk is nothing when she can stand real close to the edge. Of course I didn't tell her how many accidental deaths there are in Grand Canyon. In my opinion, West Rim is offered to tour groups who wants to "see" Grand Canyon but don't have much time. For most, it would be their first time to Grand Canyon, so they would think that Grand Canyon is what they saw. They wouldn't know that they're missing the most spectacular views in South Rim, better still when you can stay in the park. I guess I was half right in my guess coz a friend went there and later I found out that she went with a tour group. Hmm..... no wonder. 

In  my opinion, I would prefer to go South Rim. It has a higher elevation of 7000 ft. Moreover, this being my second time, if I had seen the better view,  would I "downgrade" my view?


There are always two sides to a coin. Some may applaud this for an easy access to Grand Canyon without travelling for another 2 hours plus into the South Rim. Some likes it coz it's the only place where you can take a helicopter to the bottom of the canyon. 

But I didn't like it when I read that visitors have to pay for a hefty per person price to get in and then another price for the walk, no cameras or handphones allowed, they have a photographer there to help you take photo and then make you buy from them. Another feedback I read is that west rim is not part of the Grand Canyon, and it is owned by Native Americans. One even feedback that it is not properly taken care of. ?? I'm not sure how credible is this feedback.
In South Rim, they charge by per car - $30. And if you have the annual National Park pass, which we have, we are able to offset the charges. 

extracted from : Grand Canyon West - The Skywalk - An Unbiased View
Many visitors wishing to view and tour the Grand Canyon are confused by information about an attraction called Grand Canyon West, sometimes referred to as the West Rim*. It is not in Grand Canyon National Park.

East of Lake Mead near Las Vegas, on the southern side of the Colorado River is the Hualapai Nation Reservation. Their private enterprise is called Grand Canyon West. Grand Canyon West's Eagle Point is where the Grand Canyon Skywalk is located. The Skywalk has been completed and rolled out over the side canyon. It opened March 28, 2007. TheSkywalk is not 4000' above the Colorado River as has been advertised. It is at an elevation about 3000' higher than the river and is on a side canyon.

For anyone contemplating a visit to Grand Canyon West, GrandCanyon.com has a very fair, comprehensive and unbiased video about Grand Canyon West and the Skywalk on their web site (scroll down on their web site). While the page does contain some brief mention of their own tour services, it is primarily a very good overview of what GCW is and what to expect. See this.

Another interesting read on the comparison between the two. Click here.

On This Day ...

5th Jan 2013

Mom with her impromptu birthday cake

@ Novotel Clarke Quay

** Mom's birthday is on 6th. We are always available to meet up for a meal. However this year , for the first time, we have to do a rain check. As che-che is required to be back in school for CCA Fair for half a day and after that I have to bring her to polytechnics' Open House. (She still has no idea what direction she wants to partake.) That will take us some time. 

5th Jan 2013

After a month break in Dec, put the girls back. After much consideration, put them on private with coach. Hopefully che-che gains confidence in water. Been too long already.....

5th Jan 2013

School Week 0 report :
Lil' one did exceptionally well in school. She looked forward to school, only blur didn't know where to go once reach school on 2nd n 3rd day. The PVs n Prefects were there to help. (In this school, parents were only allowed to stay for half hour on 1st day. Couldn't wander to class, absolutely no way to see them. And came to pick up in canteen end of day. 2nd n 3rd day, PVs tell parents to "leave in our hands". New parents n girls were great. No ugly fight between PVs n parents at all. Pick up at respective gates end of day.) 

She finally got to know the name of 'the girl with a Minnie Mouse pencil case'. 

Buddy system starts next week. Good luck to her buddy!! Eat slow; talk too much.

** And she's P6 this year!! How time flies!

5th Jan 2012

Shichida starts at 3pm now. Good news is I don't hv to wait under hot sun for Che-Che outside school. That means ... once a week suntanning. Bad news is I hv to rush back home fast to let them eat n shower b4 abacus class.

** Before, Shichida class starts at 2+pm, so have to pick her up at the gate and go off and reach Toa Payoh just in time. Che-che would always wait for me outside on the seats,doing her school homework and sometimes (she gets exhausted) falls asleep on the seats. There are helpers out there waiting and they would help me look out for her. That time, we still have KZ, so she would quickly shower lil' one; feeds her dinner while I zoned out on the sofa. Taking that short half hour nap is better than nothing. Then I'll send her for her abacus class.
  

