Well, time really flies...

I am already at my last( AND GRADED)  post.


 After much inspiration and browsing through my holiday photos, I finally decided on writing on my adrenaline-packed trip to USA ^^. Well, elaborating the whole three weeks will take ages, so, let's just go through the main points!

 wait...

Even if I only go through the main points, I will still have too much to write. So, I will be writing in diary form instead.

Uhh...

That will still be a bit too much, so I will just jump days altogether and go stratight to the highlights ^^

Here I go...

1 December 2009( Departure and arrival)

 I was filled with anticipation and excitement as we hurriedly but efficently packed our luggage and headed off to Changi International Airport Terminal 3 to catch the flight to Newark, NJ. At exactly 22 00 hours, we depearted on SQ 22 and were en route to America. Goodbye Singapore! And Happy AIDS day!!!
We touched down 22 hours later and immediately rented a car prior to our journey to Nigeria, the boarder of  America and Alaska.

4 December 2009( Nigiera falls)

 After 2 days' worth of driving and doing absolutely nothing, we had finally reached our destination. My dulled senses were magically sharpened as we took bus 13f to NIgeria falls. There, we joined a $20( cheap right?) per person, 1- day tour about the history and sights of  the Nigeria falls. The story goes that the Indian tribes purposefully sent the maiden over the falls as they had thought that the unknown malady that had struck them was due to the fact that they had not sacrificed enough offerings. The lady was known to be the" maid of the mist" (By the way, everyone(tourists included) had to pay 50% tips to the guide! That is why it is so cheap! Scammers!) We will rest for one more day before embarking for our next destination- Washington D.C


 December 2009( Washington baby!!!) 
As the saying goes "a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step" well, after traveling what seemed like millions of miles, we had reached our next destination, WASHINGTON! Although I was weary from all that travelling, what we experienced was worth it. We espied the Washington monument, which was a tribute to President George Washington, the Lincoln memorial, which was the tribute to Abraham Lincoln!( I wonder if they have one for Barack Obama =))                                       
                                                                                                              10 December 2009( In New York...)


The Big Apple Welcomes me...
"Welcome to New York" says thee
 Feel free to eat and sightsee
But please do support the Yankees!
                                     

                                                  Timothy Phuah
                                                  Victoria School 2f'



As usual, the big apple was bustling with life. Without further ado, my parents brought me to Madison square garden, the most famous stadium in the world. We had intended to go to the World Trade centre, but now it was ground zero. After paying our respects to those who have died during 9/11, my dad took me to the Empire State building at the intersection of Fifth avenue and West 34th Street, my mum, however, felt fatigued by the constant walking and thus, retired to the hotel first.  Upon reaching the top,  I was taken aback by the breathtaking view! Even in the night, New York was so flooded with light that it could even be seen from space! With shivering hands, we quickly took a snapshot of the background before retreating in to rest. It was a cold but beautiful experience. We had also went to see the Statue of Liberty! It had turned green due to oxidation. Nevertheless, it was still as grand as when Gustav gave it to the Americans as the French sign of peace. Didi you know that that designer and builder of the Statue of Liberty also designed and built the effiel tower??


14 December 2009( RSAF training grounds)

  Time Flies...

 My dad's plan was to keep traveling south till Orlando, but because Disneyland was the climax of our trip, we decided to further south to Pensacola instead. Sitting directly above the gulf of mexico, its just a 10km long, 2 km wide stretch of road. However, it is also the training ground of the Singapore Air Force and also the home of the aerial stunt group " the Blue Angels" ! My father had a sense of nostalgia  when we had reached  Pensacola as it was the very place he had trained with his Air Force Buddies about 20 years ago. He then started  spinning tales about his exploits to me, how they had rented a extremely cheap car which guzzled fuel like water, and how he won the HotShot  84' " Best Pilot Award". The whole package piqued my interest and I felt that being a pilot was not all slacking in the Boeing 747 jumbo jet. Maybe I should consider being a pilot too... Anyways, we headed first to the aeroplane exibhition centre where we could learn the history of Aviatronics. I found out that John McCain was a pilot! He was a hot-headed youth whose P51- Mustang got shot down during operation" rolling thunder" in the vietnam war! Wow, even the smallest of cities had the biggest of stories. 


20-25 December 2009( Disneyland)


After a relaxing 5 days in Miami, Florida, we were finally on the last leg of our journey, Disneyland!
It was a boring 8 hour ride from vice city, thus, I managed to kill time by engaging in my hobby( refer to post below)  Disneyland was a haven for fantasy fanatics like me! One kilometre from the main entrance was a gigantic sign where the words " Welcome to Disneyland" were inscribed. I shouted exuberantly and started heading for the best rides first. Fortunately, they have a smart system called a fastpass. It was a card where they tell you when could you come back to ride the rides again. When you come back at the designated time, you will be directed to the fastpass line, which goes faster that the normal line. The people who take the fastpass goes approximately 800% faster that the normal line! Thus, it saves you the time of  having to wait a 2 hour queue when you could just take a fastpass and enjoy the rest of the facilities! 

Over 5 days, we went around the four main focal points of Disneyland- Magic kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot centre and Long Island. The best rides were at Epcot centre, where all the technology is. The test track, the Sphere rider and the walk of faith. All of them were action- packed and filled with excitement!Especially the Sphere rider where my father finally allowed me to ride alone! Imagine the thrill I felt! Because the track was the infrastructure of a 23- storey building that resembled a giant golf ball, the roller coaster employed unorthodox methods to propel us forward- magnetism! At a whim, the whole coaster was shot into darkness and went into a 23- storey high loop. It was truly a terrifying feeling to drop 23 storeys at speeds of up to 180 kmh! By the time it ended, I was dizzy with delight and had to cool down at one of the many food courts in the theme park. " Merry Christmas !!!!" a 30 000 strong crowd shouted and embraced each other. Amidst all the pnademonium, fireworks soared into the night sky and burst with a multiude of colours. Being Singaporeans, we started hunting for a vantage point from where we could enjoy the display. My parents sat on a rock some 3 storeys above the fireworks while I say next to the laser conductor. The half an hour performance made the national day pyrotechnics look mediocre and the fireworks below par. The Americans had splurged wads of cash to host this event, but it was the real deal! In the distance, the Magic Kingdom turned ethereal pink and resembled the one you usually see on the television before every disney movie. After the fireworks, We reluctantly dragged ourselves back to the hotel but still fell asleep although we were wide awake.


26 December 2009( Homecoming)

I'm coming, I'm coming I'm coming back...

 The days flew by and already it was nearing the end of my holidays. It was time to prepare for the new year. We touched down at Changi Airport at 2100 hrs and collect our luggage. The holiday left a deep impression on us and it was indeed a time that I spent wit hmy family and I enjoyed it. However, Nothing beats being home. Home Sweet Home...


 CREDITS

I have to thank a few people and things ^^.
1:  My blog
2:  My computer
3:  My camera
4:  Yikming's blog
5: Yikming's post
6:  Yik Ming(  here! happy now? jkjk ^^)