How Do I Breathe- Mario

Hello all!

I vomitted my dinner out yesterday at work.. Probably because I can't get used to the food.. It's like French Fries, fried chicken, fried fish, fried everything, hamburgers, pizza etc. Try eating these for 2 weeks straight and you'll get sick too.. Haha.. I need rice.. But I'm going to move into my own apartment in May and that means I can finally cook proper food! Goodbye microwave dinners!

In other words, Sarah tagged me in this note on Facebook and instead of doing it there, I'll do it here so everybody who reads my blog can do as well.. =)

a. Put your iTunes/Napster/Zune Player/WinAmp/etc on shuffle.
b. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
c. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
d. Tag 10 or more friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you got it from.

1) IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?

Can I Have This Dance- High School Musical 3

2) WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?

你是我的幸福吗- 伊能静

3) HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?

你管我- 芮恩

4) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?

两个人的风景- 郭品超

5) WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?

More Than Words- Westlife

6) WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?

Light On- David Cook

7) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?

When You Say Nothing At All- Ronan Keating

8) WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?

蓝眼睛- 张韶涵 & 苏打绿

9) WHAT IS 2+2?

How To Save A Life- The Fray

10) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?

Love Me- Colin Raye

11) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

Glad- Tyler Hilton

12) WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?

甜蜜約定- 183 Club

13) WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?

自己保重- 林峯

14) WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?

淘汰郎- 罗志祥

15) WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?

Could It Be- Christy Carlson Romano

16) WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?

无条件为你- 梁静茹

17) WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?

Circle of Life- The Lion King

18) WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?

He Lives In You- The Lion King 2

19) WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?

新歌试唱- 张栋梁

20) WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?

Para Para Sakura- 郭富城

21) HOW WILL YOU DIE?

Merry Go Round- Yui

22) WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?

说你爱我- S.H.E

23) WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?

Everyday- High School Musical 2

24) WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?

我不后悔- 林志颖

25) WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?

Don't Miss You- Amy Pearson

26) WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?

愛情漫遊- 5566

27) DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?

Find Me- Yui

28) IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?

新不了情- 万芳

29) WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?

原点- 蔡健雅 & 孙燕姿

30) WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?

How Do I Breathe- Mario

Conclusion: I totally LOL-ed at numbers 3, 4, 5 and 17.. And I realised that I have the same answer to number 16 as Sarah which is totally freaky.. Haha.. And I will die on a Merry Go Round.. Right.. Scary.. Haha..

In other words, I was web surfing one day and came across a very interesting website- http://tw.sugoideas.com/ It has all the latest Taiwanese Dramas there so you guys might want to have a look.. Anyway, the following are either the newest Taiwanese dramas or the coming soon ones..

心星的淚光 or Starlit.. Starring Jerry Yan (言承旭) and Terri Kwan (關穎)..

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtGw7y57zQk&eurl=http://asianuniverse.net/forums/TW_M_Starlit__2_t123615.html

敗犬女王 or Defeated Queen.. Starring Cheryl Yang (楊謹華)and Ethan Ruan (阮經天)..

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjoKbhYegQI&eurl=http://asianuniverse.net/forums/TW_M_Defeated_Queen__2009_t124030.html

愛就宅一起 or Superstar Express.. Starring Rainie Yang (楊丞琳), George Hu (胡宇崴) and Jiro Wang (汪東城)..

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWzR7V9DBbY

終極三國 or K.O.3anguo.. Starring George Hu (胡宇崴)..

協奏曲 or The Concerto.. Starring Esther Liu (劉品言), Eddie Peng (彭于晏), Lee Wei (彭于晏) and Pace Wu (吳佩慈)..

華麗的挑戰 or Extravagant Challenge.. Starring Jerry Yan (言承旭) and Ariel Lin (林依晨)..

痞子英雄 or Black and White.. Starring Vic Zhou (周渝民) and Mark Zhao (趙又廷)..

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwK9q0ysDhM

Conclusion: I dunno about the release dates for the last two but I think I'll be watching all the others except the K.O.3anguo.. Looks weird.. Haha.. I've watched 1 episode of Defeated Queen and it's really nice! =)

Ok, it's 140am now.. Time for bed.. Last day of work for this week tomorrow.. Or probably not because I may have to go back on Sunday to work Operator or what we call PBX.. Haha.. Dunno.. Anyway, everybody's working like 4 days a week only because occupancy is low.. So if I don't get called back on Sunday, I have 3 continuous OFF days on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday followed by another OFF on Friday.. What in world am I going to do with all this free time? Haha.. Good Night!

Idaho Falls

Hello all!