5th Jan 2011

Mei-Mei n the oversized bag. Maybe I can put her inside the bag? She came out of room looking funny, like with board hanging on her neck. Then she walk n fell. Ah doh! I complaint to the Principal (joking of course) n he said she's too special; only girl this small size.

** This is my angmoh girl, refuses to speak Chinese then. And you know what? Chinese is her forte now. 

5th Jan 2011

I've labelled her books with her class on it. Still have the files to label. *yawns*. N they haven't inform the girls which Chinese class they're going to? May have to print again tmrw.

Athena told me she likes having someone in her class now, but she misses her BFFEAEAE.

** This is what I hate. And they're still practicing this. I mean...... what's the problem of letting us know before the year ends the girls' class? Every year, I gotta wait until a week or so before I can start typing out the Chinese textbooks and workbooks. And now with banding for Math, is another headache

Why take photos?

Pauline, our companion with us on our US holiday in Dec 2017 told me she doesn't take that much photos when she travels, unlike me. She prefers to use her eyes to see and immerse it there and there. While I agree with her, that spending 10 minutes of using my eyes to view the beautiful scenery and appreciate God's creation and absorbing it whole 

rather than 5 mins and then the next 5 mins looking through the camera screen. God forbid, I don't lose my eyesight next time, it's a way for me to retrieve old photos and look back (though many times it's more depressing when I see a prettier and slimmer me).

But ... still.. why? Photos can make me recall better. Sometimes photos don’t turn out well as usually I take them in a rush so as not to keep people waiting. However at least I'll have 10 decent shots out of 20 right? So these will aid me when I have Alzheimer. Or like what Che-Che says “it’s a photo print of a building that will never exist again, like the one we took in Christchurch. Perhaps too, things that are exposed to the natural elements might tumble into the ocean but at least I got the shots years before.  

I love to take pictures, will be much better if I'm on my own so that I can spend however long I want to snap my desired angles. Hubby is not one who appreciate nature . Che-che and me do. Lil’ one loses patience and keeps complaining. I won’t do lone trips with lil' one coz she’s the boriest traveller!! Che Che appreciates the nature but she’s lazy to adjust the camera properly. Everything is on auto. 

So, over the years I have photos. I'm not too sure if I should say I have alot or too little because over the years videoing / taking pics of the girls become lesser as we all got more busy. But I'm glad that I'm generous in this aspect since I don't develop the photos anymore. So is it a waste of time? Waste of space? No, I'm glad I have multiple disk to save the digital pics and if there isn't enough, I can always buy another hard disk. No problemo!  

And then there's the problem of not finishing the photo album in time. At this time as I'm typing this, I still haven't complete my 2008 NZ photos. I did have the next 2 years holiday photos printed out already so will need to complete them in goodness knows how many years later. So, the photobook comes along, take as much time too cause my photo album is like my travel book like that. The only good thing is I still can scan in tickets, so some things are not virtually lost though the actual stuff would be better.

For the last trip to US - 

Che-Che took some really neat photos. Some I can’t figure out what she’s taking and I had a good laugh. But like I said it’s “through the eyes of a child”. Any possible thing can be turned into a masterpiece. One speck of black pepper from different angles can turn it differently.

DSLR - gave me some very nice shots. Even when I did it on Auto . Esp the ones I took of the girls at Lake Mead. Or maybe coz my girls are pretty models?? Haha! I thought I was prepared when I did some research on how/what to adjust prior to trip. But .... I couldn’t test it till I was there. So constellations is a big letdown. I need to study photography or read a book .... and when I found out my aperture minimum is f/4 when I need f/2.8 for astrophotography. Sigh.... let's pray for another trip soon. 

But this trip I learnt something. Nobody is so troublesome like me, having to carry video camera and all. Airport security checks is like eh......I look more troublesome than anchorwoman. I'm glad iPhone turned some decent shots out. I was surprise that I could take specks of stars from iPhone but not on the other 2 cameras. But yet another day in Lone Pine, I was able to take photo from DSLR. But my hands shook. I was freaking cold, the tripod was in the car and I was lazy to bring it into the room. I regretted. 

Video camera also ran out of space. 9hours leh! How come used up so fast?!  So took the rest on iPhone n will figure out how to extract n edit into a disc.

