No more USA!
Byebye blog, returning back to my old site!

4 hours to go!!
Most of the day was spent settling admin stuff.
Closed my bank account, where they returned me more money than they should have.
Well, their loss buahahaha!!
Sold textbook, so glad to get some money back!
Took in the last sights of the mountains along the freeway.
Mountains, have taken them for granted all this while.
Dunno when I'll get to see them again.
Ok, just anticipating a rough 13hour flight later.
Taiwannnn, here I come!!

20 hours to departure

Last night in LA!!
Putting up at friend's place, highly uncomfortable, not planning to sleep.
Listening to their snores now...
Hmmmmmmmm so the time to leave has come..
In less than 24 hours, I will be on a plane, headed towards Taiwan.
No more carefree life, where I only have to account to myself.
No more cooking sessions, where I dont have to worry about dirtying the kitchen.
No more last min studying, where I start studying only a couple hours before the test.
No more car, which made every place accessible.
No more road trips, no more insane gas prices, no more on-the-spur drinking sessions, no more getting teased for using the words 'queue', 'rubbish', 'lift' etc..
(Fyi, the correct American way is to say 'line', 'trash' and 'elevator' respectively.)
I could come up with a list of 100 'No more ...'
But, whats the point.
Just a reminder of what I'm leaving behind.

15 May- Las Vegas

And for the third time, we found ourselves in Vegas again.
I swear I dont have to come back to this place ever again.
So familiar with everything already.
Anw, had a super super filling seafood buffet.
I really hate buffets, always overeat. Had to make myself puke to feel better.
Defining moment of this Vegas trip:


















The winning machine


















Super apt name. Funny story really.
I was really bored, so I just stuck a dollar into the machine.
Randomly pressed some buttons, and the thing just started spinning and spinning and spinning. I didn't even press anything else, and just stared at my credits going up up up.
Didnt know what was going on at all, and almost left halfway cos I thought it was game over, seeing how the thing kept spinning automatically.
Luckily, hr stopped me. And when I cashed out, I thought it would be $4 something.
Instead, it was $48!!
Thats a 4863% return on my 'investment'!!
Turns out, it was because I luckily earned bonus spins on my first spin, and I had bet quite high, and kept getting the winning combinations, thats why the $$ kept increasing.
Pure dumb luck!!!!
Won another $4 after that and decided to quit while I was winning.
Downed more shots and margaritas. Last time drinking in the US. Really hate their drinking age requirement. Verrrrry restrictive!!
Still, most rewarding Vegas trip everrrrrr.
Ka-ching!!!

13 May- Yellowstone

Last road trip in the US, and last National Park.
I've seen enough rocks, mountains, snow and lakes to last me a lifetime.
No more no more!
Yellowstone is rated the best NP in the US.
Full of geysers and wildlife.
Most famous, Old Faithful geyser. Strong smell of sulphur.


















Spring water, looks so clear blue and inviting.


















BUT, the water is frigging hot, around 70degrees if Im not wrong.
So pls do not jump in.
Lots of wildlife along the way. Most common animal, the bison.




































They are just so indifferent, happily strolling along the roads or munching on grass by the roadside.
Everytime traffic got bad, you could be sure that it was due to animal obstruction.
Still, they're pretty cute.
Spotted deer and a wolf too.
Unfortunately, no bears :( Must still be hibernating.
More cool geysers. These give off a really mysterious feel.




































Almost like a scene of destruction.
Yellowstone is actually a pretty dangerous place, cos you never know when the geysers or volcanoes will blow up.
The orange is caused by bacteria!


















Have really gotten in touch with nature these past few months.
Overdosed, in fact.
Or maybe, taking all these for granted.
Wait till I get back to Singapore, where its all buildings and buildings, then I'll start missing those scenery.
But for now, had enough of NPs tyvm!

So disgusted at the amount of stuff I have.
All my luggages seem ready to burst.
And this is before Taiwan.
Should have bought more luggages ARGHHHHHHH!!

