Day 17 - 19 : Los Angeles

DisneyLand : Where dreams come true!

This is my fourth trip to Disney, 2nd trip to LA disney so perhaps this time round, was not so excited about the trip. There were just so many people. I could say perhaps easily 200 thousand people in the themepark. The park was initially schduled to close at 1030 but due to the large turnout, park hours were extended to 12 midnight.

Queues, Queues and more Queues. To get on a ride, it takes about 2 hours to queue. I made use of my fast pass and manage to hop onto only a couple of rides. Even to take photos with disney character was also a pain.

My dad and I waiting to watch Bug's Life - 4 D

Taking the California Screamin 360 Roller Coaster Ride.

The Hippest Santa I ever met!

Highlight of the day :Firework Display in front of Cinderella's castle

Finally, the "hatest" day , Jan 5th came. It was time to bid farewell to my parents. Was filled with tears that day that I was not in a mood to shoot photos. Adieus. See you in June. Love you guys!

Day 14 - 16: Glittering Las Vegas

Land of adult entertainment!

It was my best flight ever. We flew in from Denver the sight was amazing. As the plane approaches LV international airport, I could see from out the window the glittering lights of the STRIP slipping pass me. Too bad, I did not have my camera then as it was stored in the overhead cabin.

Once we touched down, jackpot machines were everywhere. Later I found out that LV is really a big gambling city. Jackpot machinese were even stationed in Petrol Kiosk.

Our Hotel

"Girls" outside Riveria Hotel

Do you know that in vegas, Marriage licenses in Nevada require no blood test or waiting period, and no appointment is necessary. There are lots of "chapels" in vegas where its open 24 hours a day , 7 day a week. You just need 55 USD and a marriage license is issued to you immediately.

CountDown in Vegas - Getting into the vegas mood. Don't I look like a bunny girl?

Day 13 ... Snow and More Snow.. Enroute to Denver

Helpp.... The sky is falling... Look at the amount of snow!


This was the second big wave of snow storm. The first one occured about 2 wks prior and left heaps of snow.. and this time round, we were about to experience the second snow storm. Dad was so afraid that the airport and roads will be closed down that he made us leave at 12pm for the airport while the plane only departs at 5pm (it takes only about 45 mins to reach the airport).



an't even see the lane marking. Everyone was going "turtle" slow.



Snow Snow and more snow ....

Day 9 - 12 - Vail/Beaver Creek

Amazing, Pretty, Scenic place... but its....brrrrr.... cold......

By first attempt doing ice-skating.... just do the rollerblade way ....







Snow Tubing in Adventure-Ridge

The drunkard!

How to Shortlist a husband

Tot I just take a break today from posting my holiday photos.

Was browsing through the net and saw the following. Its really hilarious. So for all singles out there, quick guide to short listing a husband

To the guys : Sigh, its no longer measuring you guys on the 5Cs or the 4Bs, its now the whole string of criteria. Poor boys!

How to shortlist a HUSBAND

Preliminary round (General Criteria only)

eg. introduction through friends/colleagues/SDU/SDS

1. Comparable education background or at least a stable job

2. Nice guy (in your friends’ opinion)

3. Non smoker, leisure drinking only

4. Same religion – unless you don’t mind converting

5. Sense of Humour

Detailed Criteria – during dating Friends usually can’t screen the below for you, unless they know the guy very closely. So you can only discover these during the dating stage.

Tips to screen for HUSBAND material

Children

1. Does he want to have children after marriage ? You got to ask tactfully though - eg. When you see a kid crying in public & creating a scene, ask him what does he think of that kid, whether he find that child a nuisance ?

Ex-girlfriend

2. Should not have more than 2 preferably, otherwise you should wonder why can’t he sustain a serious relationship….commitment issue ? character flaws & hence got dumped ?

3. When did he last break off with his ex-girlfriend ? - If it’s too recent (such as a few months ago), watch out for emotional rebound ! - You wouldn’t want to start a relationship with a guy who’s still thinking of his ex and likely to quickly jump into another relationship in order to forget his ex. Be extra careful with such guys.

Family

4. only child ?

- Do you need to stay with in-laws after marriage ? not a problem if you don’t mind staying with in-laws

5. Relationship with parents & sibling ?

- How close is he to his mother ? Does he admire his mother a lot ? Although you do want someone who is filial but preferably not a mommy’s boy.

- Does his parents quarrel a lot ? Did his dad ever hit his mom or him brutally ? you don’t want a guy who’s being abused since young in case he might become abusive himself too (according to reports by the Straits Times).

