Monkey See Monkey Do

disaster! disaster!

Oh no! wheeeeeeeeere are the sea lions of San Francisco Pier 39???
"mr and mrs seal! where art thou?"

July 2010: the platforms are sooooo empty... missing their smell :(

Sept 2008: every platform was filled with sea lions. their smell was so distinct that we knew from far there was some kind of animal nearby

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/12/disappearing-sea-lions/

in preparation of a meal with ingredients mainly from Trader Joe's...

what do you get when u rojak some sweet tomatoes, a variety of raw nuts and herb salad? and then toss in the Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar?

you get a medley of salad with literally too much taste!
the orange muscat champagne sauce is nice, but think i put too much... and the salad was too herby for the sauce. i should try baby spinach next time :p

and i saw hummus... recommended by a fellow food shopper... quite nice with a good tinge of spice, man i feel mediterranean already

and i have no idea what is this, but i still bought it... well u know, not everytime u can experiment with fruits and food... especially when they sell such produce here which you can hardly find back home... angelcot, i wonder if it tastes like apricot?

to the start of an exciting American stint...

after touching down from a long flight,
as usual had to go into this "Alien" immigration room...

tired, very tired...

but you see, the exhaustion from the flight and the wait in the "Alien" room disappeared,
after i was informed that i can choose ANY car available, cos ahem i'm an Emerald Club member for National Car Rental :p

and so i looked around, and 2 cars caught my eye,
the Pontiac Malibu and the Dodge Avenger...

as i have driven a Pontiac before, i decided to go for Dodge Avenger... it is very awesome!

and of course, i found my old Caffeinated amigos :)

and the Organic dudes beckoned me to take them home too...

and these interesting strawberry cherries reminded me of the Grapples... can you guess if it tastes like strawberries or cherries?

the close up strawberry cherry... a symbol of love?

sprained ankle, stretched ligament... a curious case

Day 0: a curious case of both defenders getting knocked out in the game... we won 5-1 though :)

Day 1: a swell and bruise that formed up...

Day 3: a less swell ankle, but nevetheless still not fit to walk

has it been that long???

darn, has it really been more than a year since the last post???
what have i been up to?

spending a year thinking of what to write? nah... :p
spending a year figuring out what to with my life? at times...
spending a year being disillusioned? some times...
spending a year not knowing what actually had happened? most the time...

but i tell you one thing...
for sure, i m no longer a one man... i am part of a beautiful couple's life now :)
for sure, i was looking around for a humble abode, but none affordable thus far,
for sure, i was working out, more than i had in the past years,
for sure, i love wakeboarding & now managing wake jumps more brilliantly,
for sure, i made a decision to join the Floorball NUS Uncles team,
and sprained my ankle in the process...
for sure, i love outdoor activities & sports, but still doesnt believe in turning this passion into my work, as it is quite likely to sap away that passion bit by bit, since it would then be considered work instead of passion...

in a nutshell, some things are still undone, some are already done, and some are still being done...

wonders and ponders...

"The important thing about a problem is not its solution, but the strength we gain in finding the solution"

"Life is a journey, not a destination"

"Don't let your accomplishments go to your head, and don't let your failures go to your heart"

an opaque reflection?

self-reflection,
gives you insights to your values and beliefs,
allows you to understand yourself,
and lets you learn from your experience.

some have a clear reflection, others have an opaque one;
some don’t even reflect, others try to but can’t seem to find the time.

when you realize what you value and believe,
you start to appreciate what you have,
you start to know what you want.

when you dig deep into your experience,
you start to learn, and understand how to improve on your weakness.

take the time to ponder and reflect…
it’s a great tool to becoming a better person.

Grand Canyon & Hoover Dam...

While at Las Vegas, got my adventurous self to Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon.

The Hoover Dam... it seems to be always under construction.
Maybe it was destroyed by the Decepticons during the filming of Transformers...

Eagle Point, at Grand Canyon...
do you see a resemblance of the eagle spreading its wings?

The cliff where I had my lunch, with a view.

And that's me... with The Colorado River flowing through the Grand Canyon in the background

Las Vegas... the city of entertainment

Some call it the City of Sin...

Flew to this city, just before the Thanksgiving weekend, for my short virgin Vegas trip.

New York-New York hotel, where i stayed...
the entire thing that looks like New York skyscraper plus the Status Of Liberty IS the New York New York hotel-casino.