My life, my dominion

Hello folks, i'm back.
And i'm going off again to Bangkok to meet my dad so i'm just here writing a brief summary of what happened in America so that i won't forget and i'll elaborate in later entries.
Also, i know i'm supposed to finish the other 2 parts on hosea, so i'll try to find my notes which i seem to be lost in India, oh yeah will summarise that one too.
Okay i'll start with india first lah.


Day 1 - touch down in indra ghandi international airport, New Delhi
After frenzied rush to get and account for everybody on bus proceed on 15hr bus ride to BABINA (British Army Base In North Asia. (En route for midnight dinner, breakfast and) Bum hurts and sweating like crazy no air con

Day 2 - Training starts with orientation driving. My vehicle drops into a well (watch out for photos) gets stuck in the mouth. I spend my first night out in the field in India and watch the stars and wait for my vehicle to be salvaged. Subsequently miss the tajoo a religious ceremony to bless everyone for safety (how ironic)

Day 3 - Training resumes i act as safety officer cum umpire it's pretty much the same for the rest of the training up till the 15th. Inbetween there are live firing demonstrations of the t -72 MBT (ultra cool vehicle) and BMP -2 (also ultra cool)

day 4-14 - basically working out in the field as safety officer as well as in the office as liaison, organiser of camp fire and other events, and assisting in the planning of the whole training that COL whose name i do now wish to even think of likes to change at his whim and fancy (shall complain more at another time) when he has been in India for a shorter time than us but oh well his INFINITE experience at handling the India army (which aparently is less professional than ours even though it is a REGULAR army) plus he does have more stuff on his shoulders.

Day 15 - Spend the night watching a live firing exercise where the laying of the bridge goes horribly wrong. Exercise ends 4 hours late at 5 am and minisiter's visit is that morning. Go back sleep for 1 hour freshen up and then on with the show.

Day 16 - minister is reasonably impressed thankfully. Organised camp fire that goes pretty well which leads me to formulate that basically as long as any male event has hard liquor, it's a good event. Got rather tipsy on rum and whiskey.

Day 17 - Mostly boring day save for appearance cobra in one of the vehicles. Also, happy hour at India Army camp, basically got almost wasted by whiskey amidst cheers of 'One more for me friend, one more' and said 'friend' pours a whole SHOT of whiskey into my cup. Can hardly stand, best sleep i had in weeks followed.

Day 18 - Long bus ride to AGRA, home of the TAJ MAHAL. See the TAJ MAHAL, take pictures of the TAJ MAHAL, then back to hotel. Not before being dragged by the local guide to a very posh marble emporium where he "doesn't get a cut and the things there very cheap best price' and all that poppy nonsense. Buy ridiculously priced (cheap or expensive i won't say) souvenirs.
Ate at Pizza Hut! MEAT!!!! CHICKEN!!!!! PROPER BREAD!!!!! for S$6, ate like a king :)

Day 19 - Long bus ride to New Delhi. Thank goodness it's air conditioned
See Ghandi memorial, India gate (india arc de triumph), parliament and assorted sites.
Go once again to posh emprium that sells everything from cloth to marble to tea to sculptures buy tea, get out. Ogle north indian babes (actually there wern't any, we just made them up and started pointing at thin air just to get everyone else in the bus excited). on plane home.

Day 20 Home

Day 1 of time at home - sleep laze, go for zhenyu's chalet

day 2 of tiem at home - Sleep laze think of packing

day 3 of time at home - Pack bag

day 4 of time at home - take final theory test (which i failed yes hahah laugh all you want)
Go back to camp...... TAKE BACK PINK I/C!!!!! hahahahahahahahha!!!!!!!!WOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

day 5 of time at home - 6 am depart for JFK airport on NW 0006 from Changi Airport T1. Thorougly excited to be on my butt for another 20 hours again.

Okay that's as much detail as i can take now gonna do america REAL BRIEF.

