Thursday 13 September 2007

Mission Completion!

Hello everybody! Sorry for going MIA for so long! ;p

I am recovering from a cough that developed after we completed our grand tour of the three major cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles & Viva Las Vegas) on US West Coast. The 16-day trip was truly fun and memorable!

Top 4 highlights of this trip:

1) Watching the spectacular Cirque du Soleil's "Ka" at MGM Grand, Las Vegas!
The theatre was custom-built for the show with an amazing stage that you gotta see for yourself to believe it! And the performers are really world-class.

Owl and I were fortunate that we could leave Kiki with his mom and aunt while we sneaked off to catch the show. :)

2) Bumping into Paris Hilton twice!
The 1st time was so paparazzi style at Caesars Palace... We were on our way to the hotel room when she waltzed past with her entourage!

While we still hadn't gotten over how lucky we were to see a celebrity in person (especially now that she's so infamous), we caught her being interviewed at Treasure Island before the "Sirens of TI" show started. She's pretty and really petite!

3) Meeting up with our Sec Sch classmate, Jiawen and his family in San Francisco :)
I always refer to Jiawen as Owl's ex-best friend (I guess I am now his best friend! Haha...). Our visit brought 2 old-time buddies together. It was heart-warming to see how well they bonded during this reunion.

Many thanks to Jiawen & Bixia for showing us around San Jose, San Francisco and Napa Valley! They also have a baby gal, Kendra, who is super cute!

4) Seeing the surreal Grand Canyon at Arizona...
Grand Canyon is oh so beautiful... Nature's greatest creation... Truly a spectacular wonder! However, its scale is unbelievably overwhelming. So much so that it simply looked unreal to me...

It's a pity that being not that sure-footed, and having to carry Kiki, I found that I was spending more time looking at the uneven pathways than the view! I will definitely try to go back again. And the next time I'm there, I will stay overnight so as to have enough time to appreciate this heavenly gift from Mother Nature!


Our trip, which lasted from 18 Aug till 2 Sep, was pretty tiring for me. I was carrying Kiki (who weighs 11kg now) most of the time on a hip hammock (even when we had to go up and down SFO's super steep streets!). Many nights, I only finished packing luggage (and our new purchases!) and washing stuff till past midnight. And I made sure I stayed awake on the car journeys to keep Owl company. Hence, I really count myself lucky that I fell sick only during the final leg of the trip. The dose of good food and company in San Francisco area had been much appreciated!

Believe it or not, I have yet to see the photos that we have taken during the trip. :) I had decided that I would not push myself too much when we are back in Boise, Idaho. Most important to get enough rest and regain my health, right? Kiki was also not feeling well when we were back. But not to worry, the two of us are now on our way to full recovery... In time to enjoy autumn, or better known as fall here, in USA!

Before I end, this post is titled "Mission Completion!" because my primary aim of coming to US with Owl is to visit the three cities. Haha... Greater details will be provided asap. =)

4 comments:

Unknown said...

wow! no wonder so long no updates haha..nice to hear that all of you enjoyed yourselves..I'm sure those 4 highlights are just the tip of the iceberg of your enjoyable trip! Can't wait for your pictures :D!

p.s. btw from your earlier post, Sun Valley, there seem to be some condensation/stain or out-of-focus on the lens of your digital camera. Most obvious when you see the Kiki dashing under the sun, stepping on the symbol of Sun Valley, and the Hemmingway regular at the Pioneer Saloon pictures. There is this slight soft focus patch where Kiki is in the pictures and also for the saloon photo, this soft focus spot is at the window nearest to the door. Just so you may know and see if the stain/condensation can be removed. It doesn't affect the stories in the very nice photos though..heh :)

Huili Mummy said...

Thanks, Selwyn! I noticed the spot too when I was putting up the post. The sad news to share is that my Lumix is spoilt! :( Luckily I had brought my Nikon Coolpix as a backup.

Unknown said...

ohhh ok...what happened to it?

Heh my Lumix's mode selection dial is super loose le but I know that it is due to user wear and tear..

In any case, the Lumix had been quite the loyal servant (yours and mine too!) for the past 1.5 yrs? Loved mine lots and lots..though it is now in semi-retirement as I am using my DSLR much more :D

Unknown said...

Hey Hui Lih, congrats on Mission Accomplished! So now you're ready to come back and join us, eh? *dark chuckle*