New York New York

Today we finally started exploring the Big Apple. Weather was great after last night’s rain. All of us are so excited about the day.

Waiting for the PATH train at Newport station

Our trip became so much more 'exciting' after we realize that we are gonna be late for the tour we booked. All thanks to the slow subway on weekends. Argh! We ran and dashed towards the tour meeting place. But having the need to run 15 blocks in 10 minutes is crazy. Luckily, the tour center is kind enough to let us change slot to the next day.

We are so busy talking until we miss the camera timing. Haha

The lateness appeared to be a blessing in disguise as we found out that there is a street market going on along the whole stretch of 7 Ave. We shopped for all kind of stuff.

Sunglasses for $10 each

Baby shirts only for $4 each

And the NYC police, $$$$$ (no money to buy la, haha)

After the long shopping, we decided to head to Times Square to grab our tickets for Broadway later the night. It was certainly a busy part of the town. Yellow cabs and jay walkers everywhere. Honk Honk Honk. Goodness the noise never stops.

Another busy sight of Times Square with classic the yellow cabs.

Times Square in the morning

Radio City Music Hall in the morning

We checked out M&M’s World as the ticket booth has yet to open when we are there. It was huge but less impressive than the one at Orlando. We have a great time exploring the place.

The pillow is so comfortable.

Eat too much M&M’s you’ll become like this. Haha

Checkin' for nuts?

We headed off to the TKTS booth in only to find out that the queue was so long. No it was not a centipede. It is like hundreds of centipedes. Set off for the South Seaport booth instead. Lucky I did my research Haha. We did not even have to queue for more than 10 minutes for the tickets.

View of the South Seaport area

Nice ship

This busker is sure attracting a lot of attention

We headed off back to Times Square area after grabbing our tickets. On the way we stopped by the Rockefeller Center for some photos. It was so hard to even get a photo spot. The crowd there is way too thick.

Finally a good shot.

I just luv this tall building

Next up was the St. Patrick Cathedral which they used in the film, Spiderman. We just happen to pass by so decided to go in for a while. I really liked the place a lot. Not too gothic like those in Europe but still maintain an ancient style of its own.

The exterior

The interior

The Broadway show that we are gonna catch is actually Chicago. I was so impressed that the minimalistic stage setting they used still managed to bring the story to live. A very smart piece of play I must say. It is still appealing after 11 years since it came out in 1997.

Queuing up to get in

Our plan to explore Times Square at night was spoilt by the rain that came pouring. Rushed back to the hotel all drenched that night. Man we sure did a lot today as I blog this down. No wonder we all felt so tired. So that’s end of day 2 in NYC.

The Arrival

Boarded my plane in HK in the morning. Was so excited about the trip that I reach the airport like 4 hours prior to my trip time. The recharging and catchin up with people at home and HK is great. Feels like time just flew by.

The 15 hours flight on Cathay Pacific was just alright (think SQ is still the best so far). Here is a pic that I got as we were flying through sunrise. Lovely isn't it?


We I finally touched down to NYC, I was like an hour late, followed by another 2 hours late due to immigration clearance. Finally met up with Teresa and her bf Dave. So nice of her to come all the way to airport to pick me up. Just when I thought that the 'lateness' will end, we were stuck in traffic for like another 3 hours. That's a total 5 hours late! New York congestion is big shit man.

I rushed to the hotel for check-in not wanting my friends to wait. Guess what, they were all sleeping. That's not the best part. They actually were lost and reached like only 2 hours before I did.


We decided to just rest and waste the night away. Look at the pizza isn't it huge. Gonna have the leftovers for breakfast tomolo I guess.

The Last Day in NUS

The final night in of my undergraduate education. Its been 4 yrs here in NUS. It was a very hectic day to begin with. Too many things to settle.

Met up with prof and the rest of the lab ppl for a farewell dinner. Thanks so much for having this early for me! It was so hot hot hot. The freaking hot weather caused us to change our location from Clementi hawker center to Holland V restaurant.

Next I rushed back to pack up things to SQ place. He and Hend are my saviour. Allowing me to put my stuff at their place. :-)

We then checked out this restaurant at Neil Road. Very nice food indeed. But I forgot the name. Sigh. Haha. We had all sort of side dishes. So full!

SQ persuaded me to try this Hot & Sour Soup. Yummy.

My favourite. The Xiao Long Bao is so tasty. The soup that leaks out from it is very sweet!

SQ's favourite pan-friend Dumpling

The Lotus Paste Watever (forgot name again...haha).
SQ eaten like 3/4 of it as I was too full to eat it :0

SQ enjoying his food. Looking photogenic sia!

Me. The result of sleep deprived packing nights.

The walk around town was really good. Kinda reminded me good and bad times. From clubbing to visa application. But most of all is esplanade where we had our very first freshman outing to watch the fireworks. Looking back I realize that we all have came a long long way. Glad that I've met so many friends in this 4 years.

Here is an edited clip of my University Life. added in new photos towards the end of the clip to complete the summary of my life as an undergraduate.



