Back in New York

Hi everyone. It's me again and i'm back in ny. It's currenty 1am in the morning here, having just turned Dec 31. Thismeans that you guys back in Singapore willprobably be celebrating new year's almost half a day earlier so HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! MAY ALL YOUR BEST WISHES FOR2006 COME TRUE :)
Anyway, I arrived here in ny frommontreal via amtrak train and what a jouney it was! Nearly 12 hours stuck in te same seat with a 2 hour delay because of the snow - now that was omething. It wasn't the most comfortal of rides but it has ot to be ride with the most beutiful and pictuesqueviews from a train windw I've ever taken.
I realise tha've alreay left Montreal but sohow I fel tat part of my hart has been left behd. The atmosphere and the people hav left an indellible mark tha would be difficl to erase and I eel that I have to return o this place one day. Perhaps I couldapplyfor McGilll College located in downtown montreal. :P

Bonjour à Montréal, Canada

Hi everyone! :) Me again! And I'm now in surreally beautiful Montréal, which is currently covered with wonderful snow!!! There was a snow storm before we arrived so it's snow's covered the sidewalks and the roads! :P

That's me and my cute / fugly snowman! :P First one ever!

New York - The Big Apple

Hey everyone! :P Raffli here reporting from New York!! :P New York's great. I love the sights, the sounds, the smells and the people! They are so jovial and courteous to everyone! And calls me gentleman!!! :P But the weather's really making me feel awful. It's so freaking cold here... Even though I've been wearing like 6 or 7 layers daily... I still cannot stand the cold here. It's not really snowing but the temp's been below zero for a few days now so yeah... and my nose is really not taking it very well. It's been bleeding quite badly ever since the flight from Honolulu to San Francisco Int'l and to Newark Int'l. But it doesn't bleed as in liquid form - more like dry dry blood. Very painful. And it turns red all the time in the cold... Very irritating. Hope it will improve when I get to Canada.

As you guys all know, the transit strike's on right now in New York. It's all over the news. And it really sucks. A real bitch. Damn. My hostel's in Harlem - not much but liveable - and is supposed to be easily accessible by subway. But the subway's down. Even the buses are down. ANd damn. It's causing such a logistics issue. Can't get around as easily as we wanted to... On TUesday (NY Time - 1 day before SIngapore), I had to walk 100 blocks from my hostel to reach Time Square!!! :<>

• Visit Times Square!!! And stand in the center of it all!!!
• Go to the rooftop of the freezing and windy Empire State Building
• See all the bright billboards along Broadway and Times Square in full colour and live!
• Watched Phantom of the Opera at the Majestic Theatre!!! --> Ultimate dream. Howard McGillin and Sandra Joseph were fantastic.
• Got into the United Nations HQ in New York!!! with a guided tour. I actually got to sit in the General Assembly room! ANd sent a postcard home from the UN Post Office!!! :)
• Eat at Times Square twice - Once at "A Slice of New York" and the 2nd at "Bubba's Gum" - the 2nd one with 2 great friends Andy and James, both of whom I met from camp
• Ran with slippers/sandals with only a shirt and pants on without any jackets to the nearest Deli at midnight to grab some snacks down the street
• Watch people ice skate at Rockefeller Center! -> Bloody beautiful place.
• Stay in Harlem - one of the most notorious neighbourhoods in New York and survived 2 nights already.... with a broken down radiator!!!

p>Anyway, I've got one more night here in New York before I depart via bus for Montréal and Québec City in Canada. That would be tons of fun. And then coming back for New Year's to New York before leaving for Singapore on the 2 Jan via Narita again. Wish me luck in Canada and may this stupid transit strike end by Christmas or by the time I get back - whichever is more convenient. Cheers and Merry Christmas from me!!!!!!!! :)

Aloha from Hawai'i

Hey everyone!!!! :) I'm currently in Hawaii (totally unexpected, really) and I love this place!!! Arrived here last morning at 6.30 in the morning after a 5 hour flight from Tokyo, Narita, having flown there from Singapore previously at 7 in the morning. Phew... Love this place. The breeze is always present... The seas are blue! They are really really blue! And shimmering under the bright Hawaiian sky! Everything about this place is so COOL and SQUEE!!! THe airport is so quaint and cute that they have to use a tram thing Wiki-Wiki to transport the people to collect their baggage! :) Here are a few pictures from beautiful hawaii... Got to go... Internet's expensive here. :)

And the ice-cream's here damn cheap! :P Haagen Dazs Macadamia Brittle's like US$2.50 a pint! :) Cheap cheap! :) Really got to go... :P

I'm leaving!!! Au revoir!

Hey guys and gals! :P I finally got my tickets confirmed! :) I'm flying United Airlines this Saturday, 17 Dec from Singapore to Honolulu airport! To meet up with my buddy at Hawaii who's currently studying there instead of meeting him at JFK airport so YEAH!!! SQUEE <- A new word I've been experimenting with in camp at work whenever I'm extremely happy. SQUEE!!! SQUEE!!! :)

This is just so so exciting...! :P It was totally unexpected. Earlier on a few weeks ago, I called up UA and they told me specifically that there were no seats available. To have this perfect itinerary is like wow and sheer luck! I kept asking the reservations lady whether they had tix for this leg and that leg and she kept saying yes yes yes!!! :P Very cool indeed. And I had called them on a whim because one of my other friends was goading me to give them a call since Malaysia Airlines still could not confirm my flight... So yeah!... Excellent superb news!!! SQUEE!

I'm still a bit tired right now from yesterday's exercise so I'll continue packing my bag first... I'll put up pictures of my plane tix later today and I'll scream SQUEE again!!! :P