living it up in vancouver

2007-07-28T09:29:00.000-07:00

::last day in LA: farmers' market & hollywood::

after visting la brea tar pits, i decided to head down to the farmers' market and the grove (both located adjacent to each other). this being my one of my favorite-st place in LA, it was only fitting that i pay a visit there before i leave LA!

i just love the farmers' market - for their so many many interesting foodstuff, their so very fresh produce, their sinfully delightful pastries and the general gastronomically-conducive atmosphere that would make a glut like me so very happy:)

actually, this is the main reason why im at the farmers' market - the gumbo pot, my favourite stall there!!

i really love these stews - which hail from new orleans!

lunch was very satisfying:) i had a bowl of seafood gumbo stew, with spicy collard greens salad and corn bread! yummydelicious:) but i still think gumbo ya-ya's nicer!

after lunch, i went to the grove - i love looking around in the unique shops here! and of course, the shopping too;) the grove is so conveniently located next to the farmers' market. eating good food and shopping rank among my (and generally, any other girl's) favourite pastimes - no wonder it's one of my favorite-st place in LA!

yay! the other half was finally free after lunch to meet me:) we headed down to hollywood! here's us in front of the grauman's chinese theatre! i really wanted to watch a movie there - coz it is THE place where a lot of high profile movies premiere at - for example, most recently, ocean's 13! this theatre along hollywood boulevard is a very popular choice of venue for movie premieres because it is believed that a movie that premieres at the chinese theatre would do very well at the box office - coz the place apparently has good fengshui (due to the many dragon scupltures displayed in its premises)!

coldstone creamery delight!

the other half had chocolate ice-cream, mixed in with riese peanut butter cups!

and i had coffee ice-cream, mixed in with graham's pie crusts! ahhh. it was goooooood:)

incidentally, the american idol final was held that evening!

the influx of the paparazzi, camera flashes, security guards and barricades everywhere - contributed to the excitement to the atmosphere as people tried to catch a glimpse of their idols - at the kodak theatre!

amidst all the frenzy, the other half and i headed to the french crepe company at hollywood - for our last dinner together in LA!

the very tasty seafood crepe!

savoury crepe - with fresh strawberries, peaches and nutella!! yum.

the other half and i - watching the show vacancy at the chinese theatre! the movie was real bad, but i guess the company more than made up for it;) this photo that we took in the theatre turned out quite weird though - with all the funny lights and stuff?

the nice decor at the chinese theatre! maybe that explains why watching a movie here is more expensive than that elsewhere:/

2007-07-28T01:08:00.000-07:00

the past 3 weeks had been so tiring and draining for me:( im so glad my internship days are finally over - for good;) now i can enjoy my holidays (albeit only 2 weeks left) again!

and now, continuing with my updates..

::la brea tar pits::
la brea tar pits is located in the miracle mile/musuem square district in LA, which as its name suggests, is home to many musuems! the la brea tar pits is located in the rancho la brea area, where asphalt (the sticky and black semi-solid/liquid substance in crude oil) has been seeping out of the ground for the past 40,000 years (up till today!)!

the la brea tar pits is located in the hancock park..

the lake pit in the hancock park - which used to be an abandoned quarry (where asphalt was mined during the 19th century). it is now filled with rain water and the seepage of groundwater. while the lake pit is beautified with life-sized fiberglass models of the columbian mammoths, the yucky terrible smell of tar permeates the air around it!

it was quite amazing to see so many bubbles of natural gas (methane) continuously escaping through the fissures of the lake! the production of methane is apparently due to the breaking down of asphalt by microbes in the lake pit. this phenomenon has excited scientists who are trying to find ways to utilize these microbes to clear oil spills.

asphalt seeping out from the ground EVERYWHERE!!

including various parts of the hancock park - these areas where asphalt seep out of the ground, have to be enclosed by barricades - for safety purposes!

but there are just too many of these areas to be taken care of - as such, there are many small areas that are left as that.

the easy access to asphalt has motivated the public to display their "artistic talents" by using asphalt to draw graffiti on this tree..

one of the six excavation pits in hancock park - where asphalt has been excavated by scientists, for research purposes. asphalt is so highly valued by scientists because they contain (and preserve) the fossilized remains of a great variety of plant fragments and ancient mammals. apparently, the evidence is so extensive and complete enough, that scientists are able to reconstruct the environment that existed in the la brea rancho 12,000-40,000 years ago.

bubbles of methane gas were discernible in the excavation pits as well!

oops - restricted area.

pit 91 - started in 1969, this is the longest on-going urban paleontological excavation site in the world. but it sure looks very dirty?! it is interesting how the excavations are only conducted during the summer months from early july until the beginning of september every year! the volunteer guide told us that there are really too much fossilized remains to be excavated - so they can really afford to take their own sweet time?!

the observation pit - where the public can be up close and personal with an excavated pit. the scientists have also duly identified the different fossils.

the entrance to the page musuem at the la brea tar pits, is graced by 4 sabre-toothed tigers in action.

skeletons (of mammals) galore!

of which even the most massive mammals

would be reduced to this..

the most common fossils found in the la brea rancho is the dire wolf specie - in order to accommodate most of their fossilized remains, only their skulls are represented in the musuem display..

on-going research done at the world famous "fishbowl" laboratory inside the museum - where visitors can see the scientists and volunteers clean, examine, restore and catalog the fossils after they have been excavated from the asphalt.

vistors were also able to experience how difficult it is to get out of an asphalt tar pit, when you get stuck in it - by pulling a pole from an asphalt pool. it seriously requires a lot of strength! that is probably the reason why so many fossilized remains are present in the asphalt. many wandering animals (in the past - and even now) would unknowingly venture onto the abundant asphalt pools in the la brea rancho - and would often find themselves trapped, to die inside it.

2007-07-03T00:10:00.000-07:00

sorry for the long hiatus. i was sooo busy with pupillage applications! and before that, internship was also very tiring:( after all the stress and rush leading up to yesterday, i really thank God that everything went quite smoothly in the end, and i managed to get what i wanted:) i hope this is what He wanted for me too!

and yes.. i will continue to updating my very long overdue posts..

::abbott kinney & westside pavillion::

named after the founder of the venice canals, this market street is bustling with local shops and restaurants unique to the area. the abbott kinney blvd is lined with one-of-a-kind boutiques and cafes - there are no chain stores/restaurants there!

one of the more interesting chic boutiques - which dominate the street!

there was even a characteristic-red-london-telephone-booth model outside the uk fashion apparel boutique!

more sights along the abbott kinney.. which has a very bohemian yet neighbourhood feel to it!

at the end of the street, we came across a scientology temple. there are so many scientology temples around LA! i cant remember if i mention this before, but in hollywood, there are even advertisements, to attract people to join scientology. its followers are also stationed along the hollywood blvd, where IQ quizzes are handed out for people to take, to determine if they are suitable to join the scientology church?! madness. LA is really a place where scientology thrives!

ACCIDENT!! after we covered the abbott kinney, the other half and i headed down to the westside pavillion, an urban-style shopping mall in west LA. on the way there (when we were just outside the univ of santa monica), the bus that we were on, got into an accident with another car (as shown on the picture above)!!

there was a loud thud and the bus shooooook. the (rather nasty) lady driver of the white car came up the bus and made a lot of noise. the poor busdriver (who really wasnt at fault) was dragged down the bus to assess the damages and settle the accident claim form with the lady:/

because the other half and i were sitting at the 2nd last row on the bus, we sorta saw what happened. in a nutshell, the lady who was driving behind the bus wanted to overtake the bus. because of her miscalculation, she caused a side swipe with the bus. her driver's side mirror was crushed and her right front door was badly scratched and dented. thank God no one was hurt! the busdriver later got the other half and i to be his eye-witnesses, and made us fill out this form! it is interesting how the other half and i ended up getting involved in this! but we were happy to be able to help (or rather, defend) the poor busdriver:) how drama..

the damage sustained by the white car - i was hiding behind the other half, while taking this photo - coz i was quite afraid that the nasty lady would come after me upon seeing my attempt at taking a photo of her damaged car! haha. man i felt like a paparazzi/reporter/photographer?!

after taking my photo, the other half and i hurriedly got onto another bus and finally arrived at our destination - westside pavillion! i think the best thing about this shopping mall is that there is a guess boutique there - that sells apparels and accessories at really-low-factory-outlet prices!! much thanks to amy who shared this shopping tip/secret with me;) heh.

other than that, it was a quite an ordinary shopping mall..

dinner was at apple pan - a highly recommended restaurant in our LA travelling guidebook!

i really liked the typical american diner set up of the restaurant! as u can see, it was full-house at this very popular diner! the other half and i had to wait for about half an hour just to get seats!

to think that the antiquated cash register box is still in use!

the other half and i - at the apple pan, eagerly waiting for our food to be served - coz we were famished!!

food oh glorious food!! typical diner foodfare - burgers and fries. the burgers were sooo delicious! this is by far the best american diner that i have been to (in terms of food and ambience!) :) since we were at the apple pan, we couldnt resist trying their specialty namesake dessert - the apple pie!

interestingly, drinks there are served in a funnel-like holder!

we love apple pan:)

2007-06-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

::movie premiere at westwood for movie knocked up::

it was a pleasant surprise to see westwood preparing for a movie premiere! one would probably not expect a small university village like westwood to host a movie premiere - especially when hollywood is just a 20 minutes' drive away!

the movie premiering at westwood's fox theatre!

the vicinity of the theatre barricaded and guarded by so many security personnels..

and of course, the paparazzis who were all crowding around at the entrance of the theatre and the red carpet area!

sean and andrew - lining up with the crowd, anxiously trying to look out for any celebrities that they can catch sight of!

waiting..
and waiting.. till they see a limo pulling over at the start of the red carpet..

the actors/showbiz people mingling with one another after alighting from the limo

then they start walking down the red carpet and then the cameras go snapping away - with the paparazzis hot on the trail of these celebrities!

the first celebrity (that we know of) we spotted was ryan seacrest! we were quite far away so excuse the small image of mr seacrest in the photographs;) but u can surely tell it's the man in person!

we then saw the beautiful sister of the lead actress, katherine heigl (lizzie from grey's anatomy!) - who was dressed very elegantly in that purple gown. i don't know her name though.. (we got to know of their relation through a passerby. heh)

the very ravishing katherine heighl herself!

it was discernible how the crowd got more excited and grew louder as she waltzed down the red carpet, posed for the cameras, and finally readied herself for an interview with a reporter!

even though we couldnt identify them, the supporting cast also deserve a worthy mention for their indispensable service;)

the pride of montreal (or so they shouted) - i can't recall his name, but this young actor's fans were screaming at him to get his attention!

the biggest star that night had to be.. BEN STILLER!! :) the picture is slightly blur but the u can still make out his identity from his characteristic silhouette/posture!

oh yes.. we even spotted kate walsh who plays addison montgomery shepherd (dr shepherd's wife) in grey's anatomy too!

sean, andrew & myself - the 3 "starstruck" spectators outside the movie premiere! haha. it was a pity that the other half couldnt make it coz he was on call for the night:( amy was also held up at the hospital:( anyway the 3 of us actually took the posters that were pasted on the barricades. haha. in the end, we threw them away coz they all got crumpled and it really didnt seem like that good a movie?! oops..