How was the Chinese New Year? Collected a lot of ang baos? I got three- Grandma, Papa and Mama.. =) And ironically enough, I was OFF on the first two days of the new year.. Should have flown home secretly.. Hehe.. Anyway, the first day of new year was spent sleeping in cos I stayed awake till 5am so that I could call back home as it would be 8pm in Singapore.. And I didn't know that housekeeping comes to clean my room every Monday and completely missed it because I hung the DND sign outside my door..

On the second day, I headed up to Idaho Falls to make my Social Security Number.. Original plan was to take a bus up and it would cost about $70 for a two-way trip.. But Orkun, my colleague from Turkey wanted to head up as well to do some shopping (Jackson has no shopping malls) so he borrowed a car from his friend which couldn't start that morning due to the cold weather so we ended up renting one for about $90..

Long 2 hours drive all the way to Idaho Falls..

Beautiful scenery along the way..

I wasn't kidding when I said it was cold here.. Haha..

Hello! He did the driving of course since it was on the left side.. And asked a million questions about working in Singapore.. Haha..

Q-ed for about 30 mins but the process only took like 3 mins.. -.-'

Headed to a place called Sam's Club which was kinda like IKEA+Giant+Courts.. Had lunch.. 2 huge slices of pizza.. Gosh.. Forgot to take picture of it.. Haha.. Shopped around after that.. Wandered to the books section and saw Eclipse being sold at a knock out price of $12.52 from the original $19.99! But to buy the book at a discounted price, you had to be a member of the place.. The cashier was nice enough to use hers to let me have the discount cos we explained we won't be visiting again soon.. =)

Went to a budget shop after that which reminded me of The Reject Shop.. And off to Ross where the clothes were on sale!

I forgot what was sold in The Best Buy already but I didn't get anything from there..

A car was a must have here because public transportation was completely non- existent.. Luckily we decided to rent a car instead.. Whew!

Target! Loved the shopping here the most! Haha..And I found Breaking Dawn selling for a discounted price of $16.02 instead of the original $22.99.. Whoo Hoo!

Poor trolley..

And some electric stores.. I'm so gonna save up for a pro camera..

Left for home around 5pm.. The sun was starting to set already..

Pretty eh?

Slept all the way back.. It's so dangerous to be driving at night cos there's no street lamps and the roads were winding since we're living on moutain ranges..

And my purchases for the day!

1) Black Flats for work
2) Knife for cooking
3) Lip Balm
4) Tumbler for work

5) Polo Ralph Lauren fleece blanket
6) Track Pants
7) The Swan Princess DVD

8) Eclipse & Breaking Dawn

In other words, I've just started on my first series of afternoon shifts and it's not bad.. My 6th day on the job yesterday was full of drama.. A guest came up to my counter, broke down and started crying.. Complete shock.. And then I had to go up and lock a guest out from his room.. Scary..

And also working the afternoon shifts means I have to rush for the last bus home.. The shift supposedly ends at 1130pm but because the last bus is at 1140pm so we're more or less allowed to leave at 1115pm.. And I can't take taxis to and fro from work because Jackson doesn't have taxis running on the roads.. All taxis must be pre-booked and a trip home from work to home costs about $30.. So no way.. Haha..

Ok! It's 1105am now.. Off to find something for lunch and time to prepare for work.. Bye!

Jackson Hole Holiday

Hello all!

I'm off for 2 days so now I have all the time in the world to blog.. =)So this time I'll be updating on my Jackson Hole "holiday" before I officially started work.. Just some background on Jackson Hole before I start..

It is located in the state of Wyoming in the United States of America.. There are many small towns in Jackson Hole itself but the main town where I'm staying at is called Jackson (don't ever call the town Jackson Hole as the locals can get a little sensitive because Jackson Hole is a valley where the town of Jackson is located in and not the town' name at all) while I work in another town located on the outskirts called Teton Village which is about a 20 mins bus ride away from Jackson.. Winter usually last from September to March every year and Summers are usually just two months only so the place depends mainly on ski tourism to gain revenue as well..

The population is around 8000 people so you can really see how small the place is right? The main source of income is tourism and therefore there are many hotels, motels and resorts located all over Jackson Hole.. And by the way, the Four Seasons Resort is the most expensive accommodation in Jackson Hole.. The most expensive room can cost about US$3000 per night.. =)

Day 1

The place where I'm staying at right now is called The Point Inns & Suites.. It provides breakfast in the morning which is a really good thing..

And first thing we have to do as "tourists" is to take pictures of sceneries that differ from home.. Haha.. And the first photo will be that of my snow covered accommodation..

