Rocking in Gulf of Mexico

The long absence, the delayed posts about my travels, and grumpy nature for the past month or so. All these could be traced back to my current situation. Rocking in the Gulf of Mexico, 18hours (unsure of distance coz there's no signboards and too lazy to check out :P) off the coast. Working my ass off, in preparation for this "cruise".

The slow rocking of the vessel by the gentle sleep has some kind of rhythm to it. Slightly sleep inducing, sometimes offbalancing. Accompanying me and reminding me. Reminding me of the lapping waves and crystal clear waters...not in the middle of the sea... but of a white sandy beach somewhere. Been up for 16 hours now and still counting, waiting for welding and coating to be completed before we could throw something into the depths of the dark waters. Probably that's why I'm hallucinating about white sandy beach and crystal clear water perhaps even a pina colada or long island.

5 more days before heading back to port. In the mean time, I'll enjoy the free food, drinks, laundry and room service as well as tonnes of DVDs onboard when I'm not working.

Would perhaps load some pics of this trip sometime later. As for now, I'm just glad that the sea is calm and my work is progressing somewhat smoothly.

Snow in Houston!

It's kinda like a miracle of sort. For those uninitiated, weather in Houston is freaky. It could be a shivering 4deg C one day and a toasty 24degC the next. However, it almost never snowed in Houston. But there it was, on 10th of December. The day before I went for my first winter vacation, the day before I went to see natural snow and have fun in powder for the first time. I had a wonderful preview of snow in Houston.

Being a snow virgin, how can I pass off the chance of viewing a snowfall. It was a chilly 0deg C afternoon, and I went down the office block to see it. It was barely visible in the sunlight. However by night, it had turned into an obvious snowfall.

Here's a couple of pics of my first snowfall to share. It might look pathetic to the real thing I saw in Colorado the next day, but still it's my first. :)









The last time it snowed on in Houston was four years ago on Christmas Eve. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for a white Christmas in Houston this year, but I don't think miracles happen that frequently.

Halloween Themed Family Day!

Halloween, it is such a hyped up festivity here in US. Considering that it's a festival similar to 14th July of the Chinese Calendar!

In the Chinese equivalent of the Halloween, we would be sitting at home trying our best not to go out at night/go swimming/hiking/practically anything that exposes one to the ethereal beings. However, it seems that Americans are impervious to this threat and it's one hell of a celebration here.

Being a dull guy with extremely thin wallet, I chose not to partake this festivity in the clubs in US. Say whatever you want, a costume can cost 50usd easily! So no thanks.

Lucky me though, my company threw a pre-Halloween party (in broad daylight though). To be precise, it's more like a Family Day/ Fair. Still it's a nice event which scores a couple of first for me.

- 1st Halloween Themed Party
- 1st time eating a whole grilled turkey leg (a popular party food here)
- 1st time tasting chili & cheese on tortilla chips (it's addictive and terrible for the waistline)
- 1st time I caught thieving pumpkin snatchers! :P



Halloween must haves! Witches! (Witch you should get one of these!)


Creepy skeleton guy ogling at hot cheer leader.


Huge oily turkey leg, sinfully tasty chili & cheese tortilla chips paired with cold beer of course!


Pumpkin snatchers!!!


What's Halloween without a huge bunch of these!


Nice pumpkin patch.

A Bunch of Naughty, Notorious, Noisy yet Intelligent Brats

I happen to stumble upon the blog of a long time friend today. Although the blog was not updated for a long time, there's this entry which brought back a lot of memories.

I wish to add some details to the period from Standard 4 to 6 in her blog from my point of view. I was her classmate during that period, and continued to be until we finished our high school.

However, unlike her I had been assigned to this class since Standard 1. Perhaps that is why I was rather intrigued to be commented as "a bunch of naughty, notorious, noisy yet intelligent brats". Furthermore, I never realized that my class used to be feared by teachers.

