ehappyprince
Sunday, December 31, 2006
You're in New York, Go in Style!
and it's all Charmin products ...
and I must say they're the cleanest and nicest toilet I have ever experienced in New York!
¶ 12/31/2006 03:39:00 PM 0 Comments
That's the slogon of Charmin, a brand of toilet roll. Visited Charmin FREE toilets on Dec 31st morning... They did an advertising campaign in Times Square and it really left such an impression on me.
They get people to dress bears (their mascot) and toilet bowls with lots of dancing and singing on the walkways. They get people to enter their toilets ...
and it's all Charmin products ... and I must say they're the cleanest and nicest toilet I have ever experienced in New York! Hmm... do you think in Singapore we can have such advertising campaign?
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Last few pics of my trip
Montreal. The first sign of snow on our trip
Haha... caught my Dad in action!
Old Quebec City. This was the coldest area of my trip. I think the temperature was something like -30 deg. It was really beautiful especially with all the snow ...
Know who this person is? haha
John Harvard! At Harvard University...
Haha... caught my Dad in action!
Old Quebec City. This was the coldest area of my trip. I think the temperature was something like -30 deg. It was really beautiful especially with all the snow ...
Know who this person is? haha
John Harvard! At Harvard University...
These are the last few pictures of my trip before my family left on 30th Dec to go back to Singapore.
¶ 12/30/2006 11:20:00 PM 0 Comments
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Niagara Falls
And here I am in Niagara Falls. Last night I was at the American Falls and this morning we crossed over to Canada to view the other side of it (called Horseshoe Falls). 
On the left of this family photo is the American Falls and on the right is the Canadian Side (Horseshoe Falls). Here are some close up of the Horseshoe Falls. 
On the left of this family photo is the American Falls and on the right is the Canadian Side (Horseshoe Falls). Here are some close up of the Horseshoe Falls. I took a video on my handphone and kinda gave my own commentary of the falls. Tried to upload it but somehow it's in a different format. Will need to go back to St. Louis and figure out!
¶ 12/27/2006 07:54:00 PM 0 Comments
And more pictures!
Here I am in Washington D.C. Have always seen these places either on TV, movies, in newspapers or on US dollars. Wow and now I actually get to visit them myself!
This is the White House. I always thought that the White House was really big but acutally it's like maybe the size of the Istana back in Singapore? Was interesting to see a "protest camp" set up just outside the White House.
There is an elderly couple staying inside the white "tent". I took a walk in front and saw a note that they have been there since 1981 24/7. I'm not too sure how effective their protest campaign has been but it appears that people are just ignoring their "blabbings". Appears to me that they are just trying to legitimize their homelessness. 
Visited Hershey's Chocolate World too! Somehow it just reminded me of Willy Wonka. Told my sister to be careful and not fall into a pond of hot chocolate! I felt very much like a child too! 
¶ 12/27/2006 07:39:00 PM 0 Comments
This is the White House. I always thought that the White House was really big but acutally it's like maybe the size of the Istana back in Singapore? Was interesting to see a "protest camp" set up just outside the White House.
There is an elderly couple staying inside the white "tent". I took a walk in front and saw a note that they have been there since 1981 24/7. I'm not too sure how effective their protest campaign has been but it appears that people are just ignoring their "blabbings". Appears to me that they are just trying to legitimize their homelessness. Visited Hershey's Chocolate World too! Somehow it just reminded me of Willy Wonka. Told my sister to be careful and not fall into a pond of hot chocolate! I felt very much like a child too!
¶ 12/27/2006 07:39:00 PM 0 Comments
Monday, December 25, 2006
Times Square!
This is where they will be having their ball drop on New Year's Eve! I'll be there!
Family at Times Square with the bright lights!
Haha.. and this will be the musical i'l be watching on 2nd Jan! I've bought my tixs and will be seated 16th row from the front = )
Visited the United Nations Building too!
And the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street too!
¶ 12/25/2006 11:26:00 PM 0 Comments
Family at Times Square with the bright lights!