2007-06-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

::the grove & the farmers market::
the grove is an outdoor shopping mall..

but it is not quite an ordinary one - coz it's so beautifully adorned with gardens and statues!

and there's even an electric-powered trolley that runs through the shopping mall, connecting it to the farmers market

nice backdrop of a bridge that runs across miniature lake/waterfountain at the grove

the other half posing with some interesting sculptures

shhhhh....

nice exterior of the grove theatres

the farmers market is strategically located just adjacent to the grove - offering a perfect haven for tired and hungry shoppers (like us)! there were quite a lot of stalls selling food from different cuisines - we were spoilt for choice! oh yes.. there was even a stall selling singapore food too!

i love new orleans food!! :) the other half and i shared a gumbo ya-ya (translation from a creole expression: a group of women who are talking all at once, or something that is all mixed up). as its name suggests, there are lots of different combinations of gumbo ya-yas around - but it is bascially a spicy meat/vegetable/shrimp/crawfish/varieties of sausages/ham/chicken/okra stew. the set also came with salad with roasted pecans and a corn muffin! yummy:)

for desserts, we had a strawberry funnel cake - which is a specialty food from pennsylvania dutch region of the US. the base pastry is made by pouring batter through a funnel (hence, its name) into hot oil in a circular pattern and deep frying till golden brown! we had ours served with powdered sugar and lots of fresh strawberries:) delicious!

interesting foodfare at the farmers market - one good thing is that it is open till 9pm daily;)

a very retro-looking petrol station outside the farmers market!

the pretty night scenery at the grove:)

the interior of the grove theatres..

there was even an impressive musical fountain display!

2007-06-09T05:57:00.000-07:00

::old town pasadena::
old town pasadena is a designated historic district in the north east of LA. many of its shophouses/buildings have been restored/remodelled to give hint to what it was during the period of 1925-1940. nonetheless, this old town today has turned into quite a happening scene, boasting many upscale restaurants, shops, nightclubs, posh outdoor cafes, pubs & even a shopping mall! we went there on may 20 coz that day was the annual museums of the arroyo (mota) day, when a few museums in the old pasadena area would open their doors to the public for free and even provide free shuttle services between the museums!

the other half and me - at the memorial park in pasadena

it was quite an ordinary park - save (perhaps) for this statue of a military war hero..

nice exterior of random churches in pasadena

a blanket of plants covering every part of this random house..

the beautiful city hall

me in front of the city hall - in sepia print to convey the old town atmosphere there!

the abandoned remnants of what used to be a public library..

we passed by the boys' entrance of an old school.. too bad we couldnt find the girls' entrance:/

brunch time at marston's - a very popular restaurant (obviously), judging by the long queue of people outside its premises! we waited for almost 1 hour to get a table..

but it was soooo worth it:) i cant remember the exact name of this dish or what its ingredients were (save for those obvious to the eye) but it was hell good!

the heart of old pasadena - colorado boulevard.

which had one of the biggest forever 21 store i have ever been to! YAY! the clothes at forever 21 in US are much cheaper than that found back home. but there are always sooo many pretty stuff around - that never fails to make me too undecided/confused for choice..haha.

wow diagonal crossing is allowed at this junction along colorado boulevard!

pasadena ave!

after being distracted by all the shops along colorado boulevard, we finally arrived at the first stop of our museum-hopping adventure - the norton simon musuem

which was like one of the many many art galleries that i have been to! but there were some interesting exhibits - one of which was this pair of paintings featured in desperate housewives!

on the way to our next destination, we passed by the neighbourhood church. the other half used to attend the church of the same name back home (yes its name is neighbourhood church too! no kidding!)!

the gamble house - is an internationally recognized national historic landmark in the style of the american arts and crafts movement. it is the most complete and best preserved example of the work of renowned pasadena artists charles & henry greene. this house used to be the winter home for mr gamble, one half of the proctor & gamble fame.

we even had to wear booties - so that we wouldn't damage the very delicate wooden flooring in the house!

even though this house has been described as america's arts and crafts masterpiece, its architecture and interior design had obvious influence from traditional japanese aesthetics - mrs gamble was particularly fond of japanese paintings, lamps and samurai swords. it is such a pity we could not take photos of the house interior, where excruciating attention was paid to every detail and an impressive showcase of aesthetic harmony and brilliant craftsmanship.

the pasedena museum of history - a museum and research library/archives focusing on the history of pasadena. it was quite small - and we only toured the african-american quilt exhibition. amy & i spoke to an african american lady who taught us the basics of sewing a quilt . we also learnt that it was actually a custom for african american women to sew quilts for the family!

the museum is on the grounds of fenyes mansion, one of the remaining grand homes of pasadena's former "millionaire's row"

all of us sitting on the steps, leading to one part of the fenyes mansion

after that, we walked back to colorado boulevard for some shopping and sightseeing! the sidewalk cafes there had such good ambience!

dinner was at the wings' - i had the philly cheesesteak, which was very good (albeit a little dry)! amy tried their specialty, the buffalo wings - and she chose for hers to be grilled to the maximum on the spicy-dicator! the red-sizzling-hot (figuratively & literally) buffalo wings were
grrreat!

on the way back, we had to change the metro at the union station - located in downtown. being in this landmark railway station is probably the closest i have ever been to downtown LA - this is a huge pity, considering that i was in LA for 1 month. i didnt get to to set foot in downtown LA coz i wasnt allowed to go there myself:/ but the other half's concerns were not unjustified - people have also been telling me how unsafe it is (i even have friends who have been mugged there even in broad daylight! madness! thank God they escaped unhurt:) anyway union station has served as a backdrop for many hollywood films like speed, blade runner, 24 and even pearl harbor!

back at westwood - i couldnt resist having pinkberry - despite having to wait in the cold for so long coz of the looooong queue! this time i tried their greentea yoghurt - it was sooooo good:) yum!

2007-06-07T05:31:00.000-07:00

::koreatown::
koreatown is a community that lies in the mid-wilshire area in LA. the influx of koreans settling down in that area and the emergence of many many korean businesses/shops/restaurants led to that area being named "koreatown".

ahnyanghaseiyo! we are in korea?!!

there's even a korean cable tv company there!

there were so many korean bbq/tofu houses/noodle shops in koreatown! we were totally spoilt for choice;) heh. but we decided on the bcd tofu house coz i read rave reviews about it on the internet! also, when u see a long queue of people waiting outside the restaurant, u know u cant go that wrong eh? we were soooo hungry! i had a seafood tofu pot set! while the other half had a beef and hot pot combo (obviously, he was more hungry;) )! the food tasted exceptionally good too! mashita!
(bora-ya & mijin-na: the tofu pot was really spicy but it was sooo delicious! nah tofu pot chu wa hae! i guess i finally tasted the real spicy-ness of korean food:) heh. i cant wait to go korea to try to real thing!)
happy & satisfied after a good meal - all of us at the korean tofu house!

after coming to koreatown and having korean food, i couldnt help but think about my dearest korean friends - mijin-na, anna-ya & bora-ya! i miss u all soooooo very much:(

2007-06-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

::6 flags magic mountain::

the other half, sean & i had to make our way to set to 6 flags so early in the morning coz it was sooo far away, at valencia (further north from LA)! we took about 3 buses and it took us almost 2 hours just to get there (contributed partly to the low frequency of the buses there):(

me, the other half & sean - waiting for the connecting bus at san fernando metrolink interchange

the 3 daredevils in front of 6 flags magic mt!

if ur a thrillseeker, 6 flags magic mt is definitely the place for u! this theme park has the most most most extreme kind of rollercoasters around and boasts to have the "most rollercoasters in one park"! these rollercoasters, each with its multiple multiple multiple 360 deg turns and extremely extremely extremely high-speed manoeuvres (ok u get the picture?), will surely set ur heart thumping in this hair-raising (figuratively & literally) experience! omg. on hindsight, i wonder how i managed to "conquer" these rides - especially with my motion-sickness. haha. oh well. but it sure was a good experience, overall:)

the headsigns of the rides look pretty tame eh?

until u see this..
and this...

that is why such sturdy and strong harnesses are needed..

for the thrillseekers to hang on to their lives while they enjoy the ride as they get swung up down left right centre..

and u can tell how scary it is when people start SCREAMing even before the ride begin..

i guess the anticipation can really kill..

i enjoyed the riddler's revenge best coz it had a very interesting concept - it is the 1st stand-up roller coaster i have sat on!! yes we were standing throughout the ride..

tatsu - if u see closely, this rollercoaster has its thrillseekers in a crawling position! i didnt get to sit this ride though. coz i was resting, for i was feeling too nauseous (no thanks to my motionsickness) by the time we wanted to queue up for it:( bah.

but i think my most memorable ride would undoubtedly be the roaring rapids..

coz it made me totally soaked! as u can see, the other half and i were quite unlucky and we were really drenched to the skin:/ sean had amazing luck coz he managed to stay dry - and it was quite a feat considering how everyone else on our rapid boat was completely soaked too..