And I have moutains surrounding where I stay.. Cool.. It blocks out the winds which is a really good thing as well..

Jackson provides a bus service called START which provides transportation around the town area for free.. However if you need to travel out of town into Teton Village or other towns, it'll be chargeable between US$3- US$5 for one way which is considered really expensive.. But as I'm working there so I have complimentary bus rides everywhere.. =)Anyway, on our first day out and about, we decide to vist Teton Village and locate my resort so it'll be easier for me to find it on my first day of work..

We have arrived at Teton Village! Welcome to Jackson Hole!

The beautiful mountains that surrounds this picture perfect place..

Sun! But it's not warm at all.. Haha..

And after about a supposedly 3-mins-turned-15-mins walk from the bus stop (we were taking so many pictures along the way), we have arrived at Four Seasons Resort Jackson Hole!

The front entrance of the resort..

And this is the lobby of the resort.. The fireplace is real.. The bellman comes in every half and hour or so to replenish the firewood..

Ok.. Just wanna clarify, the white dots that are falling is not snow.. It is actually just the fog in the air condensing into bits of ice..

This was the level of snow about 1 week ago.. Now it has risen to about 10 inches higher due to the snow falls we've been having these past few days..

And the many many ski-ers.. I personally haven't tried ski-ing yet because it is expensive to learn it and the lift pass costs a bomb too.. Maybe next Winter when I've more or less settled down and set aside a pile of moolah for it..

No pure Starbucks or Coffeebean in the entire Teton Village or Jackson.. =( There are only cafes that brew Starbucks coffee.. No frapps or smoothies.. =(

Took a bus back to Jackson after that and decided to explore the main town area.. What you see here is the landmark of Jackson Hole.. This arch here is made of pure elk antler.. The antlers drop off naturally from the elk every spring/summer for them to grow new ones as they age and therefore, the town has collected a huge number of it and made this arch..

After much walking around, we decided to dine at one of the 3 Chinese restaurants in Jackson, Ocean City China Bistro..

We each ordered a lunch set which came with soup, spring rolls, fried rice, fried noodles and one dish.. I've sampled the food from all of the 3 Chinese restaurants in Jackson and they all only offered 3 main types of soups which are presented here- Hot & Sour soup, Egg Drop soup and Wanton soup (no meat inside!)..

And our lunch.. It was far too much for one person to finish.. And we even ordered an extra plate of veggies too..

The signboard says it all..

And this is how the town looks like and you can see for yourself how quiet it is.. The whole place is very cowboy-ish like those old Western towns because Jackson Hole used to be a cowboy town that grew from a trading centre to a small town as it is right now..

Some church I think.. And these are the two very handy tools that you will need whenever you come to Jackson.. The very excellent-ly drawn town map and the bus schedule.. Yes, that's right, buses here run on schedule which makes things so much easier for me cos I have a bus stop right outside where I stay and I can just see what time the buses come and just head on right out 2 minutes before it arrives =)..

We saw snow falling from the trees and decided to pose excitedly but I think my mama looks very natural.. Haha..

For dinner we actually had it in the "Chinatown" of Jackson at a Chinese buffet restaurant.. The lady boss was from Shandong and she was so excited to see people who can speak Chinese.. Haha.. I'll be damn glad if I found any too.. Well, I've found two but I'll update on that later..

And while waiting for the shuttle home, we took pictures with the cute figurines at a hotel near the bus stop.. Haha..

Day 2

Signed up for a Snowmobil tour to Yellowstone National Park the night before.. Super expensive but it's a once in a lifetime opportunity.. Anyway, to drive a snowmobil on your own, you have to have a valid driving license and children under the age of 6 are not allowed on at all.. So just take note in case you decide to go on a snowmobil tour ok? ;)

Lucky enough the three of us all hold driving licenses so it was no problem for us.. It would be a real problem if all my family members came because there would not be enough drivers to go around.. LOL

Got picked up at the ungodly time of 630am to head to the snowmobil centre for to get fitted into proper clothing and to pay for insurance etc. The pants-suit thing that was super effective.. I didn't feel the wind blowing my legs at all.. I look like a damn farmer though.. Haha..

And my ever ready mama.. This is how we look in full gear on the snowmobils which was super troublesome when we had to go to the toilet..

And after that, the guide brought us for a catered breakfast..

On the long 1 hour drive to Yellowstone National Park.. Along the way, the guide, Kevin was telling us that the number one threat in the world is not terrorists or nuclear bombs but Yellowstone National Park.. Because there are still active volcanoes in it that will erupt in another 10,000 years causing so much ash to remain in the air which will block out the sun and plunge the entire Earth into another ice age.. So people, 10000 years..