Haha.. and this will be the musical i'l be watching on 2nd Jan! I've bought my tixs and will be seated 16th row from the front = )
Visited the United Nations Building too!
And the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street too!
¶ 12/25/2006 11:26:00 PM 0 Comments
NYC - Other Pictures!
Well, here are the other places I visited!
The New York Metropolitian Museum - the best which I've seen!
On top of the world - At Top of the Rock! And Empire State Building in the background. King Kong (the movie) just in case you don't draw the association...
And this is the world's tallest Christmas natural tree at Rockerfella Centre!
¶ 12/25/2006 11:17:00 PM 0 Comments
The New York Metropolitian Museum - the best which I've seen! On top of the world - At Top of the Rock! And Empire State Building in the background. King Kong (the movie) just in case you don't draw the association...And this is the world's tallest Christmas natural tree at Rockerfella Centre!
¶ 12/25/2006 11:17:00 PM 0 Comments
New York City - Ground Zero
Didn't have internet access for the last few days. Managed to get internet access and here are some of my pictures of my trip! 
Visited Ground Zero. It was quite a sad scene there with lots of pictures of that fateful day around the place but somehow, there is also a sense of HOPE especially with all the publicity of the new Freedom Tower which they are going to build.
Here's how Ground Zero presently looks like. Quite amazing how the world's tallest building was built on this site and how it crashes down on 911.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Happy Feet!
Visited the St. Louis Zoo today. It's a 20 mins walk from Forest Park Metro station. The walk in Forest Park was really nice and pleasing. It's also some exercise for me (and Dad! Heh). Guess what? Entrance into the zoo is free of charge!
¶ 12/23/2006 01:57:00 AM 0 Comments
Visited the St. Louis Zoo today. It's a 20 mins walk from Forest Park Metro station. The walk in Forest Park was really nice and pleasing. It's also some exercise for me (and Dad! Heh). Guess what? Entrance into the zoo is free of charge! Although Singapore Zoo is apparently the world's best, It was quite worth our time and effort visiting the zoo exposing ourselves to the different species of animals. I thought the penguins exhibit was really the best, we were really near the penguins and they have many different species. Oh and this big FAT camel was also quite a sight!
After the visit, we had our lunch at the Boathouse. It's next to a beautiful small lake in Forest Park. After that, Faith and I went back to University to pick up some documents while Mum and Dad headed to the casino. Dad made a bit of money and Mum says that their shopping in St. Louis is sort of "sponsored" by the casino! Here's some photos which Faith took for me at the University!
Will be heading to New York tomorrow to begin our land tour.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Interesting Numbers in USA Today
Some interesting numbers which I read about in USA Today
Scared at school?
Percentage of students ages 12-18 who were bullied at school during the previous six months, by location of bullying:
Inside school: 79%
Outside of school grounds: 28%
School bus: 8%
Somewhere else: 5%
(USA Today, December 20, 2006)
Not too alarming and surprising considering students spent most of their times in school. I think the numbers will be similar with Singapore. I do see some cases of students being bullied outside school grounds, but most are inside school. Will be interesting to know the nature of bullying faced by students inside school... = )
Suicide rates spikes among troops sent to Iraq War
Suicide rate per 100,000 soldiers:
2003:18.8
2004: 10.5
2005: 19.9
Suicide rate among troops deployed for Iraq War reached it's hightest point last year since the 2003 invasion.
(USA Today, December 20, 2006)
This is something which we don't hear much about. No wonder Bush is facing so much pressure over the Iraq war. He admitted recently at they are "not winning the war" but fall short of admitting that they are "losing the war". I guess the stress and pressure faced by soldiers when the invasion first started in 2003 had it's toll on the soldiers. Things got better over time in 2004 but looks like the prolonged war is zapping the soldiers and soldiers are starting to snap!
Premarital sex common for decades, study finds
A study which used statistics from the 1982, 1988, 1955 and 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, asked about 40,000 people ages 15-44 about their sexual behaviour and traced the trends in premarital sex back to the 1950s.