4 Jingga - If my memory serves me right, this was a special year through out my primary school years. This is the year when the classes are reshuffled and students are differentiated according grades. Quite a few new classmates were introduced to us and some were sent to other classes. We started off with our classroom situated in the end of the oldest buildinng in the school. When I say old, I do mean really old. It was a colonial school and the school was established since 1903, the building itself was perhaps slightly later; 10-15 years the most! There's even a few black and white portraits of the founder's children hung high on the walls of this classroom. Giving it a really gloomy and chilling atmosphere, especially early in the morning. We were a very active bunch of kids back then, but then again, at the age of 10, who wasn't? We played all sorts of games (utilizing pebbles, bottle caps, rubber bands and even rulers) that were perhaps irrelevant in this modern times.

5 Jingga - This year, we were located in a classroom which used to be a Science Lab. I have no idea why the teachers would locate us in this class if we were naughty and notorious, but I'm glad the did. The laboratory was probably not in use for quite some time as all the apparatus and specimens looked really ancient. Part of our activities during the absence of teachers are to explore the multitude of specimens preserved in formalin, the curious apparatus and various substances in glass jars. I remembered us being curious and fascinated with ferrous powder, various colored sodium compounds, as well as preserved snakes and lizards. Perhaps the most interesting to happen that year is the explosion/fire caused by an ancient propane tank in the laboratory during the school holidays.

6 Jingga - The year started off with a bang. A bang in the form of the strictest and most fearsome teacher, Miss M. The person who got the first slap from Miss M is none other than, Tweety, the owner of the blog that got me started writing this. Despite having a super strict teacher, we still did have a great time. Games are played in a more subtle way. We were no longer playing with games that attracted attention and loud. The most interesting game was perhaps the one which I never played. It was very popular among Tweety's group of friends and it was played using none other than our thick textbooks and exercise books. Really hope that Tweety or any of my ex-classmates could elaborate on this game.

Looking back, I would say that we were active, playful and perhaps noisy. However, we were no where near naughty and notorious! :P

I assumed that Tweety's intention when she started the post was to depict her journey of life, which she sadly stopped updating after crossing the Causeway.

I hope that this post will reach her someway and I hope that she'll continue her story and at least give an end to what she started.

After-Effects of a Hurricane

An insight to my life before, during and after sheltering at home from Hurricane.

Oh this got to be an interesting post. What can one do while sheltering at home and how do one conquer fear during the storm? The peak of the storm actually lasted only for around 5 hours. However the effects on me can be noticed from 5 hours before the storm all the way till today.

About 5 hours before the storm -
This is the time when fear starts to creep in. Before this, I was still taking it lightly. Feeling smug that I've got some kind of supplies with me and I'm not staying in a mandatory evacuation zone. In fact, I'm kind of ignorant on where the mandatory evacuation zones are. Fear overcame me when I was surfing the net and came across the zip codes as well as maps of the mandatory evacuation zones. It was just like two zip codes away! That means it's just 10 - 15 minutes drive away!

After that enlightening moment, I was stuck to Channel 009 (it's the channel giving 24hrs non-stop coverage on the Hurricane). Listening to every morsel of information given out by the media, watching every move of the Hurricane and observing with fear and excitement the rising waters, high wave breaks and strong winds through live broadcast from the coastal areas. All the while thinking of the impending doom as it is impossible to evacuate now that the storm is so near. Back then, I wrote my first post on the Hurricane and set it to publish somewhat after the storm, mostly to calm my nerves as well as to notify my friends and family that I should still be ok even if I could not be contacted.

During the storm -
Initially the wind was just enough to ruffle leaves and I was lulled to sleep by the sound of it. The wind starts to pick up at about 2a.m. I was roughly awoken by the rattling sound of the window. The scene was almost like that of a horror movie. Howling winds, branches shaken violently, the rattling of the window panes due to the gusting wind and ... you won't believe this ... flickering lights! But ... no worries ... instead of ghosts, I'm actually more afraid of power outage.