2007-06-06T09:26:00.000-07:00

::getty villa & malibu beaches::
on the way to the getty villa, i stopped by the part of the will rogers state beach that is located in malibu along the pacific coast highway..

but there was nothing really spectacular about it though..

me at the entrance/gate of the getty villa

the awesome views from the top - the getty villa (which sits on top of a hill) overlooks the malibu beaches and the sea!

the outdoor barbara & lawrence fleischman theatre where concerts, performances & lectures are being held!
the getty villa houses the other part of the j. paul getty museum - which is home to an extensive collection of greek, roman and etruscan antiquities. the getty villa itself is modeled after the villa dei papiri, a roman countryhouse in herculaneum buried by the eruption of mt. vesuvius in a.d. 79.

no words can express how impressed i was with the architecture of the getty villa! it's just so majestic and awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwesome! i will let the pictures speak for themselves..

entering the villa/museum..

the atrium - is the main public room in a roman house, where guests would first be greeted by the hosts. notice the open ceiling? it is open to light and air, allowing rainwater to enter and be captured in the pond, where it would then be channeled to an underground cistern..

the herb garden - believe it or not, most roman houses would have a herb garden in their premises! these roman households would grow fruit trees, flowering shrubs and herbs (for cooking and medicinal purposes).

i was really taken aback when i noticed that there were a quite a number of elderly folks who went around tasting the various herbs/plants in the garden! out of curiosity and after being assured of its edibility (or whatever u call it), i went to try one myself! i chose to try the pretty purple herb in the middle - its layman specie name is lamb's ears! how interesting. obviously, curiosity didn't kill the cat - and to my pleasant surprising, it tasted like refreshing mint:)

notice how all the herbs/plants are arranged in a symmetry! the romans love symmetrical patterns..

the inner peristyle (which in roman architecture, refers to a columned porch in a building that surrounds a court that may contain an internal garden)

surrounding the inner peristyle were chambers of the musuem, which showcased the extensive collection of paintings/artefacts/statues which date back to the roman times..

the hall of colored marbles - emulates the kind of luxurious rooms that served as status symbols during the roman imperial period. the romans certainly valued marbles and used them to cover floors, walls and even to line fountains and pools! the variety of marbles not only provided colorful decoration but also demonstrated power, wealth and vast conquests of rome (since marbles were usually imported from distant lands)

the east garden - adorned with a colorful fountain with shells

interesting (bordering on scary) theater masks!

the most spectacular part of the getty villa is undoubtedly the outer peristyle - which was a formal garden that offered a peaceful place for conversation and contemplation..

with its perfectly manicured flora & fauna, and numerous bronze sculptures all around..

and very grand seating areas..

view from the other end!

the courtyard surrounding the outer peristyle was as impressive!

u can really appreciate the design of every intricate detail right to the ceiling..

the main driveway leading to the getty villa replicates the ancient polygonal paving of the roads (with large irregular stones) that were characteristic of that used in pompeii and herculaneum during the roman times..

after i left the getty villa, i headed down to the malibu's surfrider beach

the malibu pier and me
the view from the malibu pier, overlooking LA

as u can see, i was totally not in beach attire - save for my slippers. haha. it was quite embarrassing:( but i'd rather be embarrassed than get frozen. don't be fooled by the sun! it was quite cold coz of the strong chilly windy:/

nice view of malibu's surfrider beach - while the waters were clear blue, the sand wasnt that clean though:(

there's a clear demarcation of the areas for people to swim and surf on the surfrider beach..

i managed to catch some surfers in action!!

since i couldnt do any beach activity, the best i could do was to soak my feet in the water?!

there were lots of seagulls hovering along the coast..

there were even some people filming at the beach! too bad i didnt spot any celebrities that i know of:(

oh dear! no lifeguards on duty at the lifeguardhouse - one wonders what is the purpose of the lifeguardhouse then?

people just soaking in the sun.. on the beach! life's a beach eh?:)

2007-06-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

::the showbiz show with david spade & old spaghetti factory::

about 2 weeks ago, the other half, his friends and i went to the tribune studios at hollywood, to be part of the audience for the live taping of the showbiz show with david spade!

mr david spade is an emmy-award and golden-globe nominated actor, comedian and tv personality! the late night show with david spade is an entertainment parody show, where hollywood personalities are very freely and cruelly made fun of! i really enjoyed myself! david spade is sooo funny and he makes great (albeit quite brutal) jokes of the celebrities:) this time, our outbursts of laughter were much more natural! thank goodness we didnt have to laugh at everything and anything!!

amy & i outside the old spaghetti factory - where we all had our dinner after the show. as seen (quite obviously), amy & i love taking photos! heh;)

the characteristic antiquated yet cosy setting of the old spaghetti factory restaurant

there's even a old-fashioned tram (as part of the decorations) in the restaurant!

me with the other half, and amy & olivia - at the waiting area in the restaurant! we started photowhoring coz we had to wait for about 30mins for our table!

all of us at our table - happy after a nice meal at old spaghetti factory:)

2007-06-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

::century city::
century city is a largely commercial district on the west side of LA. it is an important business center and many law firms and companies - especially those with ties to the film , tv and music industries - have offices there.

skyscrapers towering over the skyline of century city - characteristic of any commercial district!

what a glamorous road name - the avenue of the stars!

the century plaza hotel, which is located along the avenue of the stars, is nicknamed the "western white house" - because a lot of US presidents (like richard nixon, lyndon johnson, ronald reagan and george bush) often stayed in this grand hotel whenever they visited LA!

the century plaza towers - are the tallest buildings in century city and the tallest skyscrapers in southern california outside of downtown LA.

the fox plaza is 20th century fox's hq. this local landmark is the actual building used for the nakatomi plaza, a fictional office building that is the setting of the 1st die hard movie starring bruce willis. this building's lobby was also featured in the opening scene of the film speed, starring keanu reeves!

the mgm tower - hq of the historic hollywood studio mgm

if ur as influential and powerful as mgm, u may get ur own road and even make it private!

the shubert theatre - where broadwat shows such as evita and the sunset boulevard have made their debuts

the westfield century city shopping mall - a huge shopping complex! i always love such open air concept shopping malls in LA..

2007-06-03T06:23:00.000-07:00

::getty center::

getty center, which houses the getty museum, is located on the hilltops of the santa monica mountains. that is why visitors have to take a tram up the hills to reach the museum..

the breathtaking view from the top!

me at the entrance of the getty center/museum

one of the things that strike u about the getty center is the amazing architecture of its buildings/structures! its ubermodern landscape also features many water fountains all around - which creates a very tranquil yet sophisticated environment:)

the very beautiful exhibits at the museum..

what an incredibly lavish-looking bed - it must be soooo comfortable?

sculptures aplenty..

something interesting! this painting (hoffman's a hare in the forest), like many others, is painted on a wooden panel. though originally flat, the wooden panel, upon exposure to dry conditions/heat, warps or bends - thus creating this distinctive curved surface..

do u notice that this altarpiece (cenni's the coronation of the virgin with saints) is incomplete (see the middle of its bottom part)? apparently, such 14th century altarpieces were often dismantled in later centuries, then cut into pieces and sold to collectors. this near complete altarpiece is thus highly unusual..

the getty museum also showcases postmodern exhibits such as hawkinson's uberorgan..

it is obvious that the getty museum is very committed to encouraging and facilitating the training of young artists - they have many sketching galleries around for these young artists to practice their sketching and copying skills..

gardens are a prominent feature in the getty center's landscape. the most notable is the exuberant central garden!

the very well-manicured flora and fauna!

2007-05-23T09:02:00.000-07:00

i will be leaving LA for hong kong tomorrow! i can't believe 1 month just passed by like that:( but i am glad that im going home. like my parents have been reminding me quite so often these days, it's time for me to come home! haha. yup im really looking forward to seeing my family in hk:) i miss them soooo much! im also excited to be able to meet elaine, steph & freda in hk too! anyway this will be my last update before i leave LA - i will update on my trip to san francisco, my touring of various places around in LA as well as all the farewell gatherings in vancouver, when i get back to singapore! till then, ciao!

::touring around beverly hills::

pinkberry yoghurt - the latest fad that is taking LA by storm! branches of this successful chain are appearing almost everywhere - and there always seems to long queue all the time, throughout the day (or so i have seen so far!). apparently, pinkberry yoghurt was started by a korean lady!
i just had to try it:) i finally realize why it is so popular! the yoghurt, which is fat-free, was extremely tasty - the fruit toppings were really fresh too! the other half and i shared a medium cup with fresh kiwi, mango and cookies&cream toppings! yummy:) but it is really quite expensive though!

the beverly hills post office - probably the only one in the world that provides a valet service for its customers!!

the very majestic-looking building which is home to the prestigious beverly hills police department..

doesnt it look like a resort or a tourist attraction? it is no wonder that the beautiful premises of the beverly hills police department was the set for hollywood shows like the beverly hills cop series!

posing with various signs of the BHPD..

the other half, posing with a BHPD policecar

at the beverly hills residential district - this tranquil residential estate is probably one of the very few which has an outdoor park for its residents, complete with water fountains and water coolers, made of marble..

at melrose avenue - which was inspiration to the hit tv series melrose place. this well-known street houses a number of high-end boutiques and salons - it has been described: melrose is to the young, cutting trendies of the west side what rodeo drive is to the affluent elders: a place to shop, a place to stroll outdoors and most of all, it's a place to see and be seen. very apt indeed!

the hq of british academy of film and television arts (BAFTA) which is a famous british org that hosts annual awards for film and television, is also located along melrose avenue

an interesting shop name - mel & rose on melrose!

2007-05-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

more updates!

::venice beach::
venice beach is located along the coast of california, further south from the city of santa monica! this bohemian residential area is best known for its canals and beaches, as well as a vibrant and eclectic street market along its paved pedestrian promenade, the ocean front walk..

at pacific ave/windward ave - taking the big blue bus down to venice beach..

loving the sun & the beach!

me in front of the lifeguard house..

the other half lending his support to the adopt-a-beach-keep-the-beach-clean campaign..

at the oh-so-happening street market along the ocean front walk

there were also performers entertaining the crowd too..

the interesting architecture of the shophouses which line the ocean front walk..

the famous muscle beach..

which is really, an outdoor gym! most of the gym users are guys who clearly enjoy showing off their brawn or the lack thereof.

the exterior of the muscle beach, which is shaped like a dumb-bell!

venice beach also houses numerous tennis courts.. (it seems like their version of tennis is slightly different from what we know of here - for one, the players use really small rackets)

there were also a fair number of handball courts (again, this game is a slight variation from the squash which we know of here)

dinner/snack part 1 - we tried argentine-styled empanadas! the empanada, which is essentially a stuffed pastry, that is akin to our currypuffs - supposedly originated from spain! my spinach empanada was pretty good:) the other half enjoyed his beef empanada!

in my opinion, the venice canals is the best thing about venice beach!

the venice canals, which are modelled after those in italy's venice

the beautiful view was really breath-taking..

ducks were waddling in the canal.. the lovely houses lining the 2 sides of the canal mostly had deck chairs for owners to enjoy the charming scenery!

and of course, this gave us the perfect excuse to photowhore! heh..

after that, we made our way back to the ocean front walk..

the other half and i playing the fool with interesting road signs!!

gingerbread court- a small cosy open-air shopping mall housing unique shops, along venice beach

like this one!

dinner part 2 - was at the waterfront cafe, which was located at the northern end of venice beach! nice food, atmosphere, music & company:)

enjoying fish & chips..

and a pint of erdinger..

while enjoying the gorgeous sunset:) perfect end to the day!

