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Let The SUn SHiNe IntO YouR Life
Weekend is here again. This time we (me, Raymond, Gabriel, Jiahui & Yuliang) rented car intending to go to Mount Rainier. However, the weather was bad and some roads were closed, thus we decided to change course and went to Olympia instead. Olympia is the capital of the state of Washington, hence the main attraction there were the adminstrative buildings like the Legistrative building whereby the state law was passed. It was an enriching experience to be able to enter and view how the interiors look like apart from the white concrete majestic exteriors that seemingly have some similar traits from other government buildings seen anywhere else. We stayed for quite some time snapping photos here and there and followed a guided tour to the conference room before leaving to explore the outside area which also had some monuments. After which we drove to the downtown area where it was pretty quiet and toned down area compared to other cities downtown which are somewhat more vibrant and lively, with more shopping malls too. Had my $1 Macs Fillet Fish ( yar it's Mac's everywhere we go...... oh no!!!!) in the car while they drove to Tacoma, another city in Washington. On the way there we had stopped by Krispy Kreme for our tea break. It was a fabulous treat as I had longed wish to return there to satisfy my doughnut cravings, thus it was a wish came true. The guys also enjoyed themselves stuffing 4-5 doughnuts each. *haha!* I could only managed 2 as i juz had my burger. This time we also managed to catch the doughnuts in making and Yuliang made some commentary on a defect doughnut we saw on the conveyor belt. We went to UW campus in Tacoma and walk around. It's a pretty small campus and there were not much to see around. We walked around the town area before taking the Light Rail to Tacoma dome, where we were told there was BSB concert held that night. But when we went there, it was the Fall Out Boys... =_=!!! If it was the BSB, i might consider watching it, FOB??? How i know who in the world are they... haha!!! Maybe I am juz igorant... Whatever.... Anyway, the guys were so high that they already had a BSB-wannabes MTV filmed by renowned amatuer director HL (tt's me... wahhaaha!). We had dinner at the Old Spagatti Factory. It's my and Raymond's 3rd time, and Gabriel's and Jiahui's 2nd time and Yuliang first time (tt's y he was very keen to go when he heard tt it's nice). The menu were different from the one in Vancouver but the food were juz as yummy as before. After tt we headed back home looking forward to another day of road trip. Seattle 9 April Thanzx to Weatherman Mr Tan JH, we decided to brush our initial plans to go Snoqualmie Falls as that area would be raining and we diverted our course to Ocean City, where the Pacific Ocean is. As we were super hungry by the time we reached there, as much as we wished we could immediately run along the shore or whatever due to the super good sunny weather, we decided to fill our stomachs first. After a long search for good food, we finally landed in this seafood restaurant which served really good seafood. It was lucky that we din go for some brunch buffet at some hotel and pizza buffet and teriyaki chicken at some resturants along the way. We all shared a big plate of fish and chips and I ordered coleslaw for myself while the guys aimed the fresh oysters and clam clowder. The second they saw the plate of oysters being placed in front of their very eyes, they started to praise how big the oysters were to the minute the fresh oysters landed in their mouths and they started to comment how fresh it were. And it din stopped there. Their mouth-watering experience really tempted me and my insistence of not eating raw shellfood was wavered as Jiahui offered the final piece of oyster. I took the courage to attempt the oyster and although as a first timer, I could taste the freshness of the oyster and thus understand what made them go Wow about the whole oyster experience. The guys ended up ordering more oysters and what initially were 3 oysters each became 6 oysters each, at 6.99 USD for half a dozen which were nevertheless a good catch. With that kind of overwhelming and satisfying look on their face, I supposed when they return to Sgp, they wouldnt really wanna eat those imported frozen oysters anymore. My conclusion is: Seafood restaurant by the sea= fresh & good. A must eat experience. After that yummy lunch, we went to the shore to snap pictures. And everyone really brought out their modeling and photographing talents. I tink if Tiran was there, he would really enjoy shooting his "xie zhen" there. *wahaha!* And guess what we did after tt??? We went to rent a horse each for the Ultimate Gi-Kok experience by the shores. Initially I tot we still could share a horse, and take turns to ride, but it wasnt, each of us will ride on one for an hour to and fro along the shores, moving together as one big group. I was really nervous and excited as it's gg to be the first time I riding a horse alone. Last time when I ride a horse at some volcano, I had the horse trainer to pull the horse along, so it was really more fun this time being able to be in total control of the horse by myself. Jiahui din want to ride, so he was able to help us take photos. Thanzx man for the pics & video. The whole horse riding experience was really cool. I had a white horse and it was like a dream come true. Never thought I could ride on a white horse before. *haha* However, as my horse perhaps was an old horse or it was really tired, it was lagging behind the group so it would gallop faster to catch up when it realise that it was starting to fall behind. Then it would start to lag and gi-kok faster