Packing! Cum a lil bit of studying.
Tonight will be the last night at my apartment.
Tmr is move-out day.
Suppressing the sadness and staying cheerful :)









:(

9 May- X Factor

Attended my first live show in the US, X Factor!


















We arrived late, so had to wait outside for pretty long, waiting for the people inside to open up more seats.
Almost didnt make it in.
By the time we got in, show had started.
And lets just say, being a live audience and watching it on TV are really different.
The show progresses much slower, and your seating is very important.
Half hour in, I was already bored.
The judges were making too much small talk with the contestants.
Plus, its a singing competition.
Songs alone dont really keep me interested for very long unless its accompanied by mad dance moves.
Simon Cowell, Chery Cole, Paula Abdul and LA Reid. Thats a really gay guy on the stage. Loud colours, bad voice and awful dance moves. Boooooooooooo!!


















Simon was being his usual self, but it gets old after awhile.
The rest of the judges were not memorable.
Left the show early.
This is the second time I've been disappointed by live tapings.
First time was in Taiwan.
My advice, just watch it on TV.
You can see everything thats going on, and you get to skip the boring parts!

Jiggly fats

The reason for my weight gain.


















As exchange draws to an end, I spam more and more junk food.
Chips, cookies, donuts, ice cream.
Just hoping to eat as much as I can.
The B&Js up there, were wiped out within 24hours.
Of cos, I had help from friends.
Restocked with more already. My roomies always laugh at me for the amount of ice cream I hoard.
I aim to try all the flavours here, since its so cheap.
What I spent on the above, I could have bought only like 1pint in Singapore.
Dunno why they charge sooo much premium for B&Js.
Not gonna touch B&Js at all back in Sg.











I'll miss the junk food here.

Feeling like shit right now, cos I am such a FUCKING BAD DRIVER &%#$@$%*&!!@#*$%
FUCK!

2 May- Bacaro LA

The last official event for exchange students, held at Bacaro LA, a wine bar.
All you can eat, all you can drink, for ONLY $5!!!
Super good deal. On the face of it.
Food, mediocre. Potato slices (nice), bread (bread is bread lor), and bloody beef (I don't like to see blood on my meat! There's a reason I don't eat steak.)


















But the name wine bar...what a joke, the wine sucked so bad!!
Surprisingly, the beer, wow, so smooth.
The owner underestimated us though.
He thought 2 kegs would be more than enough.
But barely 2hours in, we ran out of beer zzz.
Singaporeans YAM SENGing.


















Got wasted again.
My SMU girl buddies, kept me safe from harm (and by harm I mean the guy prowlers who were obviously preying on drunk girls. Saw many girls hugging and kissing random guys)


















These 2 were constantly sitting by my side, and walked me back to my apt, listened to my rambling nonsense for hours and put me to bed. Best of all, they left a plastic bag by my side, which CAME IN SO HANDY. Y'know, so that I'll puke into the bag instead of on the carpet. Imagine how gross it is, cleaning puke off the carpet. Ew. Still, some puke got on the carpet oops.
But whatever, I am sooo sooo sooo grateful to them.
Also, very grateful to my liver. It has improved, I dont puke so readily anymore. There was this guy, locked up and puking away in the bar's toilet for 30mins.
He will forever be remembered as a loser. Humiliating.
Anyway, looking pretty much damn gross and contorted in most photos sighh.


















I don't even know who this guy is...


















Great night at a really great price. No better way to end it.
However, the hangovers are never great :(
If mom ever knew about this, her conservative heart sure cannot take it.

29-30 Apr- Yosemite

Boredom took us to Yosemite again.
Lets see, I'll just skip to interesting bits.
Lotsa big big trees.
Here's a really ginormous uprooted tree.


















Those are the roots of the tree. See how small I am, compared to the base of the tree..


