::the late late show with craig ferguson::

about 2 weeks ago, i went to the cbs studios in hollywood and got to be part of the live audience for the taping of the late late show with craig ferguson! it was such an interesting experience - i must say that it was a great way to see hollywood at work! it could be quite a painful experience too - coz we (the "show-enhancers") had to laugh at everything and anything. but i must admit that craig ferguson is one witty entertainer;)

here's the charming craig ferguson, who really looks like al pacino in person!

a photo of craig ferguson in action - that i ripped off a random website on the internet! coz we couldnt bring our cameras into the studios:/

after the show, the other half and i headed down to the international house of pancakes nearby - all thanks to my craving for pancakes then!

we shared a fried beef steak breakfast set (they serve breakfast all day!), which came with 3 their signature yummy buttermilk pancakes!

dessert was cheesecake covered in a crepe-like batter, fried to perfection and topped with banana slices and caramel - omg it was sinfully delicious:)

2007-05-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

::santa monica::
santa monica is a coastal city/resort town in western LA. i really love the atmosphere there - laid back and relaxed, with its nice beach, urban walkways, a wide range of gourmet cuisine and boutiques:)
at the heart of santa monica's shopping haven - the famous 3rd street promenade!

along 3rd street promenade.. with baskers who livened up the mood of the whole place!

the other half and i posing with a water fountain with caricatures of dinosaurs, along 3rd street promenade

interesting shops and cafes along the street..

broadway - the movie theatre along 3rd street promenade!

interesting sculptures along the street - all tokens of appreciation to specific philanthropists and donors to various worthy causes..

the beautiful night scenery along the street - yes that was how long we stayed at the 3rd street promenade!! heh. but it was quite a long street, spanning 3 long blocks!

catching the sunset at the santa monica beach

more of the coastal area of santa monica overlooking santa monica beach

the santa monica pier!
a barrier on the pier, preventing any motorized vehicles from entering..
the pier - bustling with activity! the pier, which is mainly occupied by restaurants also houses a big arcade and even a mini theme park (spot the ferris wheel?) too!

a close up picture of the ferris wheel - too bad it was already closed by the time we got there:/

people fishing by the pier..

we saw a random santa monica policecar on the pier so we just went trigger-happy! haha.

it was on the pier that we managed to get free tickets to participate as live audience for tv shows! we are going to catch the showbiz show with david spade and the late late night show with craig ferguson this week:) how exciting!!

the gorgeous night view of santa monica's skyline, from the pier:)

2007-05-15T23:08:00.000-07:00

day 2 at anaheim!!
here's where we stayed in anaheim last last weekend. it's funny how we only checked in to the hotel at around midnight (coz we left disneyland at about 11+)!

the other half and i on an orange county bus! it is quite interesting how the public bus transport system works in california. each district independantly maintains/operates a few buses (giving rise to different bus fares for the different bus sub-systems), in addition to those that are managed by los angeles' main bus/rail operator, the metro (which serves all districts). apart from the OC buses, i have sat on the santa monica "big blue buses" and the culver city buses. of the 3, i think the santa monica "big blue buses" are the most comfortable and the most punctual:)

::crystal cathedral::
i got to know about the crystal cathedral when i came across its advertisement on a tourism brochure. i found it quite unusual to see how a church was advertising itself as a tourist attraction - so the other half and i decided to go check it out. it was only after that i realized how famous the crystal cathedral is! i was somewhat disappointed by the sermon though. nevertheless, it was interesting and encouraging to see how sermons held in the crystal cathedral were broadcast in so many countries across europe, the americas and asia - and to hear people from various countries share about how they were saved by Christ after listening to these sermons.

the crystal cathedral (on the left) and its tower of hope (on the right) - exuded sheer grandeur and opulence. it was just amazing! the other half and i were awe-struck. yet at the same time, we felt that such extravagance wasn't quite appropriate for a church. kinda reminded us of cityharvest back home. but seriously, there is probably no basis for comparison!

the entrance of the crystal cathedral

if the exterior of the crystal cathedral doesn't impress u, the interior definitely would!! doesnt it look like an indoor theatre/stadium eh? madness!

look at the giant projection screens and the huge seating capacity! there's also the tinted crystal walls, which only allow some sunlight to penetrate through - thus enabling the maintenance of a very comfortable temperature range within the cathedral:)

i have never seen such enormous church organ pipes before!

even the musicians are dressed to the nines - in suits and bow-ties!!

the surroundings within church grounds and the row of perfectly manicured trees, which delineates the church boundaries.

water fountains and very well-maintained flora and fauna aplenty - in the church's memorial garden

here's a sculpture of job in the memorial garden

more sculptures, depicting various characters and stories from the bible!

the church also provides a buggy service - ferrying people between the cathedral and the carpark/the busstop outside the church! woah.

::anaheim indoor marketplace::
anaheim marketplace claims to be OC's largest swapmart (something like a flea market)! interestingly, the people there were mainly mexicans/hispanics!

there were so many shops there and there were just so many things to see!! however, it did help that the layout of the indoor market was very organized - each shop was labelled in order, according to its row (in alphabets) and column (in numbers). but after a while, a lot of the shops sold the same stuff. doesnt it look (and sound) like mahboonkrong in bangkok?

catering to the crowd - mexican food galore!!

for lunch, i had fish burrito, while the other half enjoyed a beef terriyaki rice set! we also tried a traditional mexican drink called chata - which was the mexican version of milk tea, but we didnt like it, coz of there was a very strong taste of spices!

::newport beach::

newport beach - where the popular tv drama, the OC was filmed!

the beautiful beach - with people happily basking in the sun! but do not be fooled - it was quite chilly actually, coz of the strong winds!

me at the newport pier...

which is also where newport's fire dept/lifeguard hq is located!

lots of seagulls hovering around the US flag atop the tower on the pier..

interesting sign on the ground, along the pier

interesting shops along newport beach - surf shops, and cafes/diners/pubs galore!! oh yes..the people in newport party even during the day! haha. i couldnt resist taking a photo of a newport law firm - i didnt take of the building though, coz it was just a nondescript plain white one

the silhouette of a ship outside the shop looks quite cool! look closer - is it a shadow or mural?

the original plan was to visit newport beach's fashion island, but we realized we didnt have enough time (no thanks to all the confusion caused by the wrong directions given by different busdrivers/passerbys and the low frequency of the buses):( thus, we decided to head back to newport beach area. incidentally, we alighted at triangle square, a small shopping complex at costa mesa (just outside newport beach). to make the best of the situation, we went to explore the place!

waiting for the bus to bring us back to newport beach

back at the newport beach area..
the balboa peninsula (which is part of newport beach) features the world famous surfing spot, "the wedge"!

beautiful waterfront homes in newport beach's very expensive residential areas

the long journey back to home sweet home - we took the metro rail, which runs along cars on the roads! that explains the need for road signs to warn cars to "watch out for trains"..

2007-05-11T09:48:00.000-07:00

::disneyland - truly a place where dreams come true::
even though i came here 14 years ago and that i am already 22 years of age, going to disneyland is still such a wonderful experience - one that i still relish with child-like excitement:)

the characteristic retro town setting of disneyland.

because we came on a saturday, the queues to every attraction were all crazily long:( and the theme park was really overcrowded with people! we had to rush here and there, just to cover most of the better attractions/rides! i certainly would have preferred to take my time to cover the all the attractions. that is why i would advise people to visit disneyland on a weekday instead.

me and squirrel - because of our hectic schedule, this was only photo i took with a disney character!

disneyland is divided into 8 sub-areas, each with its own theme and attractions!
adventureland..

where we sat the indiana jones ride!

the mode of payment for the rides in adventureland is in either cash or barter?!?

next, we went to frontierland..

us on board mark twain's riverboat

a macs bandwagon makeshift stall that only sells fries and soft drinks - a very common sight around disneyland

an interesting petrified tree..

just when u thought it was just another cafe..

try looking inside! not quite an ordinary cafe eh? a "cowboy" gave a solo rendition of some country song on stage, at the diner!

hungry? i always am! BAH! (hey kare - remember our once-every-two-hour rule?! haha)

the haunted mansion, at the critter country area of disneyland - where all the supposedly scary rides are!

interesting headstones of tombs..

lunch was at a mexican restaurant - we had yummy burritos sonora! :)

new orleans square, where we sat the pirates of the carribean ride! there's even a restaurant in the middle of the ride (see picture bottom left)

tomorrowland..

where we sat the star wars ride..

autopia - they even issued an autopia "driving license" to each of us (see top right picture - me holding it) !

the astro blasters - quite a kiddy ride but oh well.. haha.

they even took a picture of us (during the ride) in action - and emailed it to us. yayy! my score is higher than the other half's! heh;)

a prize-worthy effort eh? saluting space ranger buzz lightyear, of the toy story fame

us having fun trying on some of the cute hats in the souvenir shops!

fantasyland

the rides there were mostly catered to younger kids though..

like this! the smallest world, which was, as they claimed, the happiest cruise that ever sailed..

in fact, the cruise (or rather, the small boat) was going so slowly that we had no problems taking very clear photos of beautiful static displays;)

we are never too old for certain things..

like riding on the carousel!! actually i was the one who wanted to go on the carousel. haha. the other half just accompanied me - but it appears like he was having fun too eh?;)

taking a break - me with a cup of frozen raspberry lemonade, which was especially refreshing coz it was so hot and sunny!

the other half with the sword in the stone - with snow white's magical castle in the background!

street carnival in fantasyland - where fairytale characters come to life!

entering toontown transports one to a land of cartoons!

more cartoony stuff!

let me OUT!!

but getting out is really not too difficult after all?!?

seems like being too tall is not a good thing all the time.. haha.

at mickey mouse's house

the inside of mickey's residence!

at minnie's house!

omg everything is just so girly - even minnie's computer is in the shape of a heart!! but i do love her dressing table:)

donald's residence - he lives on a boat btw!

isn't it sweet that donald duck names his boat after his girlfriend daisy? aww..

at goofy's house!

looks like goofy hasnt checked his mailbox for a pretty long time..

more of goofy's house - the other half and i exploring some of the areas where goofy's pet puppies can move around in..

the other half and i, posing with the various cars in toontown!

disneyland is not the place for thrillseekers who are looking for scary rollercoasters! this is by far the "scariest" outdoor rollercoaster!

the spectacular night scenery of snow white's castle in disneyland:)

disneyland still looks so good at night..

dinner was at the plaza restaurant, which was in main street - where hordes of people were gathering around to catch the fireworks display! we shared a roast chicken set. yum:)

the moment everyone was waiting for!

the fireworks display was just amazing!! it was even more impressive and lavish, compared to the one that we usually see during our national day parades! the photos don't do it justice
though..

us at the souvenir shops!

wow what big feet one can have!
u have been warned.

the crocs that are sold in disneyland have mickey mouse's head imprint on it!

there are even mickey mouse cookies - amidst the assorted delicious-looking pastries that are oh-so-tempting!

disneyland is truly a place where dreams (of children) come true! but as long as you are within its boundaries, it is hard not to feel like a child again, no matter how old you are. i guess that's the magic of disneyland!