and the whole process went on.... my poor butt hurts when the horse gi-kok so at the end of the whole thing, my butt was in pain for the next 2 days. Lucky for the guys who din encounter such a big problem as their horses were moving more in pace. Or perhaps like what Yuliang mentioned, my butt less meat lar... =_=!!! Went back after the tiring experience and had dinner with Raymond at the Vietnamese Restaurant. After that we went to Uni Villiage Ben & Jerry's for dessert. It was a dream come true too. I wanted to go to the one in Suntec when it had opened before I came US but none of my frens had time for me. So after so much delay, as much as I had bought tubs of it from Safeway back to my room, it's different having one from the store. Once is never enough, I hope to have more chances to eat before i go back to Sgp. *GRiNzx* Seattle 13 April Went to Northgate after my investment group meeting. Had auntie anne's pretzels and went to Aeropostale where i got a top( Finally man... I finally bought my first piece of clothing... haha!) and went to Target to get my bath soap before gg back to cook dinner. Seattle 15 April Went to Pioneer Place with Raymond and we covered the Firefighters' memorial and Waterfall Park and Klondike Gold Rush Museum. We went downtown Starbucks for a greentea latte as we had a free coupon from that time we went to the NBA game. After having a warm drink in the super cold weather, we moved on to Pike Place Market where we went to the gum alley and the lower level of the Market. It's a place that I alwaz never finish walking till now and I am still interested to return there. We went to Nike's town and then Mac's for a bite before gg back to the Viet rest for a hot bowl of Pho. Seattle 16 April Went to Church with Fanny and then it's down to Ballard for the sunday market with Raymond. It's pretty small like the one in Fremont but the stalls here sold more foodstuff than that in Fremont. Bought some honey sticks and Raspberry Apple Cinder before gg to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks situated along the Lake Washington Ship Canal. We saw how the yachts passed through the locks and went to the "steps "where we caught a fish in the fish tank trying to move against the "steps". It was pretty interesting to see these things in action as what I had in geography textbooks were only pictures and descriptions. Thus being able to see it live was a truly enriching experience. After that we went to Fremont coz Raymond hadnt been there before. We saw Qing & Feng after we left the Fremont Sunday Market outside Peet's Coffee. Because of them, I caught the sign of 40th Anniversary- Free coffee/ tea from 1pm-3pm, any size. Had a free cuppa from Peets before we went to Blue C sushi for lunch. Saw Gabriel at the opposite street and Raymond went to get him to join us for lunch. It was like ageons since I last ate sushi and recently somebody, some nice fren had sent me photos of them gg to Sakae Sushi, Without Me of coz, enjoying themselves eating sushi. So finally we were able to satisfy our sushi craving, despite having to pay a high price for it. The wasabe wasnt as compared to those in Sgp but the sushi were juz as fresh and delicious, served on conveyor's belt likewise. After the sumptuous meal, Gabriel brought us to the attractions in Fremont, the Troll under the bridge, Fremont Rocket and the Lenin sculpture. We also went to the Aurora Bridge which is also the George Washington Memorial Bridge. Everytime a bus passes by, I thought I was gg to fly away man... It's so damn scary. We all had to squart down everytime we spot a bus coming. It's so funny... hahaha! Seattle 19 April Watched Memorias of A Geisha with Qing, Ray & Tiran after school at the Hub. It's really rare that I watch such artistic film, nevertheless, I enjoyed the whole show and din yawn at all. It was really worth the 2 bucks i paid for the show. Went for dinner with them plus Jiahui & Feng whom we met on the way, at the Korean Restaurant. Luckily I share the food with Qing, otherwise I wouldnt ve finish the huge portions of food. Seattle 21 April Went to Gasworks Park with Raymond, Gabriel and Ankur after their lessons ended. It was a nice park and we sat on the hill snacking on the chips Gabriel brought along. It was a nice view from there and we went off shortly to the Korean Festival held in UW. Ankur went back home instead as he wasnt interested. We missed the free food and some of the starting show but it was nevertheless nice to catch the remaining of the performance. By the time we came out with the rest of the GIPple who were there earlier, it was already dark. However, what made the night special was that the sky was really clear and I could really see the stars. I almost had an impulse to lie in the middle of the red square to star gaze if not for my hungry stomach and the cold weather. Seattle 22 April Went to Central Library in the afternoon. It was 10 levels high but a bit messy with classy glass exteriors. Proceeded to the St James Cathedral where I was really impressed by the goltic interiors and the majestic exteriors. Next to Frye Art Museum where it was already closed by the time we reached there, so we only took pics of the outside. Went to Seattle University to explore a bit and still think that UW rox. It's pretty small and compact but not bad too. Last stop at Cold Stone Creamery which was highly recommended by Peiru and I really loved the ice-cream there. Tried the Cheesecake Fantasy this time... Dont mind returning there again... haha!!! Went back for dinner prepared by Peiru, Chuanz, Yuliang, Gab & Jiehua. RighT HeRe wAitIng FoR yOU @ 5:48 AM + + + *HUGS* TOTAL! give StaR_LinG more *HUGS* Get hugs of your own |
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