Several waterfalls










































Greedy squirrel eating a fry


















Random deer along the way. It is possible to kill them if they dash out onto the road suddenly.


















Next day, Mammoth Mountain!
A ski resort, snow-covered.


















Took a cable car ride all the way to the peak. They call it a gondola. Yeah I know, gondola is supposed to be that lil romantic boat ride on the rivers of Venice. But nah, cable car is far from romantic. Its shaky, but offers breathtaking view.


















Also, you get to see the pro skiers skiing down STEEP AS HELL slopes with ease.
They make it look like its nothing.
Even little kids were happily ski ski skiing down.
To us Singaporeans, we were like, even if we roll down the slopes, the snow will snowball us and we'll still crash and die.
At the peak of the mountain,


















Took a photo with random strangers cos they looked so cool.


















On the way down




































Aaaaaaaaaaand, ending off with food.
Shrimp scampi. The shrimps were REALLY HUGE.


















For a better comparison..

Last day of class

So, 4pm, last lesson in USC.
Had to make a presentation but it was one of those chill ones.
Do I have any thoughts or feelings?
Nah, not really. Lessons were not a big part of life here.
I mean, sure, I attended like 50% of the classes, but it was always the bare minimum.
Know what would really make me sad?
Last day of exams.
Cos THATS when I have to move out, feel like a nomad, and say goodbye to my roomies.
My roomies, man, it's been such a wild ride.
More about that when I actually say bye.
In fact, I should start saying bye now, cos they'll hardly be around for the remaining study weeks.
All torn up inside
:(
Being sociable sucks.
You form meaningful connections, only to have to say goodbye eventually.
Should just stick to anti-socialness.
Less heartache.

23 Apr- American football

Football is a game I will never understand.
I don't know how they score points, and the game moves so slowly, yet people get so excited.
By slowly, I mean whenever someone gets tackled, they have to start from there and idk do what.
Was expecting some thrilling game, tsk, disappointed only.
Nice stadium and field though




































Supporters were mostly decked in USC colours, red and yellow!
A Trojan on the USC mascot, the horse. Its real and has a name but I forgot what.
During football season in the summer, at every game, the Trojan will ride the horse out for a lap around the field. Kinda cool.


















Although the game was just one big question mark for me, it was still cool to soak in the atmosphere.
Like, the locals were very enthu and there was a strong sense of school spirit.
It was great to just sit there and feel that sense of belonging to the Trojans.

Award-winning

My biggest accomplishment so far


















The remarkable thing is, I did everything myself!
From the buying of ingredients, to the chopping, to the actual boiling and cooking.
No help from anyone!
And its the prettiest-looking food I've ever created.
Granted, it's no gourmet food and relatively easy to make.
But this is such a beeeeeeeg improvement from my other hawker-centre style ugliness.
Swelled with pride for a day!

Random Chinese food

Own cooking


















Century egg porridge, which I dont appreciate but everyone else seems to have a craving for.


















Shrimp chee cheong fun, which is so cheap here. If you wanna get chee cheong fun with shrimps in Sg, HA, expect to pay lots more.


















You tiao!


















Of cos, all these were only available at a Chinese supermart, not all around LA.

Smoking! without smoke

Another first for me today.
So me, roomie and her bf just chilled around the apt.
He pulled out this box and asked if I wanted a dip.
My definitions of dip are: going into the pool for a dip, and a sauce meant to complement chips.
Obviously, he wasnt referring to either.
Turns out to be dipping tobacco.


















Its a smokeless tobacco, where you put a pouch in your mouth and let your saliva dissolve the thingy in the packet. Then there'll be liquid, but you cant swallow cos it'll burn your throat. So you have to constantly spit out the liquid.
Kinda reminds me of betel chewing, but dipping doesnt leave a stain and its not a nut.
Anw, tried it, and it is fucking potent.
I've never smoked before, so idk if this is what smoking feels like.
But just 20secs of that thing in my mouth, and hello spinning room.
Its supposed to give you a 20min 'buzz' ie high.
And baseball players actually chew on that during a game.
I have no idea how they can play under such 'spinning room' conditions.
Got the drunken feeling.
Or maybe Im just really lousy but yeah, instant high.
Dip is more of an American and Canadian thing.
I for one, havent seen such stuff around Singapore.
And if you google dip, you'll realise that its pretty harmful to health too!!