2007-05-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

sorry for the long overdue post. im having bad tough time with various electronic equipments:( first, my camera died on me. my trusty canon ixus finally sang her swan song after going through so much with me over the past 7+ months:( not having a camera while you are traveling is really like having no weapons to fight with when you (are a soldier) at battle. i had no choice but to buy one here in LA:( next, my laptop has not been able to connect to the wireless network at home!! i have no idea why:( i just hope that my laptop will not die on me next. in the meantime, i am learning how to use the other half's macbook - which is far too complicated for one who has been very accustomed to the common ways of the microsoft system. haha. but i should be thankful to have something to work with, so im not complaining;)

::rodeo drive::
this famous 3-block stretch of boutiques and shops along beverly hills, which is known as one of the most expensive shopping districts in the world, got its name from its use as a horse path in the early days until the early 1950s. rodeo drive reminds me of new york city's fifth avenue, but without the latter's tall and imposing buildings. short shop-houses, each with its unique exquisitely-designed exterior, line both sides of rodeo drive.
the beautiful rodeo drive - with palm trees aplenty, a characteristic sight in LA's beverly hills and bel air districts.

rows and rows of expensive boutiques, which the rich and famous frequent!

the other half had a field day looking at all the swanky cars along rodeo drive - it is not an uncommon sight to see ferraris, lamborghinis, maseratis, porsches, and stretches drive by. after a while, one might comment: it's just another one of those cars..

lunch was at nosh, a cosy american diner. the other half and i shared a bbq chicken burger, and a chilli beef stew! the latter was especially delicious:) the bread-like things in the bottom right photo are actually bagel chips! interesting.. i have never heard/seen/eaten them before!

drama!! as we were walking back to rodeo drive, we saw a fire break out in one of the buildings along beverly boulevard. there were so many fire engines and police cars rushing by. we could even hear people screaming from the balcony of the top floor of the building, and i even overheard one lady frantically calling her companion to check if he/she was in that building! thank God that the firefighters acted quite swiftly and they were at that point, already bringing people down to safety:) kudos to LAFD!!

at via rodeo - the 2nd part of rodeo drive!

via rodeo appears to be more spectacular - coz of its taller victorian-styled buildings and water fountains!

there were very nice (and obviously, very pricey) bistros there too!

the rodeo collection - a well-hidden enclave within rodeo drive. the shops there are mainly those that provide specialized services like health and medicine, spa, hair and beauty, and even an auction house!

one of the more interesting shops along beverly drive - a cheese store! it would be hard to miss it coz of the very pungent smell that emanates from within..

i was so happy to see a branch of the cheesecake factory along beverly drive:) the cheesecakes there are oh-so-heavenly! coz we were still very full from lunch, we decided to share a oreo mudslide cheesecake! it was sinfully delicious:) the other half was also very impressed with it!
the other half and i looking very satisfied - at the cheesecake factory!

::ucla campus tour part 2::

the beautiful royce hall - which has come to be the defining image of ucla, and is now used as a concert hall.

the intricate details in the royce hall - its awe-inspiring architecture was designed in the italian romanesque revival style and modeled after an italian basilica.

the powell library - the main college undergraduate library in ucla.

what i like about the universities in north america (in general), is their wide open spaces and courtyards where the students can hang out and enjoy the surrounding flora and fauna!

me - at ucla's school of law!

nice and pretty relaxed atmosphere at the ucla's law faculty (outside the classrooms only, for sure!) - look they even hold tutorials in the courtyard!

more of the various medicine/heath faculties in ucla!

2007-05-03T21:32:00.000-07:00

::universal studios::
last saturday, the other half and i went to the hollywood universal studios theme park! we had great fun:)

at the entrance!

the interesting movie sets/exhibits in the theme park - from top left (clockwise): me in front of the the travel book co (seen in the movie notting hill - it was the bookstore owned by hugh grant's character), the other half in the middle of a street with the backdrop of various movie sets, me with babe, the other half with a police car

from top left (clockwise): the other half with a cute yellow cab, me with the astronauts from apollo 13, the other half in front of the marvel mania souvenir shop, me in front of a french cosmetic shop

more static displays..

our first ride was the house of horrors - featuring a cast of famous horror movie characters. the effects and set up were pretty good but it wasnt that scary though..

more rides!! most of them were based on hollywood movies like back to the future, the terminator 2, the mummy, jurassic park, backdraft and shrek; while the special effects 3-stage experience allowed us to learn about the secrets behind the making of special effects in hollywood movies!

the most impressive performance has got to be waterworld, which showcased water and explosive displays, as well as death-defying stunts by the cast!

it was interesting how the cast was actually made up of working actors from tv dramas/sitcoms!

lunch was mexican food, at el pollo loco! their famous flame-broiled chicken was really yummy:)

the other half with the shark from jaws!

me with mr. frankenstein

the other half on a motor bike (from the terminator 2)

the aroma of the gourmet popcorns from popcornopolis proved to be irresistible - here's me looking very happy after getting a pack of their delicious caramel popcorns!

can u see how much caramel covers each popcorn? it was extremely tasty! i love it:) all the calories were totally worth it;) heh.

the other half taking part in a carnival game - all thanks to his polished basketball throwing skills..

he made me very happy by winning for me a popeye stuffed toy:) yayy!! thanks dear!

me, the other half and popeye - on the escalator along skyway, which connects the lower and upper lots of the theme park
a bird's eye view of hollywood and downtown LA from the upper lot of universal studios

the other half looking hungry, with an enormous burger!

me with a very stubbornly stiff british guard - i tried to poke his nose to distract him but he just wouldnt budge!

::universal citywalk::
the universal citywalk is a unique concept - a synthetic city street of interesting shops & restaurants, featuring very outlandish and bold architecture!

look at the impressive use of the very eye-catching visual displays! it was really enjoyable walking along universal citywalk - especially coz of the many street performers (mimers, magicians and magicians) who entertained the crowd!

we had dinner at bubba gump - a nice cosy restaurant owned by the real-life mr. forrest gump (who's a millionaire btw!). the restaurant chain has a concept that is is quite similar to that of fish & co. because we were still quite full after snacking so much during the day, we decided to share bubba gump's famous po-boy shrimp burger and a run forrest run smoothie (strawberry, banana and raspberry yoghurt)! the food and drink were really good:)

service was excellent too:) it was also quite interesting how they had signboards placed on each table. when customers wanted to order anything or seek the assistance of the servers, they could just flash the "stop forrest stop" sign. perhaps it is because the red signboard is so prominent, a server would respond in a matter of seconds (this has been tested and proven;) )

2007-05-01T13:16:00.000-07:00

hollywood mania!!

::walk of fame::
these sidewalk 'stars' (along hollywood boulevard and vine street) honor not only movie actors, but also radio, TV and stage performers, directors, singers, songwriters and other well-known showbiz personalities.

me with ava gardner's star - this screen actress is considered one of the greatest stars (in hollywood) of all times! she was once married to frank sinatra (see below) and ernest hemingway..

the other half with star of frank sinatra, a very popular jazz singer and academy award-winning actor!
me with the star of audrey hepburn - a classic beauty who has numerous academy awards under her belt. she was also a broadway performer, ballerina and fashion model

the other half with the star of martin sheen - another emmy-award winning actor and father of charlie sheen! he's probably best known for his recent role as the president on the acclaimed tv drama, the west wing.

there are over 2000 stars along the hollywood walk of fame! we couldnt possibly take photos of every single one of them.. so here's some that caught our eye!

right below the name of each personality is a small round emblem which illustrates the personality's category - a motion picture camera (for movie stars & directors), a tv set (for those in the tv industry), a phonograph record (for singers, songwriters and recording artists), a radio microphone (for radio luminaries) and the twin theatrical masks of comedy and tragedy (for live stage performers). can u spot all of them?

stars are immortalized at the hollywood walk of fame; but as the song goes, u will see the stars of

"...Some that u recognize, some that u hardly even heard of;
People who worked and suffered and struggled for fame,
Some who succeeded and some who suffered in vain..."

::walking down hollywood boulevard::
the pantages theatre - which hosts broadway blockbusters!

the capitol records tower - the world's first circular office building

interesting shops along hollywood boulevard - some with very provocative names!

funny postcards in the souvenir shops

self-explanatory;)

the other half looking very happy with his "best bf" and "best doctor" (self-given) awards. heh;)

i was greedy - so i took home 3 awards..haha.

the hollywood guiness world of records musuem

the hollywood/highland metro rail station - which is located at the heart of hollywood!

::starline movie stars homes tour::
the other half and i went on the starline tour, which brought us to the homes of famous stars, in beverly hills, bel air, holmby hills, sunset strip, rodeo drive and of course, hollywood hills! it was really exciting - trying to see any celebrities around! but alas, we didnt manage to spot any:/it was also very fascnating to listen to the tourguide's narration of the many stories/interesting facts about hollywood and her celebrities!

because we went about in a minibus, so we couldnt take very good photos:/

presenting..ben affleck's home (in hollywood hills)!

brad pitt's former bachelor's pad
ben stiller's home!

we didnt manage to see jon bon jovi outside his mansion - but we did catch a glimpse of a huge vintage rolls there! WOW.

among the many stars' homes, michael douglas' home has got to be the most unforgettable one (to me) - coz of the several swanky-vavavoom cars that were parked in the porch, in full public view!

leonardo dicaprio's mansion!

the house that was supposed to be the matrimonial home for brad pitt and jennifer aniston

the entrance to the greystone mansion - a set for several movies/tv shows including batman, the bodyguard, ghostbuster 1, true lies and charmed.

the greystone mansion - remember the wayne mansion in batman?

more homes of the various celebrities which include tom cruise, simon cowell, halle berry, prince, lawrence fishburne, felicity hoffman, harrison ford, gwen stefani, snoop dog, sean connery, britney spears, rod stewart, steve martin, george michael and many others - i seriously cannot remember who stayed where?! it was just too many..

the characteristic palm-trees-lined roads of beverly hills/bel air

whatever caused the sudden influx of policemen on bicycles along rodeo drive?

::lunch at hooters::
the food was good! the other half and i shared a buffalo wings (marinated with the hooters' famous chilli marinate - we decided on the 2nd hottest dip on hooters' spicy-indicator) sandwich and a grilled fish sandwich! yum:)

::theatres galore along hollywood boulevard::

the grauman's chinese theatre - a very popular venue for the premieres of hollywood movies coz of its supposedly excellent feng shui (see the many dragon figures around the theatre). it has been said that movies which premieres at the chinese theatre would be very successful (or so the tourguide told us). ocean's 13 will be premiering here next week. let's see how that goes eh?

more footprints/handprints/autographs of stars outside the chinese theatre

the egyptian theatre - with its beautiful murals and structures!

the happening el capitan theatre - because it is owned by walt disney pictures, all disney animation films premiere at this theatre!

the interior of the el capitan was absolutely spectacular! this photo don't do it justice though..

a more accurate impression of it would be this..

the kodak theatre - the world famous home of the academy awards ceremonies and host of hollywood's most glamorous events.

lining the hallway of the kodak theatre are columns that list the academy-award winning picture of the year - the academy award-winning picture in the year that i was born was - out of africa!