Disc - old fashioned as what sister said. True. But we did have cds on the young girls and even our travels so I feel it's a pity if I don't continue. 没事找麻烦.  

I hope I can find the time to read up more on photography and hopefully by our next holiday end of this year I can get some nice decent photos on DSLR. 

USA Road Trip 2017

USA here we come! This year we had company as hub's friend and his wife wanted to join us.

Holiday was planned as follows :

Los Angeles - Las Vegas - Grand Canyon - Death Valley NP - Three Forks - Yosemite - Carmel - San Francisco 

Photos are also uploaded in FB, I'm too tired to do a lengthy blog entry here so will probably only add a few pictures here and there that's all. 

TO LAX

13th Dec : Che-che took this newsworthy video of the Southern California wildfire (Cool right?) when we were preparing for arrival  

Should LA be known as the City of Lights instead? So beautiful, the lights looked so endless

Got our ride, which will bring us across states. OMG! The back is all filled up and we've only just started our travel.

We switched to another similar car right after I snapped this picture, but I didn't take pic of the boot of that car so this gives you an idea how we stacked up the bags. 

#thoughts - so full! how to put when we buy more stuffs over the days?#

After switching car 

Girls are really excited with this 7 seater car and told daddy he should buy one. Yah....like who are we going to fetch that we need a big car? 

Our hotel for the next 3 nights. A modest hotel, honestly I don't mind even though I was always used to 5* hotels as a crew. I'm happy as long I have a bed to sleep, a place to shower and a door to lock and keep me safe inside

This is how the room looked like from the outside

Had dinner at Panda Express. The girls hated the food saying it's not chinese food at all.

Must do - drop by supermarket to get our hauls. Our first of dunno how many supermarket trips. Funny thing is I used to have a Ralphs card, then I threw it away. And then as hubby travels to the states very often, he got himself a Ralphs card and a Target card as well.

Girls more enthusiastic in stocking up on tidbits. US supermarkets is a fresh experience for them and I'm sure they love it as much as I do - tho' I prefer to go to the cleaning aid aisles. Haha! 

We saw a very familiar looking canned sausage (I probably took a pic of it and it's somewhere in hard disk) and showed che-che that was her favourite sausage when she was a young kid at 3. We bought for her to rekindle the taste. Ha!   

************

14th Dec : We had breakfast at Denny's which is only a minute drive away. I haven't had Denny's for so many years, since 2002! Turns out we've got new little fans now, the girls love Denny's. After breakfast, hubby dropped che-che and me at Universal Studios while they went window shopping coz they didn't want to go theme park. Anyway, it works out well too since only che-che and I love to take rides and nobody will stop us. And since I didn't have any phone data, I had to liase with hubby on the pickup point and time. 

The wait wasn't that long at all, so we went to the studios backlot tours twice, infact we could have gone for the third time. It was an eye-opener for Che-che, I didn't tell her what to expect it will spoil the fun. I merely gave her hint at the Jaws experience, coz that is very fast, if she don't keep her eyes open she'll definitely miss it.   

Oh this is really interesting as I've never seen this before. She hasn't heard about Psycho movie so told her she needs to watch it if she has the time. The soundtrack is 👍

Norman Bates came with a knife and it was on the same side and where che-che sat. Abit scary lor! That look on his face.  

Although we've been to Harry Potter in Osaka, we were totally spellbound. For my girl, the big fan every nook and corner is just as eye-opening. 

The Forbidden Journey makes you feel like you're alone although we are seated in seats of 4 . We came face to face with the creatures and something scared the hell out of me. And che-che was scared too. (So after the ride I asked her what was the thing that popped out, she told me she closed her eyes. Haha! Make that the 2 of us closed our eyes). And the funny thing is that we never scream when we takes roller coaster rides, so we did the same for this freaking ride. I swear I could have died of heart attack if I didn't ask Buddha to protect me. 

It was relatively easy to go on an excursion with che-che. All I needed to do is to tell her what time we need to leave this place, and she really watches the time. Makes it even easier when she's like me - eat on the go. We don't like to waste time sitting down for a meal, the only thing that is difficult is she may not like the food, so unless she doesn't mind using snack as something to tuck into her stomach for the time being. She makes a good travel companion, I hope she don't make me swallow my words and change my mind on my opinion on her.  

Hubby came late in picking us up which was very worrying as there was no way we could reach him. Turns out there was a massive traffic jam. Welcome to LA!

