All-in-One Post

So where was I? Ahhh yes, San Francisco memo.. Right. Well then, on Saturday 16 Dec we're back to the 'wonderful' uni village where you occasionally get the smell of freshly baked dungs of the rabbits. Really wasnt so happening for the next couple of days, not even my birthday. If I told you what I did on that day, you'd say I have no life. Which is true, in some ways. But I enjoyed the serenity in my unit. It's just me.. and the TV. Nothing particularly interesting to watch, but I left it on anyway just for the background noice. And I sat in front of it with a book and a cuppa hot choc.

But at 12am that night, friends came over with a pie from Marie Callender's. So sweet of them. And Sheena and Ida baked cupcakes for me too! So the girls and Roy stayed and chatted till 5am!!! I only woke up at 1:30pm!! So there you go. Uneventful bday. Mentally reminded myself that from 2007 onwards I'm gonna tell anyone who asked that I'm 21 yrs old. :P hahahah forever young. well. That's if they believe...

On Christmas eve, uneventful as well... Chean baked cinammon bread and Roy came over. Vinod, Fahmi, Sheena, Chean and myself went to Brea Downtown for Starbucks at night. And Sheena made us some very delectable roast chicken and mashed potatoes! That's bout it for Chirstmas.

Ahh on the 26th! Aunt Jamie and her mom brought over some asam laksa for us! Loved it!!!!!You have absolutely no idea how much I've been craving for it man.

27th Wed - Chean and I finally went for the written test at DMV for the driving permit.. at long last, after weeks of procrastination. yay!

28th Thurs - TPM juniors finally got here. made them welcoming dinner. nothing fancy just sandwiches hotdogs etc.

29th Fri - Went to Universal Studios with aunt Jamie and her family. Then had dinner at 'Penang'. Food there wasnt extremely superb but anythg that's similar to Msian food works just as well, for someone who hasn't had any since September (which wasnt too long ago, but still.. feels like ages okayyy).

30th Sat - Well this day I wanted to meet up with Bee Shin actually, somewhere in LA. Then Paul happened to be here so Jess Chean and I went to LA without knowing exactly where to go. On our way to Little Tokyo I called up Bee Shin to find out where to meet her (& her friends). Somehow we got lost on our way there and ended up in some beach near Santa Monica. So spontaneity kicked in and we went down to the beach, took crazy pics, had some drinks and snacks and left to Hollywood to meet Bee Shin! Fun. Then I parted ways with jessoms and gang, hanged out with Bee Shin, had dinner and they sent me home. And you would've thought that's it my day was over. But NO! The night's still young!! Heh we decided to go to Paul's house in San Diego, which is like 2 hrs drive away or more. Got there at bout 1am, watched a korean movie before hitting the bed. aaahhh what a day!

31st Sun - Nothing much, I'll post up the pictures to speak for itself. Had lotsa fun. =) And that's the end of 2006. All in all, a great year. Never been happier. :)

Garlic Moments

So anyone fancy some garlic ice-cream and garlic martini? Who's in with me?! :P Chean? Jun?

Oh btw, pictures above taken from The Stinking Rose.

Day 3, 15 Dec 06

Well nothing much happened on Day Three, went to a restaurant called Penang Island or smthg to have lunch. I had Hokkien Mee, which IMHO was quite decent, but my bro said it wasnt that good cuz its mostly prawn paste ("heh ko" in hokkien). Aduh what do you expect lah bro?! It's US afterall, you cant expect to get the exact same taste as what you'd find in Msia.

After lunch, we took the bus tour around city, then went to Chinatown to have a hearty chinese meal. It's the best meal I've had in SF and it's bout 10 dollars, which is quite reasonable I think. And with that, I can say I've eaten evythg I want to. Ooooh except for one!!! We forgot to try out the garlic ice cream at The Stinking Rose Restaurant!!! Who's adventurous enough to try with me?? Jun, whaddaya say? :P

So then after dinner, we walked to the shopping area, to check out the 3-storeys high Forever 21 outlet! And it's relatively cheap if compared to the one in Msia! Forgot to mention - on the 2nd night, after our cheesecake indulgence we went out to this Pakistani restaurant that's opened 24 hours (so rare in US okayyy). we're so exhilarated that we had a similar-to-Mamak experience over here that we didnt mind paying 1 dollar for each cup of tea (and we had 2)!!! The owner didnt look so pleased when that's the only thg we order and he gave us a dirty look. But who cares?! haha. It was only after our mamak session that we walked to Forever 21. In the middle of the night bout 3.30am!!! Nice. =)

Anyway, bout 9pm something we started walking to the bus station and get ready to leave this bay city. Albeit such a short trip, it was still fun! Albeit some unpleasant things happened, I was more than happy we went. HEh, and I'll definitely absolutely undoubtedly be back again!