Of those interviewed, 95% reported they had had premarital sex; 93% said they did so by age 30. Among women born in the 1940s, nearly nine in 10 did. At the same time, people are waiting longer to marry; 2005 data show median age at first marriage is just over 25 for women and 27 for men.
(USA Today, December 20, 2006)
Wow. This is like erhm...? Are you sure about this? The figures are like super high! Is it valid? Can it be generalized? I remembered the report ending with a call for sexuality programme to move beyond abstinence only. I'm sure these numbers will be controversial. Anyway, this is the US isn't it? I suppose with more time i can comment further on the numbers ... =p ¶ 12/22/2006 10:46:00 PM 0 Comments
Scared at school?
Percentage of students ages 12-18 who were bullied at school during the previous six months, by location of bullying:
Inside school: 79%
Outside of school grounds: 28%
School bus: 8%
Somewhere else: 5%
(USA Today, December 20, 2006)
Not too alarming and surprising considering students spent most of their times in school. I think the numbers will be similar with Singapore. I do see some cases of students being bullied outside school grounds, but most are inside school. Will be interesting to know the nature of bullying faced by students inside school... = )
Suicide rates spikes among troops sent to Iraq War
Suicide rate per 100,000 soldiers:
2003:18.8
2004: 10.5
2005: 19.9
Suicide rate among troops deployed for Iraq War reached it's hightest point last year since the 2003 invasion.
(USA Today, December 20, 2006)
This is something which we don't hear much about. No wonder Bush is facing so much pressure over the Iraq war. He admitted recently at they are "not winning the war" but fall short of admitting that they are "losing the war". I guess the stress and pressure faced by soldiers when the invasion first started in 2003 had it's toll on the soldiers. Things got better over time in 2004 but looks like the prolonged war is zapping the soldiers and soldiers are starting to snap!
Premarital sex common for decades, study finds
A study which used statistics from the 1982, 1988, 1955 and 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, asked about 40,000 people ages 15-44 about their sexual behaviour and traced the trends in premarital sex back to the 1950s.
Of those interviewed, 95% reported they had had premarital sex; 93% said they did so by age 30. Among women born in the 1940s, nearly nine in 10 did. At the same time, people are waiting longer to marry; 2005 data show median age at first marriage is just over 25 for women and 27 for men.
(USA Today, December 20, 2006)
Wow. This is like erhm...? Are you sure about this? The figures are like super high! Is it valid? Can it be generalized? I remembered the report ending with a call for sexuality programme to move beyond abstinence only. I'm sure these numbers will be controversial. Anyway, this is the US isn't it? I suppose with more time i can comment further on the numbers ... =p ¶ 12/22/2006 10:46:00 PM 0 Comments
My new house!
There is so much talk among my friends who are getting married about their new housing. Well, though I'm not getting married, I still get to post pictures of my new house! = )
This is the outside of my new place...
I'm on the 1st floor on the unit to the left. This is how it looks on the inside without any furnishing. I'll need to slowly furnish my place to make it look nice and cosy!
You know what's the best thing? The carpet is brand new and it was recently given a new coat of paint. When I was there, the contractors were laying the new carpet. It's really cool! I even have a separate bedroom. The whole unit is 530 sq ft, and there will be ample space for anyone of you who wishes to visit me. The best thing ... there is a church just 50 steps away from my doorstep!
¶ 12/22/2006 07:25:00 AM 0 Comments
The Gateway Arch
Also known as the Jefferson national Expansion Memorial. This is like the monument of St. Louis. Construction was completed in 1965 and it was opened to public in 1967. This is to commemorate St. Louis' role in the westward expansion (towards Los Angeles, San Francisco etc...) of the United States between 1803 and 1890. USA sort of started from the East (which is where New York is).
