Photos of our long weekend trip

I know it's hard to catch me in "ugly shots".... and I have tasked Thinmonkey to do the unenviable task of catching my in "ugly" expressions... please do not think those shots taken of me are candid... they are not!!!!!!!!! (shucks... am I giving myself away...)

Ok lah... they are candid shots... I had a great laugh myself.... have fun going through the photo..

http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2105836813

True holidays... coming

At work now, yet not working… such a conflicting situation to be in…

Since there’s nothing much for me to worry over at work.. I should update what’s exciting in my life NOW NOW NOW (quote from Kee… again :p)

In exactly 17 hours… or thereabout, I will be flying out of Houston… Exciting!! (Not because I am the last one to take a flight out of Houston amongst the Singaporeans) It’s because… WE ARE HEADING TO GRAND CANYON!!!

This place has never been on the “MUST GO” place… but I have always had it at the back of my mind…. Hoping that when I am in the States, I will be able to visit it. We will also be visiting Las Vegas, LA plus theme parks, San Franc, Yosemite National Park… sounds exciting? IT IS!

As at now, my bag is not packed…

The blog prob wont be updated for AT LEAST 18 days… but share my joy… I am finally going traveling… (as Chris described me… when it comes to traveling, my enthusiasm yi wan (ten thousand- a malaychinese slang for large quantity/great volume))

I will have fun I am sure… and as Cantona would have put it… WATCH THIS SPACE

NBA finals.... Heats blazed their way to the first ever NBA Championship... otherwise known as World Champion

NBA finals was played on Tueday, 6/20/06...... This year's playoffs has been a memorable one for me... more becoz of the fact that I managed to catch a good 70% of the matches, than the fact the my fav team, Miami Heats won the title.

Backgrd: Most pple know that I am an avid football fan... but actually I am a great spectator sports fan... and NBA is one of the more followed after sports that i watch even back when i was in Singapore. It has been a sport that I used to watch more when i was younger... due to the reduction in coverage in Singapore (Starhub sux!!), we can only get games on Friday and Saturday morning... impossible..

As we all know, NBA is huge in America... like all American sports (how in the world can they not watch FOOTBALL... the biggest game in the world!! This is America after all)... And one of the most delightful thing that has happened to me since I am here, in terms of spectator sports, is the telecast of NBA playoffs. EVERY SINGLE GAME is telecast live on TV. If you have the time to watch it, it is there!

And this year's playoff is one of the most exciting ever... many series went to the full 7 game... and there was a record number of games that went to OT... the thrill and excitement generated by the game is unrivalled... (except football of coz!)

As a Heats fan... I was plotting my way all the way to the NBA finals, even at the start of the playoffs. I do expect Heats to go all the way to the finals.. for the simple reason that they have some excellent stars.. past and present... Gary Payton, Alonoso Mourning, Antoine Walker, Shaq.... and of coz the biggest star, and the finals MVP... Dwayne Wade...

A few interesting note on the road to the Finals

1) San Antonio LOSE!!!

Spurs, actually it's more Tim Duncan, has been the achilles heel of Shaq... and lakers of late... the team always, imho, raise their games against shaq's team... him being my fav player for a while... makes Spurs my least fav team... it is an excellent team... if only they play with shaq, more than against him...

I didnt want Spurs to go to the finals... and they were duely disposed by Dallas Mavericks... actually single handedly destroyed by Dirk Nowitzki... simply the most brilliant guy I ever seen play the game since Michael Jordan... he simply shoots from any awkward position, and SCORES.... simply simply brilliant!!

Most games in the series were decided by a couple of points... and a couple went into OT... seriously exciting... in the end, it went to game 7... AGAIN! And at the home court of Spurs... they lost the series in their home court... For the first time in a long time!!

2) Detroit in the conference finals...

The funny thing abt NBA teams... they want to meet the team that beat them the year before... and BEAT THEM! Pistons beat Heats last year when Heats was the favourite...(from 3-2 down) this year, with 4 all-stars in their team... they had the favourites tag... until of coz King James pushed them to game 7... thanks James.. you are the best... (Heats won their series in 5... thanks to Vince Carter)

Imagine a team of 4 all-star, and the fifth is tayshuan price who can play 48 minutes per game. Super team.... who plays very much like a team... like a commentator said before... the sum of the team is greater than the sum of the individual parts.