It was a last minute decision to go Griffith since we're in the vicinity. We didn't even bring our DSLR!  

Griffith Observatory is one of the premier public observatories in the world. We didn't spend that long time in there as we were all so famished.  

 

It's really interesting inside the Observatory, we should make another trip down next time. The highlight of this trip was a chance to see stars in a highly magnified telescope - which I found out later we were looking at Pleiades star cluster. They didn't allow us to take any pictures. 

Since their opening in 1935, more than seven million people have put an eye to Griffith Observatory's original 12-inch Zeiss refracting telescope. More people have looked though it than any other telescope in the world. Located in the roof-top dome on the building's east end, the Zeiss telescope is intended mainly for nighttime viewing by the general public, commonly targeting the Moon, planets, and brightest showpiece objects of our galaxy. A popular public destination when special celestial events occur, more people viewed Halley's Comet and comets Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake through the Observatory's Zeiss telescope than any other telescope on the planet.

A 9½-inch refracting telescope, also by Zeiss, was then added piggyback to the 12-inch in 1955. It aided with research work and is also used for public observation.   

Aircrafts were leaving and arriving in LA one after another non-stop. It looks like a sushi conveyor belt. Immediately Lala Land's song came into my mind "City of stars. Are you shining just for me" The city is filled with light pollution - equally bad as Singapore. Planes' lights on the wings blinkered, the whole scene unfold infront of me looked like countless stars.

The next 2 pics were taken by hubby's friend, SH. He's got good eyes for photography

Pleiades is also known as the 7 sisters is near the Taurus constellation  

I'm speechless! Time to get a telescope and re-start my astronomy interest. I used to like to look into the dark skies during long haul flights. And when I was working in upper deck or in First Class, I like to go into the cockpit and sit down. I've seen milky way from the cockpit, I've seen a few recognisable constellations. Pointed them out to the flight crew and not sure if they knew but they were probably entertaining me lor!   

We were really famished so went to Kopan Ramen at Burbank for dinner.

15 Dec : Had our breakfast at Denny's again before making our city tour. Planned for Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Santa Monica 

Looking for my favourites. And although I've been there more than 6 times I can never remember where the stars are. And where is Donald Trump's star? Not to take picture but to step on it

She used to like Tinker Bell

Came across this gumball machine and told the girls they should try this. They were hesistant but told them if they don't try it here in US, they wouldn't know how it tastes like and at least they tried twisting the knob and see how the gigantic bubble gum travels down the spiral tube.  

    

Saying her prayer for not getting gum- poisoning?

Stopped by this waffles place at Hollywood & Highland for che-che

I'm not filling in every nitty gritty spots/ places we went. Otherwise I'll never be able to complete my blog entry. Took a drive around Beverly Hills before making our way to Santa Monica.  @ 3.23pm , Hubby dropped us off near the 'entrance' before finding a place to park the car. So we had alot of time strolling down the pier. Salty breeze blowing into our face, if only it's summer and I'd wear my sundress (like I have any), sunglasses, big hat, hair flow in the breeze like a hair shampoo model  

Although we're walking towards the coastline, this is different. We're looking at the vast Pacific Ocean not our stinky beach. Plus on holiday mood, a walk along the pier made my legs even more lighter.  

So, we've reached the end of the Route 66 trail but we haven't even started the trail. Well, this trip we planned to drive by a little of Route 66. But I'd love to do full trip starting from Chicago one day

My 2 girls made themselves comfortable  

Wind was strong. Hands weren't stable at all. I had a good laugh when I playbacked their timelapse (feeling giddy). So told them they will use a tripod the next time we're back here 

 @ 4.08pm

Waiting for sunset. This is the only time we sat down for almost an hour waiting. The rests of our sunrise and sunset viewing were ... perfect timing.

 @ 4.40pm

 @ 5.12pm

Different angle of the signboard she took. Normally, people would take straight and centralised angle but she chose this. Think her hands were not stable? And cut that bunch of leaves!!

Walked to Santa Monica Place Shopping Mall for our dinner. We saw this cutie english sheepdog. It's the girls' first time seeing this breed and they loved it. Apparently Merlin has an Instagram account @merlinthemagicmuppet

Then did some water bottle shopping for lil' one and to the supermarket. 

Can go crazy in here

Now that they know what flavours there are here, they made a list and everytime dad goes to US, they'll ask him to buy for them.