Now, I am gonna do one more thing. The jog around school and west coast park. Gonna really miss those wonderful refreshing night jogs. Goodbye NUS...........

The Grad Trip

Wow. Only 2 more days before I leave SG to start my graduation trip. And the bookings are only completed today. Thanks to NYC for giving us so much problem with overbooked accommodations.

Here is the grand plan. Will be traveling to all those cities starting from NYC and ending it off in Santa Cruz to start my 4 months WnT program. I am so excited about this trip. Dotted line is by air. Solid lines will be by land. Hopefully we will be alright from the 14 hours continuous bus ride

Went out last night with Hend, Cindy, Ian & Grace. It'll be 6 months before I see some of them again. Thanks for the car ride. Hehe. Feels good not taking public transport. Must find someone to drive me. :p Gonna miss you guys. Take good care and happy searching for our new home while I'm away ok. We forgot to take photos. :-(

Thanks Lt for well wishes but no thanks to your statement of finding a replacement for me while I'm away for 6 months. Bleh.

Meanwhile, check this space for updates while I am away. Will try to blog as much as I could. Hehe.

The Part-timers Gathering

Finally has the time do go back to my work place today. The one that funded my grad trip. It was madness working from 11-3 and then 6-9.30 almost everyday for one semester despite having the need to study and do my FYP. Weird thing is although I was tired, I felt so happy back then.

Here is the photo of the workers.

I realised that I work so much here until it kinda became a part of me. Gonna miss the place. Gonna miss Mee Jie the most. Very kind lady that always offer us food. :-D. The other 2 guys are Chef Yang and Robert (very blur but hardworking guy. He gave me fresh cut pineapple when I ask for pineapple juice...........). Where is Tony?

All the part-timers gathered for a dinner, minus Ryan. Feels weird not to be in my black uniform. Hehe. We really memorised the dishes name by now. Working about 8 months in total already. Gonna miss recommending the Homemade mushroom, French Beans, Curry chicken, Chicken Tika, etc etc. And of course the 'Onni' (yam) and Pumpkin Cream, my favourite dessert.

And us the part-timers plus a friend (Jan, Wendy, Candy, Me SQ).
It was so fun working with you guys.

The Song That Explains

As I watch another episode of American Idol (ok I know some of u hates it, but its not the show that I gonna talk about in this entry k? Hehe) I couldn't help but relate to the song I am.....I said. Speaks exactly of my feeling ever since I left home 6 years ago. Its wonder how beautifully the song is written. Glad to know that I am not alone in this feeling.

I think just by changing the lyrics from LA to Singapore and NYC to Sandakan. Here's part of the lyrics that really touched me.

Well, I'm New York City born and raised
But nowadays, I'm lost between two shores
LA's fine, but it ain't home
New York's home but it ain't mine no more

I am, I said
To no one there
And no one heard at all
Not even the chair
I am, I cried
I am, said I
And I am lost, and I can't even say why
Leavin' me lonely still

But I got an emptiness deep inside
And I've tried but it won't let me go
And I'm not a man who likes to swear
But I've never cared for the sound of being alone

The song is now officially on my favourite list from now on.

The FYP is Done.......Almost

Yup. So relieved. I am done with my report and poster! Gosh one whole year of work. I still remember how worried and stressed up I was when it first began. I had absolutely no idea on what to do. Reading those journals is a really like reading a foreign language book. Wait it was alien language back then. Haha.

Alright here is the poster. Should I put it up on my wall?

Experiment was worse, everyone seemed to know more but me. I cannot even use a pipette properly. Thawing and culturing cells are like a total ......... to me. Scampering for reagents and yes how can I forget that horrible confocal microscopy, that really got me. I remembered how I really wanna smash that microscope. Switching from one focus plane to another.

But hey it is all over now. Haha. And I think I am gonna miss it too. After all, it had became a part of my final year life. I need to really thank my wonderful supervisor for being so helpful and patient with me. Staying back so late at night at time. It was certainly a blessing. Asso glad to have my fellow lab mates, haha at least I know I am not alone. And of course helping me to store things so I do not need to put my shoe cover on. :p

A photo of all my lab people our wonderful supervisor.

The Dilemma

Should I tell? Should I not?
Feelings hidden, Secrets untold.
Someday I will.
Yes, someday.

The Swiftness of Time

Been away from this blog of mine too long. Nothing to blog about? Not perhaps, more like nothing to tell the world about. Things are moving too fast. Faster than I could comprehend. As I watch my friend Cindy perform in her graduation play, I couldn't help be think how 3 years flew by. Still remembered the time when we attended Chris's play when we first knew each other.

Btw, Cindy you were great! Continue chasing your dreams. Fighthing!

The spectators with our 60 yrs old granny

Granny not happy with her playful children

3 years back. People come n go. But still some will stay.

University life ending soon. Not a single step taken to bring me closer to my goal. Where did that fighter go?