::the hollywood museum::

our next stop was the hollywood museum in the historic max factor building. max factor was the person who coined the term make-up and revolutionized the world of cosmetics. he was man who created the characteristic looks of marilyn monroe and lucille ball, among others.. the museum showcased countless award-winning costumes of hollywood shows!

::the hollywood wax museum::
we also visited the hollywood wax museum.

beware - enter at your own risk! but it was nothing, really..

::supper delight::

the food in LA is really making me very happy:) supper was churros and pretzels - both of which are some of my favorite snacks! i especially love churros - and they are so reasonably priced here! 2 sticks of churros cost only usd$1. it's so hard to find good churros back home and even if they are available, they cost a hefty $3 for 1 short stick! i also i couldnt resist buying an auntie anne's pretzel coz it was selling at $1 at the shop's closing down sale.

nice yummy end to the day:)

2007-04-30T19:39:00.000-07:00

random city tour!

::wilshire boulevard::
one of the principal east-west roads in LA, spanning 16 miles long - it has even been called "the backbone of LA"!

::westwood public library::
small cosy neighbourhood library serving the residents in westwood. the childrens' section is nicely decorated with colorful murals and stuffed toys to make the kids feel comfy here!

::pierce brothers' westwood village memorial park::

this small quiet park is the resting place of some of hollywood's greatest stars!

the most famous of them all should be the iconic marilyn monroe..

there's even a bench dedicated to her (by one of her big fans, perhaps?)!

the resting place of mr buddy rich, an american jazz drummer and bandleader. he was touted as the "world's greatest drummer" in his time. his headstone interestingly reads: one of a kind. im sure he was..

more of the park - pleasantly adorned with water fountains and more flowers. after marilyn monroe was laid to rest in this park, the park gained popularity as the final resting place for numerous hollywood's celebrities like natalie wood, burt lancaster, jack lemmon and donna reed (most of whom i do not know though).

i had such a hard time finding the place! i later found out that it wasnt just me (and my bad direction sense) - but that it was really almost impossible to find the park without specific directions! the park can only be reached from one entrance on its west side and only accessible through a small nondescript road! i was so lost that i went to seek help at the nearby westwood presbyterian church..

the people in the church very kindly showed me the way to the park:) what was very surprising was that they even gave me a map, giving me detailed directions to all the stars' graves in the westwood memorial park!?

::los angeles california temple of the church of the latter day saints ("CLDS")::
one of the most distinctive features of the LA westside skyline - this is the tenth operating and second largest temple operated by the CLDS. its grounds also serves as a visitors' center opened to the public.

if we were to look at orthodox bible teachings, it would be clear that the CLDS can be regarded as a cult by definition. the CLDS' extensive use of the word "temple" sounded quite creepy to me and because i was alone, i didnt dare venture inside the visitors' centre myself!

the surrounding of the temple were very well-maintained with perfectly manicured flora and fauna. as seen from the photo, the temple sits atop a small hill above the intersection of overland avenue and santa monica boulevard.

the great view from the CLDS temple atop the hill!

the front door of the CLDS temple - looks scarily imposing!

entry to the temple was for members only!

::more random stuff::

during the long long walk back to westwood village, i had to go through various residential estates. the houses here look pretty nice:)

because of my cookiesicecreamcrazy craving, the other half and i shared 3 scoops of icecream (good ole traditional chocolate, rocky mountain & butter pecan) and 3 cookies (chocolate chip walnut choc cookies)! sinfully delicious:)

some photos of the interior of the penthouse that we are staying in! more photos of our room later (after i have tidied up the place. haha)!

2007-04-28T00:10:00.000-07:00

day 2
the other half was busy on call at the hospital today - so i went exploring the city myself! that pretty much explains why i don't appear in any of the photos below.. haha.

::touring ucla campus::

the uber modern ronald reagan ucla medical centre!

other medicine/health-related faculties/schools!

ucla's version of our woodbridge hospital!

ucla's very cute emergency telephone booth!

::hammer museum::
the hammer musuem - an art gallery created and funded by mr. armand hammer, an (obviously very wealthy) art collector and philanthropist.

the open courtyard of the musuem - which has a very serene and tranquil feel to it

it was a pity i couldnt take any photographs of the artworks/exhibits (the curator very candidly warned me (albeit jokingly) not to try and sneak anything behind him!) - so this was the best (or rather, the only) picture i could take of them!

the museum also houses the billy wilder theatre, which showcases various international films - brought by the ucla film and television archive.

::randoms - in westwood village::

interesting signposts of the public buses!

the grand entrance of the postal office in westwood

ucla film students lying on the streets - as part of a project to see how people would respond to their antic. they even asked me to help pose for their video while i took a photograph of them!

some random art gallery - the arts scene in LA appears to be quite vibrant eh?

a fire-engine of the LA city fire dept (LAFD) - it was quite funny how the firemen were taking a break by the roadside..

2007-04-26T18:57:00.000-07:00

im back!! the past couple of weeks have been crazily busy! the other half was in town and i was busy preparing (albeit very very last minute) for my exams! it was a very emotionally draining period as well - coz i had to bid farewell to all my dear friends in ubc! i have been crying everyday since last saturday coz of all the sweet things my friends have done for me - before i left! thank you all so very much dears!! sigh. i just hate saying goodbyes - but i take comfort in the fact that (i hope!!) this would not be our final goodbye! im already looking forward our reunion - im quite sure the plans will materialize:) even though i was perpetually plagued with homesickness, i really really really enjoyed the past 8 months in vancouver - i totally love the place (absolutely beautiful!), the people (amazingly friendly and warmth people! i met so many good friends (for life) here!) and my lifestyle (part-time student, full-time holiday-maker). haha. im so blessed to have been able to do my exchange in ubc - i really thank God for everything coz He really knew what was best for me and what i needed. on hindsight, i can now see the reasons behind His plan in bringing me to ubc:) lest i get all teary again, i will update on my last couple of weeks in vancouver, as well as my rockies trip later!

anyway i have arrived safely in los angeles already:) im currently staying in westwood - a small university town/village in LA. it's such a lovely place and it's quite safe here too - so i can wander off to explore the city by myself while the other half is busy at cedars sinai hospital (this private & posh hospital where a lot of hollywood celebrities go to! he hasnt spotted any stars there yet though!).

here's where we are staying - the other half rented a gorgeous room in this penthouse along kelton avenue! our room has 2 beds, an attached bathroom, a walk-in closet, a microwave, a mini-refrigerator and even has vcds/dvds and books for our viewing pleasure! i will post pictures of the room once i have tidied up the place;) heh.

here's the nearby ucla residence for her graduate students! it's really beautiful - doesnt it look like a chalet resort? madness!

::1st day in LA::
i awoke at around 1pm - i must have been so exhausted! sleeping in has certainly been one of the luxuries that i have missed out on for the past few weeks. the other half came back at around 3pm and we went out to explore the town!

me at westwood boulevard - basking in the sun:) i miss such good weather! good riddance to thick down jackets, scarfs, boots and trenchcoats! haha.

the other half really knows what makes me happy - the first place he brought me to, was this popular icecream/cookie sandwich shop - diddy riese! i love cookies and icecream - so it was just the perfect place for me! haha. i had strawberry cheesecake icecream sandwiched between 2 white chocolate macademia nut cookies - ooh it was so yummy:)

wow westwood even has a street specially dedicated to the homosexuals?

on a closer look, it was really gayley avenue - but someone pasted some stuff over the letters on the other road sign (see previous picture)!

food galore in westwood!! from the looks of it, i think i will definitely enjoy staying here:) haha. there are lots of different food cuisines available here - it sure does remind me of my dear vancouver!

i really like the exterior design of the shops/buildings here too:) how nicely done up! oh yes- we have a franchise of the california pizza kitchen back home in forum shopping centre - but here's real mccoy!

my latest infatuation #1 - baskin robbins! desserts galore - at really reasonable prices! doesnt this just spell dooms for my dieting plans?!!

my latest infatuation #2 - green tea terrace! some of you know my love for anything with green tea! that's why im gonna have a jolly good time at this shop - which serves a variety of greentea-laden desserts/food. haha. there are, inter alia, greentea latte, greentea icecream, greentea yoghurt, greentea milkshake and the like. woohoo.

one of the things that struck me about westwood - was the numerous movie theatres around this small town!

dinner was at headlines black angus, a typical amercian diner!

we shared a cheesesteak burger and a black angus specialty burger! it was not too bad:) love the curly fries! it was quite interesting how we could have a choice of fruits (vis-a-vis fries) as a side too!

alright that's all for now - i will update more later!

2007-04-06T01:46:00.000-07:00

::victoria (31 march 07) part 1/2::
last saturday, the other half and i went to victoria for a day trip!

the other half and i on the ferry to victoria!

the beautiful sights and scenery during the ferry ride - but it was soooo cold and windy though!

our 1st stop was the world famous butchart gardens! besides wanting to bring the other half there, i just had to make another trip there coz i also wanted to see how it would be like in spring - butchart gardens boasts that it looks different every season - uniquely reflecting each season's beauty and magnificence. so far, i have been there in winter, summer and spring - and it is largely true that it does look different each time i have visited it! i think i like it best during summer though:)

breathtaking sights of flowers, trees and intricately-landscaped scenery...

but it wasnt exactly the best time to come though - coz a lot of the flowers were not in full bloom yet. nevertheless, the spectacular display of nature was still amazing!:)

th tulip festival is coming soon!!

at the jap garden in the butchart gardens

the other half and i - in the butchart cove!

my favourite section of the garden - the italian garden (which seriously looks much much much better during summer - see picture on right - what a major difference eh?)

after that, it was time for tea - yummy blueberrybanana muffin and hot chocolate:)

2007-04-06T00:41:00.000-07:00

more updates!!