Che-che loves Goldfish

My favourite aisle - the typical Ah Soh go to place

16th Dec - On our way to Viva Las Vegas 

It was breakfast in the room, no time for dining-in breakfast as we need to check out early and start on our drive. I love being a kid, waiting for food to be cooked while the adults are busy heating up water and cooking their instant noodles while washing up and packing up. They eat, pack their own toys, their handphone and ... so good life. 

I've had this habit of shutting one place down after another if it's a big room "fridge checked! bathroom checked! etc...." One last round, three of us will make a final check again. If one of us is blind, I'm sure the other 2 are not right? Actually the most important thing the girls have been hearing from me frequently is "check your earrings", to see if the backing has gone lose and tighten it if it is. This will prevent any loss.     

@ 7.26am - girls are in charge of the snacks. Haha! So they brought them out to the car (while I had to pack the rest of our stuffs) and get things organized next to them. Makes it easier for us too if we all need to munch on something 

    @ 8.08am  and off we go! 

Life is so much easier now with GPS. The last time we drove in USA for our holiday was in 2002 and then I had to rely on a big map book, thread, ruler, calculator, coins for tolls etc..  (no such thing called GPS. Got me, lucky my math is no problem. If hubby ask me how long more to destination, I can measure then flip to next page calculate and he gets his answer.)   

@ 8.58am not long after ... (haha!) we stopped to top up petrol and had a bite at Bakers in Ontario

 @ 9.55am

Enroute to Las Vegas. We stopped by the road for our little floral models. My lazy girl decided to switch lens and was so happy she could get a closeup without stepping out of the car. This is the girl who stuck her phone on the car to do timelapse.

Flowers seem to be dancing with the wind. I think they're daisies 

Finally reached Barstow. Note where Barstow is along Route 66

Outside Walmart Supercentre in Barstow. Think there's a road show? 

The firefighters gladly posed for me and gave her a sticker.  

More wow! wow!

Daddy's Show N Tell

"Let me tell you. This is Athena's favourite sausage when she was young." 

Chewing gums! Chew as much as we can before flying back to SIN

Girls taking whatever snacks they wanted without asking permission, until we saw what was in the trolley 

"Let me count. How many friends am I giving? 1.. 2.. 3.."

I used to love to do Fill-It-Ins

Bought her new CD, just released a few days ago. And then we had to listen to her songs most of the time. So thankful that hubby's friends didn't mind 

Barstow Route 66 Entrance

We had our lunch behind McDonald's. We bought salad and some bread from supermarket. So it's nice that we can have a "picnic" wherever we wanted, saving on tips and end up with a longer meal. Definitely not suitable for mom's appetite if she were to travel with us (she needs hot food)

There are places to drop by while one is here, hopefully we can re-do this trip some time soon again. 

 @ 2.40pm
Girls entertaining at the backseat. Lil' one's Gelatoni and che-che's smelly bear were the only selected companion this trip. One day, I shall dig out pictures of baby Athena with her 15 yr old smelly bear and do a montage.

Finally arrived in Las Vegas. After checking in, we went downstairs and watched an acrobatic performance. That's why our hotel is named Circus Circus. 
And funny thing is when we driving into the hotel carpark, che-che commented "I read from internet that this hotel is haunted." Wah...... what a mood spoiler! 

A chance for the girls to see a casino up close. I mean real close. They can't get to see anything in Macau at all.

Fremont Experience

Dinner 

17th Dec - In Las Vegas

@11.56am
Both girls need to do some reflection (puns intended)

 @ 11.58am
She wasn't happy when I told her I like the 'reflection' picture and asked why I had to go thru the shots she took?? What! It's my camera my dear girl!

Walked along the strip, didn't go into all hotels. The attractive part are the exterior since we're not the gambling sort. It's a slow day and it's laundry day. 

Had lunch at a vietnamese joint. Must admit it's my first time eating viet food and it's yummy. 

Their first taste of pho and liked it 

Girls seeing a self-service laundry place for the first time and they get to help to load clothes into the machine. Well, it's actually che-che's second time but she probably won't remember a thing. 

Picked up washed clothes to the >

dryer

Only 5.09pm and it's so dark. 

Went in Venetian after this, for a short while before walking out the other side 

Had chinese for dinner

18 Dec - In Las Vegas

Somebody is so happy coz it's shopping day!

