.::Wednesday, March 28, 2007::.
just had my music midterm. it was quite horrendous.
question: what describes a composer of the romantic era, examplified by beethoven?
answer: an artist that goes through suffering to bring art to humanity.
me: *sniggers* oh wait..u mean that's really the answer?!?!?!?!
question: smetana and dovrak are composers from which country?
answer: bohemia
me: er....i tot their names sound russian.
more questions that i didnt know. bah...
.: ru rambled on 3/28/2007 11:51:00 PM:.
____________________________________________
.::Sunday, March 25, 2007::.
day 6 - universal studios islands of adventure
universal studios islands of adventure is a must go if u really enjoy thrilling and very entertaining rides. on a scale of 1 to 10, i'd say majority of the rides are like 8 or 9. ok, so anyway, islands of adventure contain 5 "islands", each with a theme. there was the superhero one, toon lagoon, jurassic park, the lost continent, and seuss land.
superhero island contained the most high action rides i'd say. the hulk is a must sit, and highly recommended if you like the speed and twists and turns. there's the free fall ride which i didnt take but was rated highly by the guys as well. the spiderman 3D one was pretty cool. you get to feel heat and cold from the fire and cold air they blow at u. took lots of pictures with the super heros from x-men, spiderman, etc. i think universal definitely pays less than disney cos the characters are pretty old and ugly. storm was over-weight, wolverine had lots of wrinkles and rogue looked like a lao lian. sad. the pic below was taken with capt america.
toon lagoon is where u get REALLY WET. duh. the flume ride is one of a kind cos if the ride itself doesn make u drenched, u get sprayed by water after the splash. yes, literally sprayed. so after we took this one and got drenched, we were thinking, what the heck, take the other wet ride. like can we get any wetter? hell yes. the splash raft ride thingy was LOADS of fun, but it's main purpose is to get u drenched left, right and center. there's no way you can stay dry. of cos it's sole aim is to get u soaked, so that u will buy towels, shirts and pants from the souvenir shop conveniently located at the exit. of cos us cheapo singaporeans wont spend such money.
above: the ride
below: the aftermath
after lunch and drying off sufficiently in the sun, we headed to jurassic park. we aimed for the wet ride and were kinda disappointed. no so much as a splash of water on us. it's this section for spectators that would get real wet. it's just about the only ride here. cos the other para-gliding-ish ride thingy is only for kids. how sad. it was pretty cool, sitting on a ride that glided around the whole jurassic island.
at the lost continent, we watched a show, took dueling dragons (this was shorter but way scarier than the hulk. rated 9), and a show/walk-thru thingy called poseidon's fury. it was ok.
finally we hurried to seuss landing, it's a colourful world of dr seuss and his story characters. i LOVE this place. it's like candy-land. the buildings and streets are multi-coloured, and everything is just cute to the max. ok, this place is predominantly for kids, the rides are so childish and all, but it doesn stop making me feel excited. =) =) =)
the ride was closed!!! =(
day 7 - orlando to charleston
we went outlet shopping while a few of them headed to wet and wild - a water theme park. the rest of the evening was spent driving the 7 hrs to charleston. tiring.
day 8 - charleston to charlottesville
charleston is a pretty boring, old town. (after all the fun we had at miami and orlando, i think it's a little unfair to have charleston keep us entertained on the last day.) BUT we had the best meal of the trip here at crab house. delicious, succulent crab! oh boy! great way to mark the end of our spring break!
.: ru rambled on 3/25/2007 04:02:00 AM:.