But Heats has traded Antonie Walker to square off against Rashid Wallace, and I know they want to play Pistons and beat them!

When the conference finals came... they were not up to it... and lost in 6.... quite easily done.

3) 7 game series...

Lotsa 7-game series this year... many by Phoenix Suns... one of the most exciting teams to watch... love them...

4) Dirk Nowitzki

Simply brilliant... If Heats didnt make it to the finals.. I would have supported him. The impossible shots made... the 50 pt game against Spurs... the almost perfect FT... the humility and passion... he was everything I want to see in a professional athlete.

The reason why Heats should win

Last chance for Gary Payton... a 7 or 8 time All Star... excellent player... who went to Lakers to win a ring, but becoz of Kobrat Bratyant... didnt... (at least he has got it now... Karl Malone should beat up Kobrat when he sees him)

Alonoso Mourning... a soon-to-be hall of famer... no NBA ring like GP... super humble guy... came back from kidney disease... such a role model for pple... 16th season in NBA

Antoine Walker.... was a key player in his former teams... came here to win the ring...

Shaq... my fav player... this is good enough reason for him to win a ring

Wade... next up coming fav player... even better reason for him to win the ring.

The FINALS itself...

Lost first 2 games in Dallas.... only 2 teams in NBA HISTORY has won after being 2-0 down in NBA finals!!

3rd game... with 6 min plus to go... trailing by 13 pts... I gave up... went to prepare my following day's lunch... No teams have come back from 3-0 down... they wont. Heat pull up a good run... suddenly within distance...

Closing min... took lead... and won!

5th game... once again... it looked like Mavs will steal one game at Miami...

Somehow pushed to OT!! And Heats won! Lead 3-2

6th game... close again... last seconds... 93-90.. Wade (80%+ FT shooter) took 2 Ft... MISSED BOTH!!! WTF!!!!

Jason Terry took the last s3-pt shot.... MISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSED!!!

MIAMI HEATS.... WORLD CHAMPION......... FIRST TIME in franchise history...

What a game... i am totally NBA fan... of coz for the rest of last night... now? Back to Football.. and world cup..

The weekend (Part 3b).. the financial hell come true

Despite letting in 2 goals early in the game… I continue strut along towards my favourite shop… a place where there’s always something for everyone… Timberland!!

After narrowly missing the replacement for my old, 4 year running sports sandal shoe from adidas, AT ADIDAS… I am determined that the 4 year wait for the replacement should end today… more becoz of the need to protect my feet from the strenuous terrains of Grand Canyon, which I will be in, in two weeks’ time, then the urge for shopping….

I stepped in, full of confidence… and once again…. Timberland saw my need, and met it! One pair of walking, trekking, sports, covered shoes… for a mere US$50… You wont find this price in Singapore, I assure you… and another wallet for $5…. (eh… when did I need a wallet?) The wallet was becoz, we needed to buy $100 to get 15% discount I think, so the wallet that cost $10, now only cost us an incremental cost of $5… can act as spare wallet mah… clever hor?

We are not even 1 quarter through, and the last count, I have spent $200 on things that I do not need!!

But how can anyone say no to Quicksilver/Roxy? Not US….. Zing and I went across the garage (also know as CAR PARK) to the Quicksilver store… I never bought a Authentic Board Shorts (Authentic means Quicksilver… the rest are all poor imitations) becoz they are really expensive for so little material… but we all know people pay good money for the style, more than the amount of cloth.. While it cost about S$60 in Singapore (I think), it only cost US$25 here… WHY NOT? I also got myself a shirt… never done that in Singapore… becoz I never want to pay more than $40 for a short sleeve shirt… the cost? US$20!!

Chirp chirp chirp!!

Finally… almost time to concede defeat….. (for wuss like Thinmonkey… yes… ) NO! not until we conquer another sports store… Reebok… I always wanted to own one NBA jersey… maybe Shaq, maybe Lebron James, maybe Garnett….. So I was always looking for bargains… Usually these jerseys are only suitable for those who actually wear them… not for small Asians like me… So I gave up after a while… but out of the blue.. (the why didn’t I think of that moment) I thought, if the adult size are super big… then wouldn’t the kids size fit me?