This looks so interesting from Godiva 

She has to carry all her purchases. You want to buy? Carry them yourself.

Cheesecake Factory!  

Everything just looked so tempting. I want to eat everything. But you know what am I craving right now? Ondeh ondeh! 

En-route we passed by so many houses. I love it when the americans take the effort to decorate up their house and streets. 

In order to save time, we assigned hubby's friend to jump down from the car and take any decorations pictures. We will waste alot of time if all of us went down. Moreover, he has very good photography skills, so he should be able to capture nicer pictures than anyone of us does.  

Saw a Michael Art & Craft Store and just had to step inside to take a look. I've seen their website, and everything looks so tempting. What better chance to pop into the actual store to see everything myself.

I can go crazy in here! 

19 Dec - To Grand Canyon

Booked the same hotel as we did in 2002, so was looking forward to going back to Grand Canyon for the second time (I don't mind a 3rd, 4th and more trips)

Ok, to be frank it's only the 7th day and I'm getting so tired to give such an almost detailed blog entry. I think I shall just put in the pictures. 

Lake Mead -  a reservoir formed by the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River in the Southwestern United States. It is located in the states of Nevada and Arizona, 24 mi (39 km) east from Las Vegas Strip. It is the largest reservoir in the United States in terms of water capacity. Formed by the Hoover Dam on September 30, 1935, the reservoir serves water to the states of Arizona, California, and Nevada, as well as some of Mexico, providing sustenance to nearly 20 million people and large areas of farmland

Hoover Dam - a concrete arch-gravity dam in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Its construction was the result of a massive effort involving thousands of workers, and cost over one hundred lives. It was referred to as Hoover Dam after President Herbert Hoover in bills passed by Congress during its construction, but was named Boulder Dam by the Roosevelt administration. The Hoover Dam name was restored by Congress in 1947.

And then we are in Arizona, all one hour ahead of Nevada time. "Please adjust your watch."

Williams - such an interesting place. We only stopped here for 15mins for a rest in the car. Didn't get down. Just stretch our legs for a while, no time to venture as it was getting so dark and we still need an hour plus of drive northwards to GC. We shall make this place a pit stop next time for sure.      

Only 6+ but so dark. Such a relief to finally reach Grand Canyon. The surprise awaits the girls the next morning, while now we're lamenting we can't see  bloody thing! But omg! The stars!! 

In the lodge check-in. Still need to drive another 3mins to our rooms after that. 6 more days to Christmas. One sure gets in the mood when you're here 

These are pictures taken by his friend, in their room. Ours is just next door and everything you see in their room is the mirror image of our room. I didn't have time and chance to take picture coz' they always like to go in and drag everything in until it spoils the photos. Moreover, I was more excited outside looking at the stars. 

Outside, spotted the Orion full constellation. So excited. And then I thought I should get the girls interested in astronomy. Perhaps we can find something in the gift shop tomorrow. 

Can see the stars but I wished I was more well informed over camera settings. Which I found out later I should have bought another suitable lens. How would I know? I was so busy planning the itinery. 

Anyway, no internet connection so we're basically not connected to anyone. 

20 Dec 2017- In Grand Canyon National Park

20th Dec @ 6.47am

Enthusiastic che-che got up at 4+ am wanting to go watch sunrise

@ 7.16am

After being dragged out of bed by enthusiastic che-che for sunrise... my first sunrise in Grand Canyon (coz we were lazy to wake up 15yrs back. Different season). I'm glad I dragged my feet out. The colours reflected on the canyon at different time is mersmerizing

 @ 7.24am

@ 7.24am

@ 7.42am

After sunrise

@ 7.59am

Sun playing peekaboo

 @ 8.04am

Okay Mr Sun I see you. Please continue hiding.

@ 1.15pm

Natural shot. I love this!

I hate taking pics with me inside coz I'm so self-conscious being fat and unflattering in pictures. But it's a rare chance, so I try to take one or two each trip to make as our christmas greeting. This made  

 @ 5.25pm

Beautiful sunset need cloudy sky

She took timelapse and have some nice shots in the camera but I'm tired loading them

No internet, no connection so hubby suggested we drive out for dinner. Took us less than half an hour and it was all so worth it! 

21 Dec - Grand Canyon National Park Yavapai Lodge-Roadkill 66 Cafe-A&W- Seligman Arizona-Death Valley National Park Furnace Greek Resort

It snowed! The girls had a good time. We were really surprised that it snowed. 