Garlic Martini. :)

More Random Pics

A picture taken in North Beach, an Italian area if I'm not mistaken. The next time I go there, I'd wanna go to one of their cafes to try out their coffee.

Like this one.... As I walked down the pavement, I saw this cafe. The Steps of Rome - "A Piece of Italy in the Heart of the City". The name itself sounds sooo romantic, dont you agree. =)

This was the 3rd day, when we used our bus pass and went around sightseeing the city. Wonder what these guys are doing the night before that made them so tired??!! Speaking of which, there's a story to tell. You see, there's this tour guide who narrates and tells us bout the buildings of the city, their history and what-not. So when we passed a church called St. Peter and Paul's church I think, and the district school, he told us this is where the famous Joe DiMaggio got married and all bla bla bla. For someone like me who dont have a clue as to who Joe Dimaggio is, I got a bit annoyed when I asked my friends who the hell is he and they said dont know. So out of exasperation I kinda repeated the question "who the hell is joe dimaggio" a bit too loudly unintentionally, and not really expecting any answers too. Then in less than 2 seconds I heard someone said through the loud speaker "Joe DiMaggio was a famous baseball player", and I almost got a heart attack!!! And it took me quite a while to realize it was the tour guide who answered my question! But HOW??? We all cracked up when we turned around and saw him standing at the stairs (we're at the front of the double decker bus hence didnt know he's up here behind us and not at the lower deck). Scary shit. So peeps, be careful when you say anythg, there's ears everywhere..!! Oh apparently, Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe were married before (she was his 2nd wife) and he died loving her still.

This is the Palace of Fine Arts. Very nice sculpture, but apparently it served no purpose whatsoever (well according to the tour guide). However, it has its aesthetic value and its park setting was said to have ethereal beauty.

Hey these two girls look quite familiar huh! They're always seen together with chocs or cakes or anythg edible...! Hahah this was the 3rd day, after dinner we're walking to the downtown shopping area, and we passed by this choc shop and couldnt resist having 1 small piece. =P

Day 2, Sausalito

I can't begin to describe how beautiful the scenery is, and I didnt manage to get a good picture of it. But the whole place itself is just so aesthetic there's no way anyone could've captured it in a still picture. I might actually consider staying here when I retire. (which, is a long way more... but i'll keep this in mind :p)

After workout, it's the eating session again! Yay!! I ate salad only, cuz I have the Gingerbread Man... haha. hahaha.

Heading back to Fisherman's Wharf by ferry. Chean's really cold... ^ ^

Passed by Hard Rock Cafe, by then my legs were aching so much I could barely walk. But I couldnt be bothered, cuz we have plans....

By 'we' I meant my cheesecake kakis... heh. Yes so we went to Muong Thai for dinner, much more satisfying and cheaper meal. Everyone's happy that day. Then Chean, Nick and I went to Cheesecake Factory which is at the Terrace of Macy's, just in front of the Union Square. Forgot to take pictures of the view from above though..

Cheesecakes here we come!!! As for the pics of those yummy cheesecakes I have yet to get from Chean!!

Difference between being below 21 and above 21.. haha I had Dr. Jim's coffee which has kahlua in it while this poor lil girl drank her water..

Day 2, Cycling Climbing Posing

These pictures are not in order. This one above we took it when we're almost across the bridge.
Asian version of Charlie's Angels. Or rather, the Malaysian version. :P

And sometimes we need to do crazy pose like this. No Sheena couldn't possibly carry me, nor was she attempting. I have no idea how we came about to this position, but I like spontaneity! ;)

Abercrombie and Fitch wannabe models....

We are all posers a.k.a. cam whores. tsk tsk tsk. The pics said it all..!

Day 2, Gingerbread Story

So the 2nd part of Day 1 was not that great, well for some of us anyway. After the long walk, we went back to hostel, rest, and headed out for dinner. Due so some misunderstanding, somehow we ended up in a super expensive restaurant and the food was really only normal. We're paying for the live jazz music, which I personally enjoyed a lot. But I have to say, it wasnt a wise choice to go there since we're on a budget vacation. Chean paid friggin $6.50 for a glass of iced lemon tea, shocked the hell out of her!! But anyway, what's done is done, I had a good time overall. :)

Then on Day 2, as you can see from the picture, we're geared to cycle from Fisherman's Wharf all the way across Golden Gate Bridge. How cool is that huh?! ;) But of course, before our expedition, I need my caffeine dose, and I grabbed the cute little Gingerbread Man to go as well. Hahahaha. He has a life span of probably a few more hours before being devoured. muahahahaha. XD *evil grin* So before we start the journey, lets take more picture with Mr. Gingerbread eh?!

