Good things are worth the wait As work at Kings Dominion is picking up and I’ve been way too busy to do any updates, the blog entries will be stored as draft and published when I find time to finish them. Do check back this page for the links when they are available. Wed, 18th June 2008: Day off to Potomac Outlet Mall. Tue, 17th June 2008: Nights out to Buffalo Wild Wings Bar & Grill. Mon, 16th June 2008: Chicago - The city of jazz, blues and pizza (Part 2 of 2). Sat, 14th June 2008: Chicago - The city of jazz, blues and pizza (Part 1 of 2). Thu, 12th June 2008: Cedar Point - The roller coaster capital of the world. Tue, 10th June 2008: Preparing for the Chicago road trip. Thu, 05th June 2008: Seafood on a bird’s nest. Sat, 31st May 2008: My first USD pay check! Wed, 28th May 2008: Day off to Short Pump Town Centre. Many sincere apologies for the lack of updates but good things are truely worth the wait! A lifeguard’s tale Short Note: My contact numbers in the United States are 804-615-2504 (mobile) and 804-692-4549 (room). So do give me a call if you’re in the vicinity and we can meet up for a cup of coffee =).   Five guys burgers and fries American Encounters #2: (One day while working in the Merchandise department at Kings Dominion) American: Howmuchdoesthisboxofcandycost? Chris: Sorry? American: Howmuch doesthisbox ofcandycost? Chris: Again please? (trying very heard to hear what she’s talking) American: How much does this box of candy cost? Chris: Oh, its US$3.50 madam! Remember we had dinner at Five Guys the other day? Apparently they sell more than just BURGERS, or so we thought…   Anyone interested in a CB with lettuce, capsicum, onions and mushrooms? It comes with a free serving of fresh HOT juice. Moving into VCU American Encounters #1: American: Hey Chris, which country did you come from? Chris: I’m from Singapore. American: Singapore, is it part of China? Chris: Nope, Singapore is just below Malaysia. American: So its still part of China right?   First day at work Short Note: As Buddhists around the world celebrate the birth and enlightenment of Buddha and his entry into Nirvana, let us take a minute to remember those who have been devastated by the cyclone in Myanmar and the earthquake in China. Happy Vesak Day everyone. This is where I’ll be working at for the next ten weeks.   Kings Dominion is a 400-acre (1.6 km²) amusement park located in Doswell in Hanover County 37 kilometers north of Richmond, Virginia.   There are several departments to work for in Kings Dominion, namely Merchandise, Rides, Food & Beverage and Lifeguards, and five of us have chosen to work as Lifeguards together.     As Lifeguards require several days of training prior to getting the certification, we were instructed to work at the Merchandise department for a day since the park is opening and they are shorthanded at the moment. Supervisor Megan (in green) teaching us how to use the cash registers.   Another important job in one of the Merchandise stores is to make custom stuffed teddies for the kids (alas those Build a Bear shops found in Singapore).   Stuffing a bear isn’t as obscene as it looks, seriously… Blue birds rule in Virginia Short Note: I know I’m slow but I’ve just tasted the most additive and mind blowing Krispy Kreme Donuts for the first time in my life. I was feeling very disturbed when a friend pointed out the logo on our white tour bus.   “Blue bird” make perfect sense in english but I doubt anyone would be interested in Lam Jiao buses in Singapore. What can be worse?   Lam Jiao donuts anyone? Searching for honey Short Note: Singapore is ahead of Virginia by half a day. So tune the clock back by 12 hours and you’ll get the time zone at my location. 4 connecting flights and a gruesome 35 hours journey later, we’ve finally arrived at Richmond international airport. The WAT brothers - (from left) Gavin, me and Cheng Yao.   Richmond is the state capital of Virginia with a population of 200,000 and is a 2 hours drive away from Washington DC. One of the many boarding passes we had on our travel itinerary.   An Ipod vending machine! How cool is that?   More about Richmond later as we were quickly whisked to our tour bus once the luggage was collected and all the students were accounted for. We sure bought lots of stuff for this trip.   I’m on Work & Travel baby!   The gloomy skies won’t be dampening our spirits anytime.   The group of Singapore students on the tour bus.   We will be temporary staying at this hotel called Kings Quarters for a week before moving to our official accomodation in downtown Richmond. At USD$38 (S$52) a week for the amenities they’re providing us, I’m living like a king already! Site map of the hotel.   Our building - block 500.   Interior of the room.   Our improvised IT corner.   Laundry and personal care corner.   Ops!   The TV corner.   Attached fridge and microwave oven.   We were told its pretty free and easy and we’ll have the whole of Tuesday to explore around town until work commences on Wednesday. After checking in, a group of us left the hotel in search for some honey to satisfy our cravings.   