____________________________________________
.::Saturday, March 24, 2007::.
day 3 - miami to orlando
after a scrumptious breakfast at big pink cafe, we headed down to the miami beach. though we picked a less populated section of the beach, it was nonetheless crowded with people. the beach is a great place to people-watch. lots of interesting sights. there was a man with his entire back tattooed in some cool pattern (kinda reminded me of prison break), a couple of topless women sunbathing, people jogging with their dogs, someone para-sailing, people swimming and surfing, ladies in bikinis strolling, airplanes flying in the sky with adverts, blah blah blah....
we had a lot of fun too, playing frisbee (though it was really windy), the boys went swimming, i attempted to get a tan (i did get a slight one!), and took lots of photos in weird poses! haha.. it was nice to feel the warmth of the sun, the soft sand, the cool blue waters, and the bright sky. it felt a little like home.
above: the babes blowing kisses
below: they were supposed to form M.I.A.M.I.
lunch was at a pizza cafe, as usual, i cannot remember what the place is called. but i took food photos! it was deliciously huge! yum! we strolled down the streets of miami, but i didnt manage to buy much. stuff here, even souvenirs dont come cheap.
so after refuelling, we took the 3 hr drive to orlando. as we drove out of sunny miami, we bypassed this huge cruise ship. (the roads run parallel to the docks) and in typical tourist-y style, we popped out of the sunroof and waved! pure madness and pure fun! the people on board the liner waved back and we definitely got a lot of stares from the other cars along the road. haha...
day 4 - disney world: magic kingdom
i was a child again for the day. magic kingdom is as it name suggests - magical! i know why the disney franchise is able to reel in the big bucks. being in disneyland is like being happy-land. despite being surrounded by hoards of children and their parents, i didnt feel out of place. i felt perfectly comfortable to be looking out for disney characters to happily take photos with them.
at the parade, it was so cool to see the disney themed floats and waiting for the characters to appear. i mean, everybody at disneyland is good looking - all the people they hire to play the prince and princesses, even the baddies and extras, are gorgeous. it's unbelievable. it disney.
the rides were not too bad, but what impressed me the most was their fast track queue system. if you didnt feel like waiting in line, u can take a queue number and come back an hr later. it's a separate queue line, so u somehow get in faster. it's so against what i learnt in QM (single line, multi server) but it makes u feel like u wait much less. it is cos they spread out the crowd that's why it seems shorter? i dunno...but i was so impressed cos i didnt have to wait more than 30 mins for any single ride. on average it was only 10 mins.
i think we took almost all the thrilling rides at disney, even the one ride that all the guys were too chicken to take - the carousel!! haha...
we stayed for the fireworks. it was definitely worth the wait. it was a themed display that followed the disney music being played. i thought it was fun to guess which story each song came from. hehe... but i think what made it so beautiful was not how elaborate the fireworks were, cos for sure, i have seen better ones. it was the fireworks along with the disney castle in the foreground that made it so dreamy and fairy tale like. it was just an amazing experience being there.
day 5 - disney world: epcot
epcot was a bit of a disappointment. after the high standard set by magic kingdom, i somehow expected more from epcot. granted, it was of a different theme and targeted a different audience compared to magic kingdom. but i felt a little cheated going there instead of maybe mgm studios.
the space shuttle ride was the ultimate puke-inducer. i really felt like i was being propelled into space on a rocket and the movement just made me quite sick. it was good in that it was realistic, but i felt sick.
test track was another ride we took. for the most part, it was slow and un-exciting. it was only when the ride went outdoors for a spin did i really enjoy it. so fast that my hair was just flying all over the place.
i think the ride that i queued the longest for and that i thought was the best is soarin. technically it's not a ride-ride. it's more like a national geographic thing. haha. it's a huge i-max screen and u get lifted up so close to the screen to experience flying. the screen takes you to places all over the world to see nature's many wonders. truly cool.
epcot is kinda like more interactive and less ride-intensive. we saw many more middle aged people here than children.
another half of epcot was like a cultural kingdom. it's sort of divided into many little "countries", 12 in all i think. so you feel like you're visiting many places and learning about many cultures and stuff. it was here that i had yummilicious and affordable japanese food.
fireworks were late at night and it was right in the middle of this lagoon. it was much more intense and explosive than the ones at magic kingdom, and included more lasers and stuff. but to me, it was less magical (geez, i need a new world for magical) and i didnt enjoy it as much. pictures didnt turn out too well for the epcot fireworks cos there was too much smoke.
.: ru rambled on 3/24/2007 10:44:00 PM:.