1 - reach JFK, meet PX and her former housemate Connie; go to house in Flushing Meadows Queens, dump stuff; meet Yingxim and co. for dinner at Oyster Bar, Grand Central Station, NY; Go back to apartment sleep

2 - went to Empire state building (SUPERB VIEW< FREAKING COLD) after breakfast at chinatown( there are 2 in NYC one official one not so official) Then trinity church, wall street, ellis island (did not go to statue of liberty coz museum in ellis island much better plus well couldn't get up didn't get advance tickets and one tall building is enough really) , ground ZERO with the cross (the one they found when they uncovered the rubble) and then off to watch Phantom at broadway.

3 - The Metropolita museum of art, Central park, got lost in central park, St patrick's cathedral, Rockefeller center, (incl the skating rink and the christmas tree), Radio city, Timesquare (it's ReALLY REALLY BRIGHT)

4 - UN, Little chinatown, Little italy (it's the cutest place really the fire hydrants and the bus stop poles are all painted red white and green), SOHO, Ate dinner at grimy chinese restaurant which was pretty good; conclusion: grimy american chinese restaurant with seedy managers do exist and do serve good food.

5- Easter service at local church to little chinatown to catch bus to Washington. (it's half the price of greyhound and it's the same price) Arrive in washington, huff and puff my way to hostel.

WASHINGTON INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS CENTER

6 - Wake up at 7 to the FREEZING COLD and RAIN. Decided that weather could be worst for the rest of the week. Take Metro to the national mall and walk around. Go to DC visitor center at reagan international building and white house visitor center. Find out that WH is closed to public essentially take pictures outside and national christmas tree
Holocaust museum (must see but not that happy place really) went in by faster back door.
Smithosonian museums (all underground cool right?)
Lincoln, WWII, Washington (closed but you can still see it i mean it's HUGE) Memorials.
Vietnam and Korea war memorials (realy solemn places)
Jefferson, Martin luther king jr. and FDR memorials.
Pictures of the national mall by night and white house from the back.
Night Scenes. Realise that my camera can't take night photos with my tripod oh well.
Feet hurt from walking like a deranged hermit on some pilgrimage

7 - wait 2 hours for Capitol tour (cue started at 730 i got there at 8, freezing cold)
Strolled past supreme court saw protestors basically those that are pro copywright versus people with 40 GB ipods.
Capitol tour, tagged along illegally to staff led tour, get caught but basically i saw a lot already the place is HUGE and BEAUTIFUL.
Weather today is REALLY NICE (curse and swear about lousy weather the day before.) Decide to go to Arlington cemetery (feet feeling numb at this thought, i slap them and tell them to get walking)
Arlington cemetery is HUGE so get ready to walk. Visited JFK memorial, Unknown soldier (American as well as Confederate dead), Arlington House, Challenger and enterprise memorials, Armour Forces memorial, Screaming Eagles (101st airborne division, band of brothers) Feet going to die. Very somber place
Pentagon and pentagon city, latter services former so you can guess how HUGE the pentagon is
(no pictures) City has a RITZ CARLTON in it. go figure
Air and space museum, pretty cool, realised why PX is the mech engr and i'm not. Interested in the stuff, don't want to build them
World Bank and IMF (no pictures again) just nice to see the centre of world finance.
George Washington University, JFK center for the performing arts, watched free opera (1 hour) the place is MUCH nicer than our durians)
Scenes of capitol bynight. Feet numb head back

8 - Wait 3 hours to get into US SUPREME COURT for 5 minutes. Only 48 people allowed that day, i'm no. 46. Quite cool really
Library of congress (largest library in the world, 30 million Books 3 buildings not including all the maps and other artifacts) All known copywright material available, INSANELY BEAUTIFUL READING HALL. Free tour at 1130
National archives (another 2-3 hour waiting experience plus view of course ) see declaration of independence, constitution, and bill of rights real cool real dark.
Ford's theatre where Lincoln was shot and house across the street where he died.
Take illegal picture of J. Edgar Hoover FBI building
Natural history museum, SEE DINOSAURS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!and HOPE DIAMOND.
Chinatown, MCI CENTRE. End of DC tours head back, pack bag,

9 - Union station (it's HUGE) to Ithaca

9 - 18 - Spend time and ANNIVERSARY (after 3 years i finally get to celebrate our anniversary properly again) together. What we did is NOYB heh.

Yup so that's mainly it!

See you all!!!