I am back in Singapore. Seriously, I can't believe it happened so quickly. I am not ready for SIngapore. I want Austin!!!

I am in Narita Airport typing this now. I am already missing Austin. And, gosh! I am returning back to SIngapore. NONONONONO.... I wanna stay in AUSTIN!!! I'm already missing Austin.

There are so many things I wanna blog about. But, I doubt I have much time. So, let me summarise, and if I do have tme, I will expand on it another time.
1) I miss AUSTIN!!! and, of course all the people whom I was close to in Austin - Jane, Laura, Jan, CK, Kim, Andre. Missing you guys lots already!!!
2) PAcking is crazy... So much to pack, but so limited luggage space.
3) Driving in the States is interesting. For one, it is left hand drive, so when I first started trying to drive, I had to constantly remind myself to do the opposite of what I do in singapore. People here are more friendly, they actually give way to you, and follow traffic rules!!! Wow!!! And, you finally understand wind sheer and the wonders of an automatic car when you drive on the highway and get stuck in a jam with a manual car.

Ah yess.. that's about all. More next time. As for now, I gotta go catch my next flight.

Some updates from my trip to Houston. Thanks to a very wonderful CK who was so sweet to accompany me to Houston (and also who graciously drove to Houston although he had a terrible sprain in his ankle), I managed to see NASA. Didn't go with Laura and Jane the last time, cos when they went, I was having some presentation thingy, so didn't manage to go with them. So, this trip to HOuston was to make up for that, and it was amazing. Went for the Grand Prix in Houston. I was very lucky, cos that weekend was the weekend of the Grand Prix league in Houston. Once in a lifetime experience. MAnaged to eat crawfish, of course went to NASA, went to Kemmah too, country dancing and finally when I came back to Austin, I caught the oh-so-infamous bats at congress bridge.

Top 2 rows: Pictures from the Grand Prix in Houston. It was really an interesting experience. The cars were fast, yes, they were so fast that whenever they stepped their brake, the brake pads would light up into a glowing red. And, of course, lots of smoke from some of the engines and who can forget the amount of noise pollution (it's SUPER LOUD!!!) and gas wasted. I was told that the about of gas used at these competitions is enough to supply the whole of America with gas for 1 year. Talk about rising gas prices. (Gas prices have been rising crazily. From $2.20 when I came to $2.76 during the last pump.) So, while the race cars do their laps (usually about 100 over laps, so once they start and you see and get the hang of it, everything else is jus repetitive and can be quite boring) we were walking at the fair and catching the race cars from different angles of the route from Reliant Stadium.
3rd row: Pictures from Kemmah. Kemmah is a port kinda tourist attraction. So, yupyup.. lots of yachts going by.
4th row: The infamous bats at Austin. Yes, I have been wanting to see the bats since January, and FINALLY!!! MAnaged to see it. Apparently, the bats migrate to Congress bridge when the weather warms up, and during evening time, they all come out to eat on the fruit flies. So, that's why you see so many bats from COngress bridge.

I am back from New York!!! Ooo... It was fun!!! Thank you Kristy for putting me up!! Wish I could have stayed longer. There's just so much to do and so much to see in New York. 5 days is never enough. Haha.. Sigh... I just sent Laura and Jane to airport cos they are heading off for their San Francisco trip, and the reality of me heading back to SIngapore is starting to set in. I don't know why, but I'm not ready to go back to SIngapore. I wanna stay here. Over the last few months, I have grown to love this place. It might not be the most happening city like NY or Chicago, but it has its beauty and uniquity. And, the pace of life is much slower although competition can be tough sometimes. OF course, the people here are so friendly and warm. I've been so settled in that I can imagine staying here for a long while. The thought of having to pack up my life that I have established here over the last 5 months just saddens me. No more will I have the joy of shopping at HEB in the middle of the night, the convenience and huge variety of food at HEB, cooking experiments in trying to replicate Singapore food with ang moh ingredients, no more late night with Conan O'Brien, 24 or Jay Leno, no more gymming from 11pm to 1am and watching SATC, Larry King etc etc. I will definitely be missing the independence that comes with staying away from home. Sigh... All that will come to an end soon. I don't wanna go back to SIngapore yet!!! Then again, I will be meeting up with everyone back in SIngpore again. All the wonderful people whom I miss. SOmetimes I wish that if it were possible that they could all come here and settle here. I miss them so much, and yet, I don't wanna give up my new found independence and slower pace of life here. But, alas, decisions have to be made, and for me, not that there is much of a decision (well, unless you count pushing my departure date back) I have to go back to SIngapore. It is after all my home, my country, where my family, friends and relatives are. But, Austin will always hold a special place in my heart.