____________________________________________
ok, ive been lazy to blog...my...where do i begin? florida was soooo much fun!!! i really miss spring break!!!
day 1: cho to florence
the trip started out real bad...cos we were 5 hours delayed due to the stupid car rental company who didnt give us vehicles that we booked for....so our initial plan to stop off at jacksonville for the night was somewhat thwarted cos we couldnt possibly reach there by nightfall. and it was a frantic search for accom at a different city closer north.
well, it sort of turned out to be a blessing in disguise cos the rental company gave us unlimited mileage, which saved us $100 each, that's a lot considering we were 9 people!
side note: i just thought of something real spastic..we should have called ourselves The Fellowship, considering there were 9 of us embarking on a 1000 mile journey together! hahahaha...
and so day 1 was just a lot of driving. good thing was my car had funny, crappy people...we joked, played silly word games and crapped a lot along the 5 hour ride.
day 2: florence to miami
more travelling in the car. somehow driving in 2 cars has certain limitations. we only interact with those in our car and not the other in the other vehicle. in this sense it was like a 5 person spring break instead of 9.
arriving at miami was pretty cool, cos first thing that i noticed was the number of limos that paraded the streets. i wish i had one too!! miami is also pretty "messy" compared to more historical cities like virginia. it's like a people zoo of sorts, all kinds hang out in miami.
well, our accom was REALLY SHADY and i mean it. stupid kel, booked an ulu place, whose entrance is from the back door, away from the main roan. and to get there from the front u need to walk thru a dark long alley. it was so creepy at night when we arrived that ning and lh practically ran thru...also, kel reserved a stinking dorm room for 14 pple where we had 9...so basically there were 5 other strangers in the same room as us, worse thing was that it's a mixed dorm, so it makes it kinda not-very-safe for the girls. the girls toilet was like so so bad...3 cubicles, dingy and wet, with the light so dim u can only see the toilet paper (just cos it was white) and there were 4 showering cubicles out of which 1 was out of order, 1 was without a curtain, 1 was without light and the last sole working one was facing the open window. i was really quite horrified when i saw it all, and i really really felt like looking for another hostel. but like it was really rather late, and we were only going to stay for a night, so we stuck to it. we were given fresh sheets (had to put them on the bed ourselves), which looked kinda old and stained, but it was better than having to sleep on the grey, dusty, ageing mattress w/o them.
bah...next time cannot let kel book accom!!!
living in miami is pretty ex...even such lao-pok conditions cost us $35 per bed - the most expensive accom over our entire trip!!!
well anyway, it was night and the gang wanted to go clubbing. i was really tired out from driving so many hours and so didn join the rest. if not for li to accompany me, i think i would be really terrified being in the room full of strangers, alone.
to those who are interested to know, the club that they went to was really cool. it's open-air, with many different "dance areas". which floor u get to be on kinda goes by "social class". heard that the queues were really long, so to get in quick, u need to open a bottle. overall, for a sat night, they each spent like $45. definitely not cheap. but everyone there had fun, with the girls being hit on by guys, and the guys being hit on by girls (not regularly seen in singapore club scenes im sure) AND guys!!! hahaha...one of them got slapped on the butt and the other got "molested" by this gay person who came onto him from behind...eeee......to protect the innocent i shant name names.
will continue with days 3 - 8 later!!!
.: ru rambled on 3/24/2007 12:03:00 PM:.
____________________________________________
.::Monday, March 19, 2007::.
went to mount vernon to see George Washington's home.
actually it never ceases to amaze me how rich in history virginia is. i mean, virginia & DC are like the main places where all the founding fathers of the USA lived in at some point of other.
the weather on mount vernon was unexpectedly WINDY. and windy here is worst than just the weather being cold. u really feel the chills as the wind can reach speeds of 17 miles per hour. u feel like u're gonna get blown away. literally. we had to queue for like 1/2 hr outside the house just so we could get our turn to tour the inside. i think i caught a cold standing here, braving the winds. brrr...