::bananaleaf & true confections::
last last sunday, i met up with my 3 lovely girls hiroko, saori and karen, together with the korean guys - hwung min, jihwan, ji hyun, gil and jason - for dinner and desserts! in the end, the the majority of them wanted to try singaporean food so we headed down to bananaleaf. it is quite surprising that i have been eating quite a lot of singaporean food lately - even though i don't really miss it that much actually! but i guess i have been bringing a lot of my friends from other countries to the singaporean/malaysian restaurants try our local foodfare - so far, all of their response have been great:)

at bananaleaf - it took so long for the food to be served, that we got restless and started photo-whoring! haha.

me with jihwan, gil and jason. karen and i were kept busy introducing the local dishes to our friends from japan and korea:) the most popular dish that night was laksa!

hiroko and i shared belachan spinach and mee goreng - which were both very tasty! but it was a pity that the belachan used was not hot at all! bah:/

all of us - all happy after a good meal:) but we still had cravings for desserts - or more specifically, cheesecake!!!

giving in to temptations at true confections!! we shared hazelnut milk chocolate cake, pecan pie (my fav!!), triple berry white chocolate cheesecake (my fav!!) and tiramisu! yummydelicious:)

more fun, laughter and of course, calories!! it was really an enjoyable evening of good food and company:)

::tau pok kee with mijin-na::
last wednesday, mijin-na invited me over to her place for tau pok kee (korean sticky rice cake in spicy gravy)! i have always seen it on my kdramas - but i didnt know it would be delicious;) mashita!!

much thanks to mijin-na for a wonderful lunch:) kon ban wo yo!
i really love to eat tau pok kee! - na tau pok kee chu wa hare! im officially a korean food fan now:)
really enjoyed the food and company over lunch:) i will really miss mijin-na when i leave vancouver:( i am really looking forward to our stayover with the other girls soon!!

2007-04-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

::friday morning babysitting::

here's what i have been doing every friday morning this semester! i love my babysitting job - even with its many many many chaotic and messy moments!! haha. the kids (all below 3 years of age) are soooo adorable but can be quite a handful when they get cranky/hungry/grumpy! when we were at our busiest, we had to handle 7 boys and 2 girls! babysitting is very tiring but it was still fun to have these sweetie pies around and im glad i babysit with dear karen:) thanks to the kids, we are now fans of arrowroot biscuits eh?;) (private joke)

::lslap ends::

for the past 7 months, i would spend a couple of hours on (every alternate) wednesday evenings at a legal clinic in chinatown - to do pro bono work. it has been a such a great experience so far:) i have learnt so much and it felt good to be able to help those people who really needed legal aid but could not afford it. because of their language difficulties/barriers, most of my clients (who can only speak mandarin/cantonese) had felt really helpless and marginalized by the canadians/western legal system here. i cant help but wonder how they can be so confident and brave (bordering on foolhardy perhaps?) to migrate to a western country without proper planning and not being able to speak english? it was sad to see them suffering in their various predicaments - many of which could have been avoided if they had known how to protect their legal rights in the first place. not being able to speak english in a western country like vancouver is also a major handicap too. it was also a very humbling experience for me because my spoken mandarin/cantonese is really very terrible:/ haha. i felt so constipated just trying to communicate with them sometimes (but i do fully understand them though). but all in all, i really enjoyed this eye-opening experience:)

my last assignment - just last monday, at the bc provincial courts in downtown, where i had to attend a settlement conference with my client. in the end, it was quite a waste of time because the other party was quite nasty coz the defendant company's representative refused to enter into any dialogue with my client - and expectedly, he refused to compromise on any ground too. in fact, he wasnt even courteous enough to inform us beforehand that he was going to make a counterclaim - until he told the judge during the settlement conference that he just filed a writ and was going to serve my client there and then. wth. but i was glad the judge told him off too! yayy. so now, the other party's applying for leave to bring the case to the supreme court - which i personally think is just a tactic to scare my client into giving up this lawsuit. oh well. since i wouldnt be here during the next hearing, i had to transfer the case to a schoolmate. it's a pity i cant follow through for this matter, but i hope justice will prevail:)

anyway look who's in town?
the other half will be in vancouver until the 21 april:) i will probably be kept very busy until then! i will update on the rest of my eastcoastadventure/outings then too! updates on our trip to victoria later! to the rockies next weekend:) woohoo!!

2007-03-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

it has been a while since i last blogged. i am getting really lazy! blogging is really sooo time consuming too - and i still have so much to update. it has suddenly dawned upon me that i will only be in vancouver for less than 1 month:( sigh. time is passing waaaaaaaayyy too fast!

anw here's a brief update on what i have been doing - will let the pictures do most of the talking;)

::chinatown with mijin-na::
went to chinatown with mijin-na coz she hasnt been there - even though she has been in vancouver for 5+ months already!! too bad it was raining quite heavily so we couldn't cover a lot of ground. but at least we lunched on some nice chinese food:) i had yummy crispy sangmin with minced beef and mixed vegetable! the portion was huge though - such that i could have it for 2 meals! glad mijin-na enjoyed the food too! and she has made me sooo addicted to pineapple buns now:/ despite the depressing rain, we had fun walking around and exploring parts of chinatown which i have never ventured to:)

::cinnamon rolls indulgence and chocolate party::
after biblestudy on last last last friday, mijin-na and i satisfied our sudden cravings for cinnamon rolls! haha. we heard so much about the famous cinnamon rolls at grounds for coffee so we decided to try them for ourselves! the cinnamon roll with icing was sinfully delicious - i really love it:) the ambience at the cafe was great too! mijin-na and i really share a deep deep love for pastries and food in general:) haha.

after that, we both made our way to sarah's place at st andrews for the ivcf girls' hangout night/chocolate party! we (under the supervision of our chief baker larissa) baked brownies with condensedmilk+crushedcoconut topping (excellent combination!!) - following a martha stewart's recipe! larissa seems to have magic fingers whenever it comes to cooking/baking - the texture and taste of the brownies were just perfect. to top it off, we savoured the brownies while watching the movie - chocolat! i really enjoyed the movie and the girl-ish fellowship:)

::dinner with bora-ya at my place::
on one of the thursdays, bora came over to my place for dinner:)

i cooked blackpepper chicken and anchovies-spinach soup:)

much thanks to bora who brought me my favourite green tea gelato icecream:) i never knew gelato came in icecream sticks too! it was very good:) really enjoyed catching up with bora - whom i havent met up since i came back from my east coast trip!

::primataste with the girls & stayover at bora's::
last saturday, karen and i brought julia, bora-ya, mijin-na and anna-ya to primataste to try singaporean food! apart from bora, it was their first time trying our local food. we shared 4 roti pratas (which was horrendously expensive - cad$4 for just 2 slices of prata! madness. but it was comforting that at least they tasted good;) - and i had soyasauce roast chicken rice, which i really enjoyed!! i think it is even comparable to that of weenamkee back home?:) yummy! as usual - it was a night of good food and company:) since we were already in downtown, we couldnt resist going shopping after dinner - and karen came back very satisfied;) heh.

after that, i went over to bora's place for a stayover! not surprisingly, i got hungry in the middle of the night (bah!!) and i made redbeansoup for our supper:) anna came by to join us too - coz she wanted to share with us her experience in preparing for her mission trip to africa! God really works in mysterious ways - and i am very encouraged by how He always provides for us in ways that is best for us (and of which we will only realize on hindsight) :) anw im glad that they enjoyed the redbeansoup - we had a great time chatting till the wee hours in the morning! much much thanks to bora who awoke early (even though we all slept so late) just to cook for me some traditional korean food - myo-hong-ngiap-zhu, which literally means seaweed-mussel porridge! mashita!! it was delicious;) we did qt together before i had to rush to church - but was still 10mins late:(

ok will update more later!!

2007-03-17T14:51:00.000-07:00

::day 6 (20 feb 07) - montreal/quebec::
we had to leave for quebec that morning! much much thanks to sylvia who very kindly offered to let us stay in her apartment while we were in montreal - that lucky girl was enjoying herself in cuba;) i really love the walk-in wardrobe of her cosy apartment!

us on the road with jon behind the wheel - en route to quebec!

snowing in vieux quebec, the old walled city of quebec - with its characteristic euro-influenced winding cobblestone streets aligned with old stone houses

doesnt it feel like christmas time?

along rue saint jean - a lively street with many interesting shops and boutiques!

just outside the wall of vieux quebec - this high stone wall extends for more than 4km and surrounds the old city!

beyond the walls - after walking through the gate, it seems as though u had been transported into a different sense of time and place eh?;)

mich and i - trying maple taffy, a traditional snack in quebec. it is something like a high-class ice-kacang coz it is made from concentrated pure maple syrup poured over lightly packed snow . we then removed it from the snowbed when it hardened, and it was ready to be savored;)

a closer look at our maple taffy! it was soooo sweet but v yummy:)

quebec is even more french than montreal! it's easy to imagine that u have arrived in france. bonjour!

it was one of the coldest nights i have ever experienced:( maybe that explains why we were like the only ones out in the streets? haha. but we needed to have dinner - so we were finding our way to the restaurant that was recommended by the caretaker of the hostel! it was sad that our trip was kinda wasted coz the dinner was not too good - which explains why we didnt take any photos:/

walking through the gates back to vieux quebec, where our hostel was very conveniently located;)

the musee du fort - a military musuem

i never knew a hotel could be a tourist attraction itself. but if u see the fairmont le chateau frontenac in all its grandeur and opulence, u can definitely see why so many consider this a must-go attraction in quebec. this well-known railroad hotel dominates the skyline of vieux quebec and overlooks the st lawrence river! it's the ultimate romantic hotel - we all thought that it would really be the perfect venue to hold a wedding. haha

random shots in le chateau frontenac - the photos don't really do it justice though!

mich and i - at the hotel lobby. they are still using those antique telephone sets!

venturing outside - to enjoy the night scenery of old quebec:) u can tell how cold it was by looking at the river which was partially frozen :/

jon n i - in front of le chateau frontenac

to make up for a terrible dinner n to treat ourselves on this very cold night, we headed to a very nice italian restaurant for desserts and coffee:)

mich n i - with the charming italian resturant-owner/manager. he made fun of me though:( coz when i told him we wanted the chocolate cake, he proceeded to serve me the whole entire chocolate cake - when it was quite obvious that we wanted a slice!!?

the best tiramisu i have ever tasted!! it really melts in ur mouth - sinfully delicious:) and the chocolate cake was very good too!