The Confusion

All set for graduation
Looking forward to the graduation trip
Not ready for the life after graduation
But wait.....is there life after all?

The Macau Experience

Me and Kit were really excited about checkin out the Macau Island today as it is where most the attractions are at. Taipa Island is pretty boring, but food is better there. We first checked out the Senado Square, lots of Portugese buildings there. Couldn't help but luv the crowd and sunny weather that day. The colonial buildings are so well preserved and clustered together, making it so interesting even to just stroll around the place. Just like those old European cities Macau have churches at almost every corner of this old district. Did I mention how sleepy Kit was? *Look at the pic*


After some exploring around the square, we decided to head on to the main attraction. What else could that be if not the Ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral. You've gotta see Kit imitating the statue. Hilarious. Haha. Looks like they are both having a great time sun tanning there Haha. Is it really amazing that the whole building is destroyed but leaving the front structure intact.


We decided to check out Casino Lisboa, the oldest casino in Macau owned by the Macau's Ho family. Do not let the old fashioned exterior fool you as the minimum betting prices the casino is even higher than those in Venetian and MGM. Crazy isn't it?


Since the both of us are not keen on signing the death waiver for taking the bungee jump, we did not go to the tower. Haha. Ok , I admit we are too scared to take that fall. Did took a photo of it from far though.


We also checked out the fisherman's wharf, some huge project done by the Macao government to help boost the tourism. The try to build the place to resemble some famous cities in the world. The place looks pretty good but it is kinda empty. No crowd at all, making it a little dead. Guess everybody is busy gambling in the casino. Haha


Later that night, we went to check out the greyhound racing. Mind you this place is so up north of Macao. But the trip there is certainly worth it. I must admit that I love watching this more than the horse race back in Shatin. And guess what, the dog that I bet on came in 2nd. Haha. Guess how much i won? 2.3 Patacas. Just enough to cover for my bus ride back to the hotel. Should have bet more. Haha. Just a warning the place is kinda old and looks a little rundown. But trust me the experience is great!


After the race, Kelvin joined us for the Macau trip. Went around MGM grand to take more snapshots and free juices. Haha Kit luved the juices so much. She said it was her way to get back the money she lost earlier from betting there. Poor gal. Cheapo u may think, but the juice sure taste great! Haha, more free juices please.


Kit left early next morning. Thanks for the great company! The rest of the day is spend going around those places that I went with Kit the previous day as Kelvin have yet to visit them. I left on an evening flight back to my hometown that day. This wonderful Christmas holiday has finally came to and end. Lucky that I am going home this time around so I am not so reluctant to leave.


I'm coming home now...........................

The 'Chu Pa Bao' Craze

Macau or Macao, I have always have problem spelling it. Haha. Set off for the ferry terminal early morning. 'Thanks' to Kit for booking the ticket so early. I was so absent minded that I left my shirt at Alanis's place. Thanks to her for bringing it to the terminal for me. (The absent mindedness does not end there as I found out that I left my Sim card there too. But only after I reach home in Sabah. OMG!) Had a breakfast on the ferry before sleepin' throughout the ferry ride. Too tired to even look out of the window to enjoy the scenery.

Upon reaching the terminal, we were so hungry! So we quickly looked for our hotel shuttle as the famous 'Chu Pa Bao' (pork chop bun) is on Taipa Island and not Macau Island. To our horror, we crossed the street and back a few times before finding the small little bus. It was so tiring dragging the luggage up and down. Argh. The hotel was just normal. Nothing grand. Hence no photos taken. Haha. We wasted no time and went straight to the famous Chu Pa Bao place. It was marvellous. And look how big piece the pork chop is. Haha.


Took a the nap that I deserve back in the hotel. Guess I have not yet recover from the late nights in HK. After recharging, we headed off for dinner only to find ourselves eating pork chop bun again. Haha. This one was less delicious. But still, the salmon fried rice and yin yang is great!


We took a bus to Venetian next, only to find out that it is within walkable distance. Haha. Super dumb! Venetian was very much like Vegas, except that it was much much bigger. Such a stark difference from the real Venice that I've been too. Haha. Waters are crystal clear, if only it was like that in Venice, I would have jumped in for a swim. Took a lot of pics of the place. Finally, it felt like a holiday again.


We headed back to the hotel via very quiet and scary roads. Gotta sleep early to prepare for a long day of sightseeing tomolo. But that's after having another supper. And guess what? Yes, we had chu pa again! Haha. And the conclusion is Tai Lee serves the best Chu Pa Bao.

The Farewell

Last day in HK. So tried to meet up with everyone else before I leave. Such a reluctant feeling to leave. Think I have fallen in lov with this city in a short 10 days period. Ok enough of ranting.

The day was spent redoing everything that I have done previously. Eat, play video games, watch movie in Mongkok. Friends I am so gonna miss you guys.

I must say that it is hard to leave. But if I got through Calagry, I don't see how hard it is to get through this. Gotta keep the mood high as holidays is still not ending yet. Hope Macau will make everything better.