I tried it on… and it fits… one cost US$36 after discount… not too expensive… considering that usually one will cost US$60 or more… and I got 2… due to some discounts, the 2nd one is $26… very cheap..

Why two? I was deciding between McGrady and Bryant… both excellent players… while I think Bryant is better, I can only go to Rockets games… so I got both!

Day completed? No… not before dinner.. (at $2.50 per person… why do pple save on necessities and splurge on materials things? We are urbanites after all… driven by material wants…) And of course… the long drive home…

We reached home at 11pm… before the start of another work day… A satisfied customer… just US$350 poorer…

The weekend (Part 3a).. the inevitable trip to financial hell

Day 4… the inevitable… much awaited… much fear (financially)… TRIP TO SAN MARCOS OUTLET MALLS!!!

Background: One of the best loved things about the US is the outlet malls. Do you get cheap things here? NO! Do you get RELATIVELY cheap BRANDED goods here? YES! And San Marcos must be the mother of all outlet malls, aka factory outlets…. It is made up of Prime Outlet and Tanger Outlet… and is so huge that I was unable complete one of the two malls after one full day of shopping!!!!

The thing about shopping… it’s always about relativity… do you need it? NO… Is it relatively cheaper, which makes buying it worthwhile? A lot of times… YES! For a lot of things… YES!

Despite the appeal of shopping, the one I love, me, Tim and Sharpie set out for the malls pretty late in the morning… about 11. This is my 2nd trip here, but I have never set foot on the “Tanger Mall” part of San Marcos (San Marcos is the town/city, we call it San Marcos because these malls are located there, and they are probably the most well known things there) before…. After hearing so much about it… I cant wait to begin my adventure.

Below are the results of battles:

First up… Adidas outlet… Nike is never cheap… Reebok is never nice.. Adidas is a good “in-between”… you can occasionally find good deals… it’s never a waste of effort…

So HERE it is… the first defeat of the day… A pair of shoes that I don’t need… Something which is similar to what I have… but still… at 25% plus another 15% discount… who dare pass it up… so I got it… for a mere US$29 (S$46).

Justification: Why did I buy? It’s cheaper than what I would have paid… I wanted to buy something that cost abt US$50… so it’s worth it… (not convinced? More to come)

After roaming around, and getting my stomach filled, with cheap food… and lotsa free refills of drinks… it’s time for the hunter to move on..

Not long after… the hunter became the hunted… at a shoe outlet… some funny name it is called… My current 10 mth old Renoma Dress shoe will not serve me any longer… it’s successor has to be found… and it has to be found HERE!

Good things comes in pairs… and I bought a pair of pair of shoes… (sounds confusing… actually it’s two pairs of shoes) One may ask… how many pairs can u wear to work at one time? One..? (Girls will tell you that the answer is 1 divided by 0… infinite)

I bought a nice, dark brown, plain looking shoe…. With a little extra leather in front (a bit of pattern… if not always kenna complain that my shoes all look the same… ) It’s the Shoe that will serve my working needs…








The other… Still brown (why 2 pairs of brown?...… Answer: WHY NOT? "Quote from peng)… it’s slightly more flashy… a little bit more pattern… something that I always wanted to buy… since 1 pair for $60, and 2 for $100… I needed one…. so the 2nd one is effectively only $40!! So Chirp chirp chirp….

(Quote from Ng Eng Juan: THE MORE YOU BUY, THE MORE YOU SAVE!!)

Side note: At least it’s cheaper than 3 for $179… which I would not fork out to buy… let alone 1 for $179, or for that matter, $210 (sorry kee.. it’s you!)

News flash... An adventure on the road this morning

I hate to interrupt my 3rd installment of my weekend trip... but there's a more urgent need to report on a frightening experience this morning on the way to work.... here's the story..

Adventure this morning…

Backgrd: Every morning, I am require to travel abt 30+ miles (approx 50km) to get to work. I will be on my favourite highway, Highway 59, which has recently been expanded. As a result of this, my trip to my client’s has always been a breeze… and I have always declared myself as a big fan of this highway… you can have as many as 5 lanes… and travel at an average speed of 65mph… However, I never advocate speeding due to the number of speeding tickets I see people I know got.