Let the travelling begin.

The weekend kicked off Joanne's travelling adventures with Houston as the first stop. And, the Houston weekend was filled with watching the Grand Prix (Houston), NASA - Johnson Space Center, Kemmah, Cajun Crawfish, Wild West country dancing (pity we didn't manage to go to the Blue Bell factory and Galleria). And, when we got back to Austin, went to Pappasitos, half price book store, and finally, managed to see the bats.

And, now I'm in NYC. Yuppers... Staying with Kristy (thanks babe for putting me up!). Daryl took me to Times Square, Wall Street, Ground Zero and a tour of NYU before having dinner at CHinatown. And, today's been a full day of walking, starting with the UN Building, then Empire STate Building, Guggenheim Museum, SOHO (including the Prada store which was fashioned like an art gallery, showcasing some of the clothes designs which donned the runway since its beginning, Jacques Torres chocolate place... yum yum...) and finally, the Blue Man Show and supper at Otto (which Kristy tells me is opened by the guy who is the American Iron Chef)

Tired tired... Picture updates another time.

Finally!!! My last paper is over!!! Whee... It's time to play, pack, and let the reality sink in that I will be leaving Austin soon. Nonononono... I wanna stay here longer!!!!

Ooo... Back from Dallas!!! Whee.. Yupyup, finally managed to go to Dallas. Hee.. =)

Our first unofficial stop: The Dallas City Hall. Haha.. We came by this place by accident. It wasn't on our itinerary. Still, we caught a few photos of the Dallas skyline, and who can resist the temptation of the water fountain, hor, CK? LOL...


First Stop: West End Historical District.

Next: 6th Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. The museum showcases the events leading up to the JFK assassination, the life of the late President JFK and the events after the shooting, including the investigations and documentaries produced after the shooting. I really enjoyed it, but we were kinda out of time, so it was a pretty rushed walk through the museum. The videos helped a lot. Oh.. And, no photos were allowed in the museum. Sigh... So, only can take photo outside.


Final Stop: Medieval Times - Dinner and Tournament. Yuppers!!! Finally!!! I've been wanting to go for it even before I came to the States. I was have been hoping to go for it ever since I came here. But, sadly, there was no time beforehand. And, even when we tried to go when we were in Chicago, we didn't get a chance. So, anyway, since we got to go to Dallas, I obviously HAD to watch it. Interesting experience. Our waitress wasn't the exactly very friendly. She was kinda snubbing us, so didn't tip her a lot. Food wasn't great. Edible, I guess. But, big portions la... I heard from Jan that the Las Vegas one had good food. Hehe... A good 1 time experience. The show was entertaining not because of the storyline, but because of the "wayangness" of the fights, jousting etc. It was so rehearsed that we were laughing out loud because it was so funny. Sometimes, they miss the beat, and they'll pretend to get hurt by the sword which didn't even come down on them. Ah... you have to be there to see it. Hehe... Anyway, here are the photos...


And... before I end this entry. Wanna say a special BIG THANK YOU to Chee Kin for driving us there even with his super bruised leg and sprained ankle. All these together with a 4 hour drive from Austin to Dallas (and back = 8hours of driving and sitting in 1 posistion); walking with us girls while we went shopping (walk until his leg cramp)... So sweet right? Ok... maybe not a good photo... Cos he always bully us girls, so decided to show the gun shot hand sign to get back at him. Let's try again... Erh... hmm... Ok, i tried my best. LOL...

It was a great night out at Pappadeaux!!!