9-10 April- Vegas againnn

Oopsies, lack of updates.
So, headed to Vegas for the 2nd time.


















I must say, its really a different feel.
First time round, it was like WHOA WOW WHOOOO.
Second time round, its more of a quiet enjoyment of the familiarity.
And it was better, cos traffic wasnt as bad as the previous time, and weather wasnt as cold.
Vegas is still full of impatient and bad drivers though.
Or maybe theyre just all drunk.
Of cos, not everything was familiar.
New things include:
Pole dancers




























































Dont know how we missed that the first time round.

Jello shots, of which I have no photos.














Alcohol in jelly! Tastes WAY better than shots, but WAY more dangerous too. Cos the sweetness masks the alcohol taste, you think youre not drinking that much, but actually you are.

2litre margarita


















Again, another sweet drink, could barely taste the alcohol. But y'know what, its actually v concentrated. No surprise there, my cheeks flushed up and didnt take me long to get all woozy.

Mindless gambling on the mindless jackpot machine


















Dont ever play jackpot. Its soooo mindless.

And so basically, thats it.
During the day, all we did were sleep in, shop and eat buffets.
Vegas is really an artificial place.
It cuts you off from reality and encourages you to sin.
Cant imagine being a resident there.
Only The Strip is all lighted up and 'pretty'.
Once youre away from the lights, the streets of Vegas are pretty much dark, scary and shady.

I know I promised to stop uploading (ugly) photos of food.
But I must share this latest joy!
Fishball noodles! Look out for the tau gay!


















Emphasis on FISHBALLS. And take a look at the Chinese kind of mushrooms.
Yeah man, we actually found fishballs in LA.
So coooooooooolios.
Next.
Fishball soup with TOFU.


















Actually, the fishballs taste different. Taste more like sotong balls.
But wtv, Im happy with sotong balls too.
And this is why I dont miss Singapore food at all.
The food we cook is mostly Chinese and enough to satisfy me.
Really surprised because I expected myself to be missing Singapore food damn badly but no, not happening.
Truth is, I have secret cravings for Western food.
Too bad I dunno how to make them except for pasta.

26 March- Grand Canyon

Pretty sure that everyone has heard of the Grand Canyon before.
Went there with high expectations, wasn't disappointed.
However, wasn't entirely overwhelmed either. Death Valley just seems better.
If you ever have to choose between Death Valley and Grand Canyon, please choose the former.
So anw, scenery!
The day was kinda cloudy, hence the gloomy feel.






















































In one day alone, we experienced rain, snow and hail. Not forgetting, really really strong winds.
That's how PMS-y the weather was.
Thankfully, it was tiny hail. Looks abit like styrofoam.


















Grand Canyon with sunlight




































Basically after awhile, they all look the same.
Rocks with red tints.
Maybe cos we were limited to the South Rim view only.
Fyi, there are North and West rims, so maybe the view would have been different from there.
Anyway, gotta bitch about the wind.
The wind chill itself was enough to bring the temperature to sub zero.
My fingers were as frozen as that time in the snow.
Next day on the drive back, we experienced fog.
Fog, another dangerous thing.
How to drive when you cant see ahead.
Thankfully, it lasted for a pretty short stretch only.
In summer, people die of heat stroke.
In the wind, people die of stroke. 中风,cos all the wind just blows into your head and numbs your face.
Fave group shot!

















Random note, gas prices in the ulu Grand Canyon is actually cheaper than in LA!
Maybe cos of the lower tax. A whole dollar lesss leh!!
But dunno why theres still this sign at one of the gas stations.