After 2-3 hrs of cycling, we finally reached Sausalito. In a cafe called Trieste, there's where Gingerbread Man saw the last of daylight. Farewell, Mr. Gingerbread, you've served your purpose well. Thanks. =)

Day 1 Part 2, Choco-xperience!

Ready to start your choco experience with me? Prepare some chocs next to you, just in case you crave for it!! Or napkins to wipe off your saliva if you start drooling..!! :P

The Ghirardelli Choc Shop. Imagine: There's this receptionist at the entrance who greets you and pass you a free sample chocolate which has thick caramel inside. You bite on it, and the caramel spill over the area of your tongue and even drip on your shirt. You taste the bittersweet taste of the dark chocholate which is then covered by the sweet taste of caramel. You want more and secretly contemplate the idea of walking out of the shop from another exit and come back in, hoping the girl wont recognize you and pass you another sample choc.

This is another Ghirardelli shop that serves hot choc and what-not. You just stood outside and linger at the huge posters of all the chocs and ice creams and hot chocs, while breathing in whatever smell your olfactory sensors can take in. You refrain yourself from walking in because you know, more than anybody else, that if you walk in, that's the end of you. You'd be out of control and you dont want that to happen. So with one last look, you turn away and walked back to the Choc Shop. Mentally noting that, one day you'll come back again. hahahahah.....

The chocolate factory. Feels like you're in the mini Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, you just wanna jump in the pool of choc and swim in it. Dip your fingers in the pool and lick the choc off your fingers one by one. Sounds a bit gross... but nonetheless appealing (at least for the chocoholics anyway). :P

And at last, me and chean settled for the choc ice cream. =) Went to heaven for a while and came back. =)

Day 1, Choco-high

That's what chocolate does to me and Chean! After the ice cream, we needed some workout - and walking up the steepest road to the top of Lombard Street seemed to do just the trick. =)

Kan Lun and Loong. Brotherhood. =) The view of the whole city would be very nice if it werent because of the fog..

Walked downhill, heading back to our hostel... which took us more than half an hour or so.

On our way, I found a shop that spelled out what my mind is thinking most of the time.
Check out the designs of the cakes... *drooooool*

Day 1 in Fog City, 13 Dec 2006

It's Brandon's birthday this day, so let's all wish him Happy Birthday!!

Yay, okay now we can continue with my story. The night before, we took a night bus from LA and reached SF in the morning bout 5:30am. Walked all the way to our hostel - Amsterdam Hostel, which is quite good, considering the cheap rate. Bathroom is clean, room is not too bad, there's a kitchen area for us to prepare our own meals and we get to DIY our own pancakes!! Sweet. =) After breakfast, we set out for our adventure - walked down to Union Square, whereby Brandon and I walked around the area taking pictures whilst the girls went to Levi's Concept Store which is 4 storeys high (or 3, i cant remember) and the guys went to Chinatown to have a bowl of supposedly scrumptious wan-tan mee. (I didnt get to try..)

Then we used our 48-hrs double decker bus pass - hopped on the double decker, that take us around the city, and we can stop at any stop if we fancy. Upper deck was all wet cuz it just rained..well. not that we cared.. hah we sat on it anyway =)
Didnt tour the whole city, and we hopped off the 1st stop at Fisherman's Wharf, another tourisy spot. Had seafood lunch at a place called Nick's Lighthouse. Food was alright, I was more absorbed with the place, ambience, than the food.
Picture taken on the deck near where the WWII's submarine was, and I just love the effect of the red umbrella. So... Mary Poppins-ish (quote Chean). :)
After the satisfying meal, we decided to walk all the way to Ghirardelli Square, a must-go for chocoholics like myself and Chean!!! Well the Square itself is like any other shopping places, for you to shop and dine. But the main attraction, is of course the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, founded by an Italiano named Domingo Ghirardelli (pronounced as 'gear-ar-delly' and not 'gee-rar-delly'), and has a rich history of more thank 150 yrs. Click the link to know more - you wont regret it! :P
And in conjunction to Christmas, they have a huge christmas tree with Ghirardelli Chocs hanging on the tree!!! Who could resist the temptation to reach out and get some?? =P