Read this entry.

And then I had another worry - our tyres are not suitable for snow conditions and road may be slippery. 

When hubby did the check out, I jumped down from the car while the rests are so comfortably warm in the car not knowing what I was doing, or do they even care? Wah lau eh..... no wonder my hair turn white so fast. I think about all the possible things while everyone is super relaxed. Damn! Not good to be a detailed planner, detailed person who thinks about every damn scenerio.

I took a chopsticks and tried to remove snow from the tyres' grooves. When he got back into the car, I told him that the short drive from our lodge to the checkout place collected alot of snow. I cleared alot of snow while he was gone. If there are no grooves, there'll be no friction and car may skid. So he was smart enough to follow behind a car, exactly the same spot where their tyres tracks are so they'd clear the path for us. And he drove slow until there were no more snow. Still, the next stop I checked on the tyres again.

Did a bit of Route 66 and went through Seligman. Dropped by at Roadkill 66 Cafe

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22 Dec 2017- In Death Valley National Park 

22nd Dec @ 9.55am

View from Dante's Peak at Death Valley

22nd Dec @ 10.22am

S-curve roads. Got upslope downslope somemore!

@ 12.58pm

Salt Flats

This girl daring.. walked all the way far far away from us all alone (there were other tourists too)

But she came back and was too excited saying we missed out alot.

@ 12.58pm

I wouldn't say this is a nice angle. I've seen better ones but .... then again this is 'Through her eyes'

@ 1.58pm

Did somebody forget to pack their colours home?

23 Dec -Comfort Inn-Laundry-Lone Pine-Desert-Isabella Lake-Kaweah River-Comfort Inn & Suites-Ol Buckaroo

24 Dec -Comfort Inn & Suite-Yosemeti National Park-Tunnel View-Bridalveil Fall-Swinging Bridge-Half Dome Village-Guset House

@ 12.35pm

Enroute into Yosemite National Park. Stopped by somewhere for a picnic.

She leaves no stone unturned

@ 12.36 pm

Uprooted tree also take?!

She also took picture of a tree bark *funny*

 @ 3.26pm

View in Yosemite

I've personally been to Yosemite in Spring, Autumn and beginning Winter. I'm short of a visit in Summer. Eeks! Hot! Maybe a snowy winter is more ideal.

25 Dec -Half Dome Village-Yosemeti Visitor Centre-Post Office-Degnan's Kitchen-River of Mercy, Yosemeti Lower Fall-Mirror Lake-Half Dome Village Foods Court

 @ 8.52am

Around our cabin. We survived the night

#nobearscameknockingatourdoororwindows#

@ 8.53am

Model posing outside our cabin

She was getting on my nerves, worried about encountering the bears. Aiyah! Bears hear your voice also run far far away.

@ 9.01am

Reccee-ed the other types of accomodation. She'd love to stay in this next time.

So much has changed over the years, can’t seem to locate the previous cabin (without toilet) we stayed.

 @ 11.41 am

I have no idea what or where we were when she took this

@ 1.15 pm

View of Half Dome at Sentinel Bridge

 @ 1.15pm

Zoomed in

@ 1.17 pm

Should be somewhere near where she took the other pics.

A ponderosa looking at its own reflection.

26 Dec - Yosemeti National Park Half Dome Village-Wendy's-Carmel Pacific Ocean-Best Western Carmel's Town House Lodge-Street Walk at Carmel-Denny's

26th Dec @ 5.07pm

Sunset at Carmel along the Pacific Ocean

27 Dec -Best Weatern Carmel's House Lodge-Pacific Ocean-San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge-Royal Pacific Motor Inn-Fisherman's Wharf-Chowder Hut Grill-

27th Dec @ 1.08pm

Golden Gate Bridge as she sees it

27th Dec @ 3.58pm

Lombard Street

27th Dec @ 4.44pm

Salute! For serving WWII

USS Pampanito and USS Jeremiah O'Brien

27th Dec @ 5.15pm

G is for Good?

27th Dec @ 5.15pm

27th Dec @ 5.20pm

Dowan to take sign from afar must come so close?!

Anyway…..I’m looking at this in the Draft Folder since 2017. I left with the last 4 days sightseeing which I will not continue. It’s April 2024 now, but shall just post this entry and date it to 2018. Haha!  

We left for home on 31st Dec