A BIG FAT POST!

Dear Blog,

I apologize for being away for so long. I don't know what has come over me. :( I've been thinking of you all the time though. Well the important thing is that I'm here now and I will again try to maintain posting something every one or two weeks :p

I am still in San Diego, and will be till the end of October. Here's a list of happenings in my life since my last post, not in any particular order.

• I lost my enthusiasm for photography (and my camera case). The last photo I took was in June when I went to Los Angeles. I'll put some photos up at the end of this post. Most of the photos are with A (a new friend I met and a fantastic travel companion/ house-mate for 6 weeks). I went to LA and San Francisco with her.
• A and I went to 3 beaches in LA and SF over the Independence Day (July 4th) weekend. I watched a community parade at Palisades and watched the fireworks at Venice Beach, in LA.
• I stopped eating rice almost for 1 month because I do not have my rice cooker with me and I got tired of boiling rice on the hob.
• I went to Hotel Coronado, Coronado Island, San Diego, where Marilyn Monroe shot the classic movie 'Some like it hot'.
• I was so angry that I was ready to knock someone's eyes out of their sockets
• I was so upset that I was drinking coffee everyday as my very odd way of dealing with the emotion. (I have since become a hardcore coffee addict. Thank goodness for the coffee machine in the lab, the coffee cart on my way from the bus stop to the lab, and for the past 2 days the $5 starbuck giftcard my labmate M shared with me, that she got from a nice man at the side of the road when he saw our car go by)
• I have found surfing buddies in my labmates K, M and M :D (I am still with my big blue foam board, but I'm standing up on my board longer each week ;>)
• I have been a part of the most number of friendly discussions about sex, these few months, compared to what I have ever had in my entire life. It's mostly me listening and others talking :p
• We had a bon fire by the beach, and I had a 'SMORE'. It was during a send-off for 2 of our endearing labmates who left the lab for greener pastures. A SMORE is melted marshmallows sandwiched by 2 chocolate-coated biscuits.
• I went to an Autism support group meeting one evening. I was so undecided about whether to go or not (as taking public transport meant I had to travel 1.5 hours to get there) that by the time I decided to go, I did not have time to take with me a map or a bus time-table. I could not find the venue at first and was lost walking up and down hills and valleys for 1 hour. I got there eventually and listened to an inspiring talk by a parent. But when it was time to go home I realized I had missed the last bus. Irene had to come rescue me. She drove down to get me. I had my first Carl's Junior burger (for 99cents ooo-hooo! and I need to try the one in Singapore) while I waited.
• I have decided that while asking 'why?' is essential for pushing the boundaries of scientific knowledge, it is a waste of time for matters of the heart.
• I appreciated the beauty of the flora and fauna, and learnt about how life was like for a prisoner on ALCATRAZ, SF :p
• K made me get a 'tramp stamp' i.e. a lower back tattoo when K, E, M and I went to Wild Animal Park, San Diego. Don't worry it was a stick on, not a permanent one.
• I learnt a more authentic and efficient way of saying 'Vietnamnese Beef Noodles' -Phở (pronounced 'foa', sort of)
• I bought a hard rock cafe (SF) T-shirt because I was running out of clothes to wear :p
• I have not worn my glasses for 4 months after my housemate accidentally broke the frame when she stepped on it
• I really really need a hair cut but I only want to do it when I go back to Singapore
• I played chinese chess after not having done so for a long time. I won one game against W but lost to the arrogant Doctor :p
• 2 guys younger than me caught my attention everytime they appeared :p (The Chinese Gymnast Captain Chen Yibing and Michael Phelps).
• I watched 'The Dark Knight' at 12am on the opening day!!! I was well impressed with the script despite being half asleep
• I made egg fried rice :p
• I had freshly caught yellowfin tuna sashimi with Irene. Her dad caught them when he went on a fishing trip :p

and LAST but the MOST MOST MOST IMPORTANT!!!!

my dear sister gave birth to little Kai Xuan on the 31st of August (Father's Birthday too)! CONGRATULATIONS!

might post some pictures of her when my sister and brother in law sends them to me.

oki dok, I'll now leave you with some photos I took in LA and SF.

The La Brea Tar Pits; An amazing archaelogical site smack in the middle of LA. Holds asphalt/tar/oil residue that preserves animal remains from the ice age :p

Sabre tooth Cat Skulls

HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD!!!

The Grauman's Chinese Theatre (where lotsa hollywood movie premieres are held)

Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive (where the rich and famous live)

There was a car show on that day. :p