This morning… I took Highway 59 again… and did what I usually do… travel at abt 70mph (limit is 60, but almost all vehicles travel at 70). I am usually on the lane beside the left extreme passing lane (overtaking lane). When I see someone traveling below 70, I will pass him on the passing lane (usually at 80-85mph… so that I can pass him faster, and it’s “safer”).

I was usually conscious of the road shoulders on the left, where police cars ambush speed limit violators… I was traveling upslope at abt 85mph, and when the road turned downwards, I SAW A POLICEMAN there!! I immediately slowed down to 75… or abt 70… when I saw that the policeman did not get into his car to come after me, I felt a sense of relief…

About a min later, I was traveling at the average car speed of 70mph at that time, I saw police car on my right as I turned my head in that direction. The police officer seemed to have gestured something in a downward action…. I was sure he asked me to stop….

*SAD*… I cant believe my luck… I told myself not to speed… at least not to do it in the left most lane!! There was a sour taste in my mouth, literally… I hated and thoroughly regretted my actions… at least US$100 gone… or more… plus time wasted….

But to my greater surprise, the policeman sped away… I thought to myself… if he had wanted me to stop, he would not have sped to the front of my car… then I thought again… maybe he was just trying to pull to the right…

I waited another min to see the course he was taking… by then… he was far far away…. I knew I was save… Thank God… I felt like I had won a price, strike lottery (or 4-D)…. I thank God for that… if not for his blessings… my whole day would have been a sad one… (I think whole week at least)…

Happily stayed within the speed limit all the way to work… THANK GOD!

The weekend (Part 2).. A trip to Schlitterbahn

A little tired now... so cant recall as well as I would have a few days ago...

The 3rd day of our weekend is a trip to world famous... (actually just famous in the States... but somehow they always like to think that USA is THE WORLD... pardon their ignorance..) Water Theme Park.... Voted best water theme park for 5 years in a row (i wonder where the judges are from)... SCHLITTERBAHN- New Braunfels...

Backgrd: New Braunfels is a City that is 30-45mins away from San Antonio which we were based. Due to its sheer size, the park is located in this place, not too far from SA. The park is divided into East and West, I think it is due to its expansion from its original park....

Anyway... it is a water theme park of many exhilarating rides.... many of these rides, especially the renowned MASTER BLASTER are fun and exciting... and probably wont be seen in Singapore.

After having experience the thrill of Six Flags Fiesta the day before.... we were ready for even more great adventure..... And as we have expected from this great park, everything was here... while it did not have the adrenaline rush of the roller coasters from previous day, it was fun filling in its own way. The best thing about the rides is, it does not make you dizzy, hence we were able to go on and on without having any proper breaks in-between.

We reached the place at 945, right before its opening and 10am... and we did not stop until they stopped all the rides at 745pm. We all were able to enjoy most of the rides and had a super fun day in the sun...

Some of the rides worth mentioning are:

MASTER BLASTER: This is a water ride which has the ability to "blast" you upwards, and was voted the BEST water ride in America many times over. Due to the long lines (otherwise known as queues), we did not waste our time waiting in lines more than once. It was fun and interesting, but nowhere near what I got from SUPERMAN...

Bogie Bahn: This is a man-made surfing ride... it allows us (notice I didnt say we were able) to surf on the "tide" with a surf board... pretty cool.... of coz... i didnt last 2 secs... before i could say "AHHHHHHHHHHH...", I was off my board... what a wuss (as tim would have put it)

Lazy pool... there were several lazy pools around... some are simply for floating purposes, while some has "slides" built in... I tried to slide down backwards as much as I can.. to make the rides more interesting... it resulted in me flipping and hitting the back of my head on one occasion... I suffered more ache in my ego than my head... so all's well...

Overall... we had a wonderful time... I would say better value than Six Flags due to the fact that we were able to do most rides as a whole grp... It's a pity we were not able to take much pictures as we did not have any waterproof cameras...

Totally recommend anyone who visits this region to go for it!

Time for the final part of my trip... a whole different experience...

SAN MARCOS FACTORY OUTLETS!