All the snowmobils prepared and ready to go!

Initally, I was driving on my own while my father drove my mother on another.. But he had alot of trouble controlling it so my mum came to sit with me in the end..

Super fantastic scenery that we saw on the way through Yellowstone.. Wait, hold that note.. It was not super fantastic, it is up till this moment in my life, the most spectacular scenery I've ever seen.. My mum tried to take photos of it but it was on the wrong function and she didn't know how to switch it back..

After almost 2 hours of driving 44 miles, we reached the Old Faithful Geyser where many other snowmobils were also on tour and parked to wait for it to erupt..

Old Faithful Geyser! They even had a prediction when it will erupt.. Cool.. And yes, I know I look very muscular.. *shy*

The geyser before it erupted..

And the huge amount of water and vapour in the air after it had.. I expected a really loud hissing sound but it sounded more like wind blowing instead.. Haha..

Kevin told us that once the geyser has erupted to quickly make our way to this restaurant because that's where everybody goes to after the geyser has erupted and if we didn't grab seats in time, we'll have to sit outside in the cold.. No no no..

What a cool tour bus.. I wonder why we don't have these back home.. Haha..

And after lunch it was a different route to take us back.. Along the way, Kevin promised multiple stops for photos and scenery viewing.. First stop was this lookout waterfall whose name has completely slipped my mind..

I love how the trees and snowy mountains blend together so well..

Some of our snowmobils parked together.. We were travelling with a family of four from Brazil as well..

And our second stop was Shoshone Lake.. Can you spot it far far away in the background?

So comfortable to sleep like this.. Haha.. It's so tiring to drive a snowmobil.. You don't use any leg power but you have to use alot of finger power to control the gas and brake.. I was so afraid the carbo-filled lunch would kick in and I would fall asleep and fall off my snowmobil.. Haha..

After another hour or so of driving, we arrived at this very fun spot.. Dunno what it's called though.. The snow has frozen so rapidly into ice so we were able to pick it off the ground and play with it..

Yay! I managed to throw it up in time.. Haha.. I kept picking the largest ones and throwing them into the stream below.. Haha.. So fun..

The temperature suddenly rose so rapidly that I was sweating for the first time since I came here under all that thick and heavy gear..

You have no idea how the snow feels after the whole day of driving on a snowmobil.. Simply heavenly.. I could just sleep there I swear..

Some stream.. And nap time for like 20 secs before we were called to move on cos the sky was getting darker..

Welcome to our last stop whose name I really dunno.. Haha..

There was this slide thing that we could use to head down to the bottom of a waterfall or else you can take a walking slope down.. I chose the slide of cos.. Haha..

Pretty waterfall..

Ahhh.. This is the life.. Haha..

Welcome to Yellowstone National Park! (We took this on exit actually.. =p)

=(

I wanted to enjoy of the scenery so I requested for my Mama to drive me instead.. Haha..

And before we head back, we had to pump petrol for the snowmobil.. So cute hor? Haha..

And I dunno how Yellowstone got its name but I'm guessing because the sun happen to shine on the snowy mountains when the founder gave it its name.. Haha..

Our transportation home..

Conclusion: I love snowmobiling! But it can be very tiring on the fingers at times..
However, the scenery that we have seen through Yellowstone National Park was simply awesome..

Day 3

Had to report to work for uniform fitting and paperwork at 9am.. So nervous..

My mama insisted on me taking a picture on my first day of work.. Haha.. I love the boots but they're not good for ice and snow at all.. Not enough protection against the cold.. Shall save it for spring then.. Under that thick sweater, I actually have a business suit on.. Wanted to wear court shoes but I think I'll just fall to my death before reporting to work.. Haha..

Finally met my schoolmate, Mohit who I've been contacting for the past few months for details.. Went down to HR and filled out a dozen kinds of paperwork.. Went to the uniform department to get a set of Front Desk Agent uniform.. It's quite simple actually, just pink blouse and black pants.. Haha.. Then got my locker which is a full length one instead of the one up and one down ones we got a Meritus.. I'm already loving Four Seasons.. Ok.. I'll blog about my job in another entry since it'll take quite long..

Anyway, went back home.. Found the super small indoor jacuzzi.. My parents were up at Snow King Resort for a visit so used the computer fora little while before heading into town to meet them for lunch..

Had lunch at this authentic steakhouse called Teton Steakhouse..

The food was so good and cheap.. And we could just add US$2.99 to get free flow salad and soup bar helpings..