After the storm -
Ok, ok ... I know the title said something about after-effects. So fast forward, 2 days after the storm, everything seemed well with my place. There's power, water, supplies and 4 subsequent days of holiday!!! I do not need to ration my food to sustain for extended period as the grocery stores are back in business. What to do, what to do?

*HUGE GRIN* Well... me being myself; I cooked, eat, drink, sleep, watch movies, series, anime and simply partied at home for 4 whole days! To the point that I'm actually bored of this. Then comes the after-effects ... ... my expanded waistline!!! Not that it's anything to be proud of to begin with ... but it's something that no one wants to grow. My horror was confirmed when a colleague commented that I looked ... my, my this is sad ... BIGGER! After which he coyly reasoned that it might be the t-shirt, but still ...

This is why it took me so long to update the blog, I was busy doing sit-ups after work instead.

Los Angeles: The City of Angels. (Part 1)

Los Angeles, it's Spanish for City of Angels. It's a wonderful place to be in, the architecture, the pleasant weather, the colourful people, the street graffiti and of course the famous beaches. A whole world of difference compared to where I am in Texas. This trip to L.A is also my first experience of travelling alone... somewhat.

The planning of this trip began when I got to know that my housemate will be posted in L.A. That translates into free accommodation! The next step is to get free flights! That comes in the form of the home trips back to Malaysia I get every 3 months in US. My boss was nice enough to approve my 4 day stopover request in L.A (it costs an extra 300USD... bummer isn't it? It's practically the same route and flight. Just because the stopover is >24hours, that much extra is charged!).

The 4 day trip is essentially just a 2 day trip. I arrived in L.A. around 7p.m. after 19hrs flight, and anly reached the hotel at 10p.m. On my last day, I'll have to leave early in the morning as my flight is at 12p.m.

Anyways, I traveled alone on the next day. My itenary includes Chinatown, Downtown and Hollywood. There are pros and cons of travelling alone. I can go anywhere and do anything I want to, when I want to. The catch is that there's no one for me to share with. When I saw the interesting compass in Chinatown Metro Station, the glimmering facade of Walt Disney Concert Hall, intriguing sculpture in front of MOCA, wonderful mix of sight, sound, smell and taste in the Central Market and the famous "HOLLYWOOD" sign; there's no one to take pics and enjoy it with me. Miss you a lot then, CH.

Chinatown: There practically nothing much there except that you can see some Chinese themed buildings and an interesting Compass.


Interesting compass with inscriptions of the virtues of the Chinese.

Downtown: This is the biggest area I have to cover on foot. Went to see the City Hall, which is not interesting at all. Just a big white building. Then, onwards to the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. This is a very modern Cathedral, in a shade of beige that reminds you of the rocks and sands in a desert. There is a water feature at the entrance with multi-lingual engravings; really reflects the multi-cultured community in L.A. After that is the controversial but equally magnificent Walt Disney Concert Hall. I even get the chance to do a complete audio guided tour of the whole facility and it is very informative. It's a leisurely stroll after that, covering the Museum of Contemporary Arts (MOCA), California Plaza where there is a live jazz band lunchtime performance amidst numerous fountains and waterfalls, the Grand Central Market and Angel's Flight.


L.A. City Hall: Big white thing... nothing to shout about.


Cathedral: Modern architecture, with colors that reminds you of the desert.


Melodious chime of church bells.


They actually have pipe organ in the Cathedral!


The multi-lingual water feature.


Aah...simply magnificent curves of aluminum sheets. The Walt Disney Concert Hall. Controversial because it caused significant rise in temperature on the streets due to the gleaming aluminum. But that problem was solved... that's why the aluminum is dull now.


Isn't it a sight to behold? The warm colors and coziness of wood panels. Did you notice the jumble of wooden structures that jut out from the floor? Those are the pipes of the organ...I think.