Honey… mustard that is. American conquest Short Note: The initial surprise was to premier a new blog skin on mrchrispy.com but I’ve decided to shelf it after much deliberation. This blog skin still looks and feels the best after all. I’ve yet to complete my travel entries on Taiwan and here I am preparing myself for another overseas experience.   This time I will be working, living and breathing on American soil from May to August 2008, traveling and touring the country whenever I can. Three months of solid travel entries on mrchrispy.com, imagine that.   Burgers for dinner, endless supply of Krispy Kreme donuts, shopping at Times Square, gambling at Las Vegas and trekking across Grand Canyon and Niagra Falls. The butterflies are already churning in my stomach as I’m writing this entry at the airport.   As I leave my friends, family and loved ones behind, I carry with me a big heart on a quest explore the world under my feet.   Ladies and gentlemen, let the USA adventure begin. No stopping and no drowning Short Note: My sincere apologies for the procrastination of the Taiwan travel entries, but daily 8.30am - 5.30pm project work coupled with 4 hours to-and-fro traveling time is turning me into a sleep deprived green-eyed monster, arghhh! Luckily it all ends on Friday, phew! I’m looking forward to my release! Spotted these two signages while walking along the streets of Taipei.   The first one reads “No stopping” when vehicles are actually supposed to stop there. The second one?   “NO DROWNING”. I’m so gonna faint. Keelung - The Hollywood wannabe city Short Note: It is said that there are over 70,000,000 blogs in existence. An independent project called Million Blog List was created to see how long it will take to get 1,000,000 blogs to list themselves on the internet. If you own a blog, do support this cause by listing your blog address on their website. I’m listed at #559. How about you? I almost thought I was in Hollywood when the local feeder bus I was traveling in ended its services at Keelung.   Keelung (also spelt as Chilung or 基隆) is a port town located in the north-eastern part of the island and bordering Taipei County. It is Taiwan’s second largest seaport after Kaohsiung.   Keelung is about a thirty minute ride from Taipei by either freeway bus or train. Both means of transport are very frequent, and stops for Keelung bound buses are located all across Taiwan. Most tourists will spend a day or two here before heading to Jiufen (九份), a historic gold mining town near the outskirts of Keelung. A nice intersection of road names.   Many of Keelung’s attractions can be covered on foot, the most popular being The Coast Park (和平岛公园), Chung Cheng Park (中正公园) and Miaokou Night Market (庙口夜市).   Chung Cheng Park is the ubiquitous tourism symbol of Keelung and boosts a majestic white five story high statue of Guanyin Buddha overlooking the harbor, blessing and protecting the port town with compassion and peace.   Miaokou Night Market, on the other hand, holds a different story altogether. While Chung Cheng Park offers a spectacular view of native heritage exhibits, Miaokou Night Market puts forward a large selection of food for the hungry traveler. Hundreds of lanterns lining up beautifully along Miaokou Night Market.   Miaokou Night Market meanders through lanes and alleys in the downtown area surrounding the Dianji Temple, hence it is also known to the common folks as The Night Bazaar of Temple Plaza. Night view of Miaokou Market.   If Keelung’s a Hollywood wannabe city, then its star attraction surely lies with the numerous culinary delights on display.             Tropical fruits “hulu” (水果冰糖葫芦), grilled octopus tentacles, exotic pacific clams, crabs, mussels, fresh oysters, wild vegetables (野菜), triple tonic snake and rabbit herbal soup, Miaokou Night Market has all to offer. I tried one of the butter crabs and I wasn’t disappointed. It was panfried to perfection on the outside and oozing of juiciness from within. What’s lacking was a can of Taiwanese beer to complete the whole package. NT$80 (S$3.57) per crab, cheap.   Another dish worth mentioning is this sandwich eatery with queues stretching up to 3 or even 4 stalls away.   The sandwich looks common enough but the magic lies in the combination of fried pork cutlet, ham omelette, generous spread of butter, peanut butter, mayonnaise and fresh greens over three slices of charcoal-grilled bread.     Although the wait might be long, the end result is worth the initial torture. Every bite of the sandwich is extremely delectable and is guaranteed to be an unforgettable experience. At NT$65 (S$2.90) each, the sandwiches are a definite must have in Miaokou Night Market. The blurry picture doesn’t do the sandwich justice seriously.   As night befalls, its a signal that our journey in Keelung has come to an end and Taipei is beaming for our return. A pity I didn’t get to stay a little longer to undercover the magnificent gems of the port town which makes it such a joy to be in.   Abundance of seafood, fresh eats and historical sights, Keelung is truly a Hollywood wannabe city in a class of its own.