2007-03-15T23:09:00.000-07:00

::day 5 (19 feb 07) - montreal::

snow & slush in downtown montreal - despite the sun, the weather was still pretty cold! the day started late coz we all couldnt awake - but we were just in time for brunch:)

a trip to montreal is never complete without a visit to schwartz, a restaurant that serves the best smoked meat sandwich!!

can u even question why?:) absolutely heavenly!! even though i would normally take the trouble to remove all the fats from the meat, this time was an exception..

a typical subway station in montreal - it looks quite run down though..

outside the 'just for laughs' studio - i really love watching this show, which is the canadian version of 'candid camera'!

even in the heavily-french-influenced montreal, there's also a chinatown!

skyline of downtown montreal

going to the old port of montreal - this famous old walled town is the birthplace of montreal!

the montreal city hall - where the french president de gaulle uttered his famous "vive le quebec libre" (i think it stands for "long live quebec" - but do correct me if im wrong?) in 1967 - from the balcony!

statue of a famous military hero in quebec

remnants of quebec's winterlude - slides made out of ice blocks!

sometimes u don't really feel that ur in canada - when ur in montreal! france perhaps?

splendid victorian styled buildings and the narrow winding streets of old montreal - dating back to the origins of the french colony

walking along promenade du vieux port, overlooking st lawrence river. but we didnt venture too far out coz it was toooooo cold - we couldnt wait to retreat to the indoors each time we went out :/

outside marche bonsecours - which previously housed the city hall from 1840s to1870s. after being restored, it now houses high-end designer boutiques

the beautiful architecture of the notre dame de bon secours chapel - which houses the remains of saint marguerite-bourgeoys.

we really wanted to go the the famous montreal musuem of archaeology and history (we had earlier met 2 strangers, who kept telling us that it was a must-go attraction) - but too bad it was closed that day:(

the centaur - which is housed in canada's 1st stock exchange building, is montreal's 1st english-language theatre!

notre dame basilica - i wonder why so many churches adopt this same name? i think this is the 3rd notre dame basilica that i have come across! but this is by far the church with the most magnificent architecture i have ever seen!

a closer look at the amazing altar area - with all the intricate carvings and sculptures!! some trivia - celine dion said her marriage vows here in 1994!

even the back of the church is so elaborately detailed! it's really a breathtaking sight..

there were lots of nice paintings - that related the events leading to the crucification of Jesus.

the sacred heart chapel - which is located behind the notre dame basilica

our next stop was the bank of montreal (bmo) musuem, which showcased old bank notes, mechanical money boxes and historical objects and documents since the 19 century. bmo is canada's 1st bank!

the rue st jacques - is probably the heart of the commercial district in montreal. there were so many banks along that street! since we all had bank accounts with cibc, we couldnt resist taking a photo in front of their branch in montreal;)

at mcgill university!

there's mcgill's law school!

the very beautiful campus of mcgill university - with all its ancient-looking but majestic buildings all around

we went to the musuem in mcgill university - here's one of the more interesting exhibit - a real mummy!

they even exhibited the tiny shoes for chinese women who bound their feet in the past! looks so painful! what inhumane torture - i wonder how they managed to endure through it? thank God it is no longer in fashion now..

not surprisingly, we made a trip to mcgill's law fac building!
mich and i - outside the mcgill's law library

the amazingly charming student/staff lounge at mcgill - wow. if only e nus law lounge was as nice as this!

some random street in montreal

dinner and beer at qua!

the food was fantastic! :)

there was even a mini-beer-brewery in the restaurant itself!

hmm..was their beer up to standard? i would say yes!! i am not a fan of beers, but i enjoyed the special brew that night:)

all happy and satisfied after a good meal - much thanks to wern jhien for his good recommendation;)

after dinner, we picked up leticia and martzia - before heading down to habitat 67, which is a very expensive concept residence, originally developed as the main pavillion for the international work expo that was held in montreal in 1967 (hence its name). the unique design for habitat 67 consists of boxes arranged to create 16 differently configured living spaces for a total of 158 residences within the complex!

beautiful night scenery of montreal

2007-03-12T19:49:00.000-07:00

::day 4 (18 feb 07) - ottawa/montreal::
today was our last day in ottawa. we decided to set off early in the morning, planning to have a good breakfast at byward market!

en route to the market - walking through uni of ottawa campus!

we also passed by a soup kitchen for the homeless/needy.. this further reinforces my impression of how civic-minded canadians are, generally:)

byward market - which is the usual sort of public market, abound with fresh food produce!

not surprisingly, i got distracted by a beavertail stand. the beavertail is a traditional north american pastry, stretched to the shape of a beaver's tail (hence its name) and dipped float in oil - like the same way donuts are being made. the one i got was coated with the cinnamon sugar + lemon! yummydelicious:)

here's a closer look at this delectable (but sinful) snack;)

bagels galore!! perhaps it's coz i have been so severely deprived of bagels for the past 6 months, i am kinda crazy over bagels now! haha. what a wide variety of flavoured bagels! dear saori, don't u wish u had been there?:) heh.

lunch at byward market - after my sugar high indulgence, i opted for a healthy (but very savoury) bowl of assorted veg soup + baguette!

how can anyone resist these desserts?

cathedral-basilica of notre dame, one of the oldest churches in ottawa. when we arrived, i was just thinking to myself about how i felt guilty about not being able to go church that sunday - amazingly, i realized it was 12 noon exactly and service was just about to start! haha. God really speaks to us in mysterious ways:) im thankful that mich agreed to follow me too! hey mich, maybe it's a sign yeah?:) heh. we attended service for awhile! yayy

inside the cathedral - the architecture inside catholic churches is always so amazing!! the stainglasses are so beautiful too!

the peace-keeping monument - which honors canadians who have served in the un peace-keeping forces. this monument depicts 3 peacekeepers standing on walls above the debris of war. before them (which cant be seen in the photo, unfortunately) is a grove of young trees which symbolizes peace.

national gallery of canada - housed in a glass and granite building, with a notable view of the canadian parliament buildings on parliament hill. this gallery has a very large collection of paintings, drawings, sculpture and photographs - although its focus is on Canadian art.

art collection - of the indigenous inuit artists in canada

i couldnt really appreciate it though - some artwork looked strangely disturbing - like this one!

the water court - an excellent place for peaceful contemplation in the heart of the gallery

the gallery is really huge - we couldnt finish covering all the exhibitions even though we spent about 2 hours there! we didnt have enough time coz we had rush off to catch the greyhound coach to montreal!

in montreal - where we met up with wen jhien, who was a great host:) i didnt really know him before this but it was a pleasure meeting him:) he invited us to his friend's gathering for some brazilian foodfare!

with the rest of the people at the gathering - the hot italian girls leticia and martzia, and roman, who's a german and a schumi fan too:)

wen jhien's housemates and the lovely girlfriend!

not forgetting jon (aka the driver. heh;) ), who met us at montreal from toronto!

the food was fantastic - and the company was even better! it was fun getting to know all of them:) martzia even gamely seranaded us with a very nice song, which was originally recorded by wj and his band (apparently, wj's band is doing really well in malaysia - i cant wait for them to release an album/hold a concert! it would be so cool!:))

we later headed to parc du mont royal (this is how montreal got its name!), a hill that is draped around an extinct volcano and covered with paths, ponds and maple trees! it stares over the island of montreal - what breath-taking view!

more of the beautiful night scenery!

2007-03-08T16:36:00.000-08:00

::day 3 (17 feb 07) - ottawa::
very early in the morning at about 6:30am, we made our way to ottawa via the greyhound coach! it was quite a comfortable ride so we were sleeping for most parts during the 5+hrs journey! i called back home at about 12 midnight singapore time - wanting to wish everyone a happy chinese new year - but i only managed to talk to mummy for about 5 mins - before the line got cut off, due to bad reception (we were travelling through the wilderness) :( i wouldnt wanna spend chinese new year away from home again:(

anyway we reached ottawa safely in the afternoon! dee (the owner of the hostel where we were stayed at) came to pick us up from the coach terminal in his car, that has a license plate bearing his name - DEE-1856! quite interesting. if only i could print my name on my car license plate. haha. after checking in, we went out to explore the city!

university of ottawa - the hostel where we stayed in was located in the university village!

one of the campus buildings of the university of ottawa

some random building that we passed by - always enjoy appreciating the historically rich architecture of buildings:)

the last day! we were here just in time for winterlude, a huge winter festival/carnival along the famous frozen rideau canel :)

the famous rideau canal, which transforms into a 10-km ice-skating rink in winter! i didnt feel like ice-skating though - coz it was inconvenient carrying my bag and all!

mich and i - posing with a guy, whom we thought looked quite interesting with his vaguely-like-an-elf get up!

an old-school welder who was very proud in declaring his commitment to following the traditional ways of welding, without the use of any machines! these are all the tools he uses - nothing else!!

in just 3 steps, he managed to weld a heart-shaped rod - and they could be linked too! good way to win a girl's heart?!

ice-cafe, which was really an exhibition of ice sculptures..

what is a winter festival without ice-sculptures?

there was even an international ice-sculpturing competition going on!

mich and i - in front of the award-winning work of a famous canadian ice-sculptor!

the entry from US - the characteristic eagle!

the entry from japan - i was really impressed by the fine intricate details that the japanese ice-sculptor could create! amazing!! i especially love the geisha figure at the far right!

nice old buildings lining the street - at the crossroad between elgin & wellington

one of the many random catholic churches along elgin - i realize that there are really a lot of churches in the city area alone!

the national war monument - which was originally designed to commemorate canadians who sacrificed their lives in ww1, now honors all canada's war dead. its bronze figures emerge from a great arch, symbolizing the sacrifices made in the journey from war to peace. this is also the place where the capital hosts the remembrance day ceremony.

the tomb of the unknown soldier - another monument to honour the sacrifices of canada's war dead.

i could sit in the city park all day - appreciating and immersing in ottawa's historically rich atmosphere!

the awe-inspiring parliament hill - where national decision-making takes place!

the house of commons chamber

the house of commons foyer - look at the elaborate details in the ceiling!

the senate chamber- looks so grand eh?
that's not the best part - look at its ceiling!

the peace tower - at the heart of parliament hill. this is another monument built in memory of the service and sacrifice of all who died serving the country

it is also an excellent place to enjoy the aerial view of the whole of downtown ottawa!

the memorial chamber - with beautiful stainglasses
the names of all those who sacrificed their lives during the wars, are recorded in a book which is sealed in this glass case and 'guarded' by 4 angels

my favourite part of parliament hill - the amazing library of parliament

imagine studying in here - wouldnt u be somewhat distracted by its grandeur and magnificence?!
the supreme court of canada - the sort of things that law students get excited about

this very frightening-looking statue that stands before the supreme court of canada - i have no idea what ivstitia means - but i vaguely remember seeing that word somewhere in the ubc law fac building..

me - trying to look stern. haha

the veterans memorial building - if u havent noticed, there are canadian flags EVERYWHERE in ottawa! coz most of the buildings in this area are directly related to parliament and to ottawa's role as seat of the federal government.

a figure/statue in front of a church - that made us stop in our tracks - "truly, whatever you did for one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did for me" - matthew 25:40

we went back to winterlude!

the beautiful night scenery

people were still ice-skating on canal rideau!! mich and i just walked along the frozen canal..

the sign is too small - but canal rideau claims to be the world's largest skating rink (this has been officially recognized by the guinness world records)

the setting was perfect for a romantic walk under the stars - amidst the snow!

dinner at royal oak, an authentic canadian restaurant - dee's good recommendation:) we had garden salad and fish&chips! nice.

and drinks as well! cheers to a good day:)