There's even a garden on the rooftop of the Concert Hall.


It's known as the Blue Ribbon Garden ... inscribed on the floor


This water feature is a blue rose made of expensive china broken into pieces!


The L.A. skyscrapers...from the Blue Ribbon Garden.


Interesting sculpture in front of MOCA.


Angel's Flight

Hollywood: I would say Hollywood is simply too hyped up. IMHO, Downtown is a much more interesting place to visit compared to Hollywood. But, I did almost all of the touristy stuffs in Hollywood except for the Hollywood Stars Home tour. This Stars home tour is mostly like a drive-by of certain people's home and it holds absolutely no appeal to me ... I'm not a teenager anymore and I certainly do not idolize any actor/actress. Anyway, I did all the famous buildings and sights (the Pantages, Capitol Records, Grauman's Chinese Theater, Kodak Theater, El Capitan Theater, "HOLLYWOOD" sign, etc.). The most interesting sights in Hollywood are the street performers. Oh, oh almost forgot... there's even a Giordano store in Hollywood & Highland - an upscale destination for entertainment, style and dining. Impressive.


I guess, these stars do not require any introductions.


The Pantages


Metro station at Hollywood.. filled with film reels.


Touristy stuffs that everyone did in Hollywood :D


El Capitan Theater with a HUGE WALL-E


*Updated: Huge WALL-E as requested by "iamthewitch"


Capitol Records Tower


Again, no explanations required... but it is taken at a very far distance with 200mm zoom lens *grin*


Grauman's Chinese Theater where the Star Home tours begins. There are loads of street performers here as well. Beware though, if you snap pics, you tip.


Kodak Theater ... home of the Academy Awards


See if u can see Elmo, Tigger, Barney and Jimmy Neutron in the background. I'm very stingy, so I have to snap from afar to avoid tipping.


Giordano! in Hollywood! never knew they had a high-end line.

The day ends with me having extremely sore feet from all the walking about. My wonderful host was kind enough to take me out for dinner in the comfort of her car. Thank you sooooooo much!

Braving the storm...

I'm speechless. How can this possibly be? I'm gonna say that I'm officially being stalked by hurricanes. Okay, okay, I should actually start telling this story from 2+ weeks ago.


August-26: Three "geniuses" decided together to spend the long Labour day weekend in New Orleans. Being Malaysians, the 3 "geniuses" is oblivious to the hurricane Gustav brewing just outside of the gulf.

August-28: "Geniuses" finally found out about the hurricane. After much consideration and sleeping over it, decided to go against the general consensus and head towards New Orleans the next morning.

August-29: "Geniuses" had a blast in New Orleans (will elaborate further on this vacation when in better mood) only to return to the hotel and found out that there's a mandatory evacuation order. The long weekend have to be cut short...very short.

August-30: Instead of having fun in N.O. with oysters and cocktails, "geniuses" are stuck in a 10+ hours traffic jam eating Oreos and drinking water!


2+ weeks down the road. "Geniuses" thought they dodged a bullet with Gustav and was complacent. Again it's a long weekend, this time nothing could go wrong as they decided to stay put and not go anywhere other than some dim sum and groceries, or so they thought...


Sept-11: Hmm... significant day. "Geniuses" got surprise email from company's info center, stating office building will be closed and staff dismissed earlier in view of the coming hurricane...Ike. "Geniuses" celebrated momentarily, till they realize the situation. The "genius" who wrote this blog, yours truly, started cursing his unbelievable luck and in frustration wrote this blog.


In any case, there should not be much to worry about as we're just expecting long power outages and windows being damaged by wind. With that in mind, this genius bought a whole lot of stuffs to party through the storm!


Storm party ingredients!

Update!: The worst is over for my area, no flooding..phew!...and God bless, all my windows are still intact. Just some minor leaking of water in the apartment.