Headed to the bank after that to open up a bank account for my paycheck.. The bank was simply amazing in terms of decor and ambience.. Antique wood, stones, old age pictures.. It looked like a modern castle.. The offices and desks were so huge and they even had a fireplace.. Gotta take a picture next time.. The decor and ambience of any Singapore bank can never match up to this.. I swear you'll agree with me when you've seen it.. Oh, and my bus pass that gives me complimentary rides..

Headed back to the hotel after that for a short nap.. Then for dinner, it was back to Chinatown to try out the last Chinese restaurant.. The waiter who served us was a Peranakan from Malaysia.. Cool!

And we ordered like so much food.. Too much in fact.. Haha.. But it was really good.. Yum..

And my parents took the leftovers home for lunch the next day.. It's like the movies where Chinese food is placed in containers such as these.. So cute right?

Day 4

Worked the morning shift the next day.. Met and shook hands with like 101 people.. Haha.. I even met the GM and shook hands with him that day.. I didn't even talk to my GM in my 5 months at MM.. -.-'

We headed back to Ocean Bistro for dinner.. The waitress who served us there looked kinda familiar to me and upon further probing, I realised she was the hostess I saw at one of the restaurants in Four Seasons that afternoon on my tour around! Haha.. What a coincidence! She was as happy as I was to have met another Asian and she's from Malaysia which is like so close to home.. Haha.. She was a student just like me who was on the same kind of VISA and she mentioned that her classmate was in Four Seasons as well but in Laundry while she is in F&B.. And just in case you are wondering why she can work two jobs, Four Seasons allow its staff to moonlight.. =)

Day 5

I was OFF that day.. So weird right? Monday- Report for uniform fitting. Tuesday- Report for first day. Wednesday- OFF. LOL. But too perfect as well cos my parents were leaving the next day.. =(

Therefore, we decided to on a sleigh ride at the National Elk Refuge..

The ever famous yellow American school bus.. Haha..

Poor things standing out in the cold like that..

On board the sleigh preparing to move off.. Our two horses were called Jack and Jill.. They had matching names for all their horses like Trixie and Dixie, Sarah & Sam, Jess & Bud etc.

And our horse drawn sleigh got real up close to a group of elk..

This picture was not zoom-ed.. We were really that close to the elk.. The male and female elk usually seperate during the winter season because it is not really the mating season for them yet..

And a very sick elk died and now the cayotes and ravens were feeding on it..

A bald eagle was standing on a post waiting for something..

And a very gruesome picture of the carcass.. Eeww.. I took this picture and immediately turned back into the sleigh as I felt myself about to be sick..

And the huge herd of elk.. So many of them all coming down from the moutains to salvage food on lower ground..

Dunno how many thousands of them were there..

A quaint little bridge that could support 5 tonnes!

And a picture with Jack & Jill and our guide, Brittany..

I was taking some pictures, missed a step and slipped on ice and fell down and hurt my right knee.. =( The two staff members had to support me all the way back to the bus.. My parents were walking in front and didn't see me fall and when my father saw me coming over, all he did first was to take a picture.. -.-' The knee is now just blue black but on the second day, it was aching so badly and I still had to stand on my high heels for 8 hours.. Haha..

Some samples of the antlers from different animals.. The moose's ones were so heavy.. I wonder how they keep it on their heads..

Exploring the dining guide to decide where to eat..

Big big Christmas Tree!

Day 6

My parents left today so now I'm alone here.. Anyway, it was also a new experience day for me because it snow-ed for the first time since I came here!

You can't really see in this picture becos everything's white.. But it was really snowing and it even got so bad yesterday that they had to cancel all the flights originating from Jackson Hole Airport going to Salt Lake City and Denver and vice versa.. Lucky my parents got out one day earlier if not I think they'll be stranded here..

And lemme introduce you to my hotel room.. This is my kitchen with the ever useful microwave and fridge..

And all my food supplies.. Even more exaggerating than when I was in Aussie.. Haha.. I'm surviving on microwave food, can soup (it was on discount! 10 cans for US$10! so I bought 10 cans!) and instant noodles.. I should really get an apartment soon so I can start doing some proper cooking.. I'll lose all my hair at the end of attachment if this goes on.. Haha..

And Beilin, they sell HSM cornflakes in USA.. Haha.. And no, I didn't buy it.. Place your order with me before I go home ok? Haha..

And the two double beds in my room.. I probably should get a room move into a King Bed room.. Two beds in one room for one person feels weird..

And my TV! Haha.. They provide free cable TV!

Alright folks! This will be my latest Jackson Hole update! Please check back again for more.. =)

Happy Chinese New Year!