- Does he need to support his parents financially ? Find out the monthly contribution. Is it a huge commitment ?. If he’s earning a lot, then it’s alright since he can afford it. Otherwise do you need to help support his family after marriage ? It’s alright if u don’t mind.

- Does he have siblings ? Is he close to his siblings ? Does he need to help his siblings financially ? Does he have problematic siblings such as sisters or family members who always quarrel ?

- Once you got married, they become your relatives too. Hence they should preferably be easy to get along, otherwise they may become a source of conflict between you & your husband in the future.

Personal

6. Does he have any objectives / goals in life ?

- eg. 5 year career plan ? Where does he see his career in 5 years time?

- or personal objective such as taking MBA or upgrade himself or something lah.

- He should have some goals in life unless you don’t mind that he’s someone who just drifts along with life - But then again, his goals must be realistic. Danger if he’s just day-dreaming !

7. Spendthrift ?

- In debt ? Owe credit card bills ?

- Got expensive hobbies ?

- Is he in deficit every month (spent more than he earned) ?

8. Over Thrifty ?

- Find out his savings habits ? Is he too thrifty (stingy) ? You should ideally find a guy who’s willing to spend on you and thrift on him. Not the other way round.

9. Financial commitment

- Owns a car ? Other financial commitments such as paying installment for HDB ?

- contribution to family (as above under Family section) - If he has a lot of financial commitments, it may affect your future married life as you are likely to worry about money constantly. It’s alright if you don’t mind contributing

10. Is he willing to share housework with you after marriage? Can he at least cook a little ?

11. No long courtship (Most important)

- Is he looking for a spouse too ? ie. Ready to settle down & get married ?

- Some guys in 30s may still think they are very young and wish to concentrate on their career. Please make sure he is on the same bandwidth as you ie. Looking to start a family in near future. - Unless you are <>

Day 7 - 8 To colorado we go....Home of the rockies

Bye Canyon... Hello Rockies...

Enroute, we saw the following Rock structure. Itlooks like a castle resting on a pile of sand. Rather amazing!

Skiing In Wolf Creek ( Christmas!) : Believe it or not, I skied down from the peak. The Gondola ride took about 20mins and off I went, skiing down the green.

After a long day, relax by the hot spring and have a hot bath

Day 6 - Grand Canyon (South Rim)

Day 5 was spent at my place. Shopping Shopping SHopping.. Too busy to take any photos

Day 6 Grand Canyon

Tai Ji on the Canyon!

Day 4 - Sliding down the Imperial Sand Dunes

This is funny. We were on tight budget and were not able to rent a 4WD drive ( cost about 500USD). As such, we decided to make do with cardboard boxes and slide down the great dunes. Creative yeah.

However, we could not find any cardboxes. The only one that we have is boxes from our previous day shopping - COACH. Expensive boxes yeah, using coach boxes to slide down the dunes. Who cares, as long as we have FUN!

Day 3 - San Diego Sea World - Home of Shamu

Seaworld - Home of Shamu (killer whale)

This is highly recommended if any of you guys are making your way to San Diego. Though the tickets are slightly steep at 55USD per person, I think its worth every cents of it considering the amount of animals they have to upkeep and train.

Isnt't she pretty - Dolphin feeding

Shamu in the sensational and breathtaking performance

Huggable Polar Bears

San Diego : Day 1 - 2 Free at leisure.

Day 1 and 2 ( Free at leisure)
Got to give them time to adjust to the US clock. We did some walking in downtown San Diego, Shopping at factory outlet and of course, pier fishing.

San Diego Old Town with my family

Saw this rather interesting plate in the old town.

Sorry Dear, you are the special someone that I chose to ANNOY for the rest of my life....

Caught 4 mackeral in Mission Bay.

RnR by the Bay.


Top of the world. My parents are here!

Boo hoo hoo... Holiday is over.. Parents back in Singapore.... Home Alone

Boo Hoo Hoo...

Its all over.... Back to square one. Home alone.

Nevertheless, I had the most enjoyable 3 wks since I came here. I had the most memorable 3 wks of fun with my parents and sister. Imagine, white christmas in the American Rockies, New Year in glittering Las Vegas and the self drive tour ended in Disneyland ( The place where dreams come true!). What more could anyone ask for.

The tour stated on Dec 18 when my parents flew to LA. We then headed for San Diego immediately followed by Phoenix (my place), Grand Canyon, Pagosa Spring, Vail, Beaver Creek and Denver. We then flew from Denver to Las Vegas and drove to LA where the sad reality sank in. I got to kiss my parents goodbye. On a brighter note, I bought back lots of fond memories. Well, I got the next trip to look forward to. My parents promised to visit me again in June whereby we will head north to ALASKA.

Yippie Hooray!