Great food!!! (Yes, we ordered so many varieties of food!! And, for me, the local cajun food caught my eye as usual: fried alligator - tastes like chicken and crabcakes - made with real crab.) Great company with my General Management group. After all the work we've been through, it's really like a celebration, to let our hair down, drink and be merry. Americans really know how to enjoy. Hehe.. The drink I had "swampthing" was really good, but very strong too. But, it's a night out to celebrate, so who cares. Oh, and desserts.. creme brulee, sweet potato pecan pie, cheese cake... who can ask for more? I'm still craving for the desserts. Hee.. =)

It's been an activity filled weekend!!!

1) Diving At Lake Travis (Windy Point)
(L - R: Me and my dive buddy, Heather; Briefing before the buddy by my instructor; Getting into the water; The very nice view of Lake Travis; Lake Travis again, and now you can see the dam; Me in my diving gear...)

Yuppers.. Finally!!! I am a certified diver. Ok, I'm still not very good. I mean, I have only been diving for the past 3 months or so, so definitely I'm still not good. Hehe... Can only dive in normal places, no night diving, diving in caves, etc. Can't go below 60 feet (then again, who would wanna go so low? I was almost freezing at 45 feet at the thermocline!!!). But, I can go diving to see the corals and the fishes!!! Can't wait to get back to Singapore and start on my dive adventures. Hee.. =) Joan was saying I should head off the one of the islands here to go on a diving trip after I get my cert. Haha.. I would love to, but sadly, I got no buddies to go with me. =( And, it's quite expensive also. Hehe... HL: Let's go diving!!!! Next up... Advanced diving... =) Night diving... Yipppeeeee!!!! And, I'll probably do it with PADI instead of NAUI. hehe...

ATTENTION!!! Dive buddies needed!!! Anyone interested?

2) Lunch at Rudy's
Finally!!! I managed to eat at Rudy's. I have been told how good Rudy's BBQ is but just never got a chance to eat it till today. My verdict? They've got great cream corn and I love the moist beef brisket. Yum yum... (BTW, Texan BBQ items include beef (lots of it, steak type, ribs, brisket), sausages, maybe a little chicken here and there and pork ribs. And, they usually eat these with bread and sides include potato salad, cream corn, coleslaw etc. That's about all. Not like singapore where you have tonnes of different types of food. But, it's the marination of the beef and the wood that makes each BBQ differ from each other.)

Yummy pork ribs. hehe... =) And, I love the beef brisket!!!

3) Eeyore's birthday party: A uniquely Austin Celebration
What is it? University of Texas student Lloyd W. Birdwell, Jr. and some of his friends started this legendary spring celebration honoring Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh's friend Eeyore. Although it has changed over the years, Eeyore's Birthday Party still retains much of its hippie 1960s-70s flavor. Adults and children alike gather at Pease Park for Maypole dancing, costume contests, hippie queen pageant, food, birthday cake, and live entertainment. You'll be helping to raise funds for non-profit Austin groups by purchasing food and drinks at the party.

Very fun fair like kinda atmosphere, and who can ever forget the live music? After all, they say Austin is the capital of live music (refer below). Nonethelessm we got to see the Maypole dancing (which ended up more like a mess of children holding the ribbons and running around). We didn't get to see Eeyore (birthday boy must have been hiding...), but we did get to see Tigger and Robin Hood. Hehe... =) OOoooo... and the Effiel Tower in Austin? Hehe... Saw that structure opposite Pease Park (where the birthday party was held), so just had to take a photo of it. LOL...



4) Austin the live music capital

There we go.. Finally!! Managed to head down to Elephant bar to hear some live music and just chill out and have a drink. I really enjoyed it a lot. Nice jazz with good company. What more can you ask for? Hmmm... The downside is that Elephant bar doesn't serve any nibblers, and I don't know why, but, I was craving for tortillas with queso and hot sauce that night. I am so going to miss live music when I get back to Singapore. Sigh... There we go.. Me with this really nice drink that has a nice fruity taste (sourish sweetish) and a interesting cherry after taste. =)


Oh, and how can I forget our bbq at CK's place on saturday night, and the wonderful Tiff's treats. Yes, BBQ Texan style. Hehe...