in my opinion, mount vernon is much more commercialised than monticello (home of thomas jefferson), much larger (duh, GW was wealthier), but less homey. one thing in common though these US presidents really know their feng shui. besides the obvious "feng" part, mount vernon has a great view of the potomac river. it's really walking out onto your backyard and seeing the river flow past. it's also built such that GW can see his whole estate (which is really large) from his house. you guys can probably get a virtual view of the place at the mount vernon website http://www.mountvernon.org/
overall i do think it's kinda cool to see how people in the past lived, and how wealth was displayed. it's not in the size of the house cos for sure mansions these days are WAY bigger. it's more of the size of the estate. like ur farmlands, stables, the number of slaves you have, blah blah blah..the furnishings as well. did u know GW loved the colour green??? and he was rich cos green paint (any coloured paint for that matter) doesnt come easy. u gotta have a certain amt of wealth to have coloured walls in ur house. well, if i did live in that era, for sure i would not paint my dining room green. that's like so...eek!
we had a very late lunch (4pm) at the mount vernon inn. it was decorated in this old colonial style with their wait staff dressed to match. cool. food was really not bad too, for a pretty decent price. =)
.: ru rambled on 3/19/2007 11:47:00 PM:.
____________________________________________
.::Saturday, March 17, 2007::.
i am so backdated on my blogging. to be frank, im a bit xian to blog about my travels in USA. stuff like my visit to monticello, richmond, florida for spring break, mount vernon....i guess if i don't these memories would fade with time and i'd forget.
ok let's keep it short:
1. monticello (11 Feb)
monticello is home of thomas jefferson, founder of UVA and 3rd president of USA. UVA sponsored a trip to visit his home, so we did. and it was amazing. he was such a creative and talented inventor. many parts of his home was designed by him. high ceiling to get more ventilation, glass on the roof to let in light, partioning of the study, having a clock that tells the day of the week blah blah..stuff that people in that era wouldnt really think of. he wasnt very rich despite all that he had done for the country, cos his family had to sell away his book collection to get money to clear the debts of his estate. a pity. but he had lots of friends, visitors, and he was a very respected man.
2. richmond (16 Feb)
the trip to richmond was kinda boring in my opinion. it's once again a historical site. so walk ard see see look look, listen to historical talks. it was free for most part, and the guys wanted to see a war memorial, but the girls didnt. so we went to cary town, this little town at the far corner of richmond. cary town is a pretty interesting place. it's a whole stretch of shophouses, selling many different things. unique and intricate clothes, jewellery, souvenirs, but so super expensive! so we didnt buy anything much. we went to look see at one section of this stretch, which, according to the local, is the first shopping mall of the USA. cool...... and my favourite place was the chocolate shop, which sold all things chocolate. YUMMY! bought chocolate of cos! haha... dinner was a drive to shortpump for makan at cheesecake factory!!! shortpump is another mall area... (note: malls here are not high-rise shopping centres. they refer to many different 1 storey buildings, housing various shops, scattered across a space of land, with a huge open air car park) anyway, cheesecake factory is fantastic. the meals is so-so, but the cheesecake...my order was godiva cheesecake....WOW...fantabulous!!! the chocolate was so smooth and rich...absolutely delicious!
ok, i think i'll stop here. spring break in florida is way too long to blog within this post. shall continue another time. just not tonight.
.: ru rambled on 3/17/2007 12:15:00 AM:.
____________________________________________
.::Friday, March 16, 2007::.
here's a spastic song my sister taught me...
"monday is a bad day, cos the next day, is a tuesday
tuesday is a bday day, cos the next day, is a wednesday
wednesday is an ok day, cos the next day, is a thursday
thursday, is a better day, cos the next day is a friday
friday, it's a good day, cos the next day it's a saturday!
saturday is the best day, cos the next day is a sunday!!!!
sunday, is a sad day, cos the next day, is a monday....."
it's really a song for people with nothing better to do...seriously.
.: ru rambled on 3/16/2007 10:58:00 AM:.
____________________________________________
.::Saturday, March 03, 2007::.
to florida i go....YAY!
.: ru rambled on 3/03/2007 12:43:00 AM:.
____________________________________________