There's Dad and Faith leaning their heads backwards to see the top of the Arch. It is 630 feet, which is like VERY high! There are trams that will take you all the way up for a bird's eye view of the area, but as you can see, it's very cloudy so we decided not to go up. There are also museums around the place (old Courthouse and the Museum of Westward Expansion). Took some time to walk around. We wanted to take a boat ride down the Mississippi River that day but anyway, it does not operate during the winter season = (
Yes. That's a little family photo which we took. Try to figure out who is who. Heh.
That day, we actually went past the Arch a few times of the day. It really looks magnificant! ¶ 12/22/2006 01:17:00 AM 0 Comments
Also known as the Jefferson national Expansion Memorial. This is like the monument of St. Louis. Construction was completed in 1965 and it was opened to public in 1967. This is to commemorate St. Louis' role in the westward expansion (towards Los Angeles, San Francisco etc...) of the United States between 1803 and 1890. USA sort of started from the East (which is where New York is).There's Dad and Faith leaning their heads backwards to see the top of the Arch. It is 630 feet, which is like VERY high! There are trams that will take you all the way up for a bird's eye view of the area, but as you can see, it's very cloudy so we decided not to go up. There are also museums around the place (old Courthouse and the Museum of Westward Expansion). Took some time to walk around. We wanted to take a boat ride down the Mississippi River that day but anyway, it does not operate during the winter season = (Yes. That's a little family photo which we took. Try to figure out who is who. Heh.
That day, we actually went past the Arch a few times of the day. It really looks magnificant! ¶ 12/22/2006 01:17:00 AM 0 Comments
Thursday, December 21, 2006
Residence Inn Marriott
Here's where my family and I are staying until this Friday. I really like the place we're staying. It's near the metro - Richmond Heights and near St. Louis Gallaria, a major shopping area. It's really comfortable and cozy and everyone is happy! So it's like *phew*! That takes care of my family.
This is the front view of our place - 1422! When my sis first entered, she liked the place. We stay in the unit at the top right. It has a split level unit and comes in 2 queen size beds. One at the bottom and the other on the 2nd level. So the guys sleep at the bottom and the gals at the top. I have a little problem sleeping with Dad sometimes ... I find myself woken up at night either by his snores or without a blanket (which I need to pull it back from him!)
It even comes with a nice fireplace which my sis asked if we could have a fire. I was like hmm....? *scratch head* How to answer that?
And here's Dad and sis over the meal table. Glad to have my family with me. It really makes transition much easier and of course it helps in terms of luggage allowances. I've lots of things so I don't need to buy much here to start up!
¶ 12/21/2006 10:00:00 AM 0 Comments
This is the front view of our place - 1422! When my sis first entered, she liked the place. We stay in the unit at the top right. It has a split level unit and comes in 2 queen size beds. One at the bottom and the other on the 2nd level. So the guys sleep at the bottom and the gals at the top. I have a little problem sleeping with Dad sometimes ... I find myself woken up at night either by his snores or without a blanket (which I need to pull it back from him!)It even comes with a nice fireplace which my sis asked if we could have a fire. I was like hmm....? *scratch head* How to answer that?
And here's Dad and sis over the meal table. Glad to have my family with me. It really makes transition much easier and of course it helps in terms of luggage allowances. I've lots of things so I don't need to buy much here to start up!
¶ 12/21/2006 10:00:00 AM 0 Comments
Pictures of my campus!
This is George Warren Brown School of Social Work in Washington University in St. Louis. Was told that is is recently renamed and known as "Brown School of Social Work". The place where I'll be spending the next 2 years ...
My sister commented that it's "Harry Potter's School". This drew laughters. The courtyard of Brown School:
Some other buildings on campus. Not too sure what buildings they are. But just thot that they look really beautiful!
You have to be here to really experience the beauty of the campus. The first time I stepped into it, I just loved it!
Have been going back the last 2 days to settle some of my administrative stuffs. Met up with some classmates. I believe it's going to be interesting! So far I've met up with Koreans, people from China and Nigeria (or was it Kenya?)
¶ 12/21/2006 02:31:00 AM 0 Comments
