San Francisco: Up the hill (videoclip).

Video taken during one of our cable car ride. Cable cars have the right-of-way when it comes to traffic regulation in SF. Good luck if you happen to drive behind a cable car (as cable cars do move rather slow, considerably).

San Francisco: Cable Cars.

Cable car is definitely one of the most unique offering in the city of San Francisco. Guess it has to do with the fact that SF is a city full of slopes. Highs and lows are everywhere. You think small cc cars like Kancil and Kembara could survive in this city? Think again!

Most of the slopes can be extremely steep. Hence taking the cable car is a great idea.

However, if I am a local, I doubt if I will take the cable car because each trip costs USD5, regardless of the distance you travel.

Even with the high fare, cable cars are always full with travellers/visitors from all over the world.

Yes, it indeed is a must for all the visitors, even if we have to risk our lives standing like this throughout the entire ride.

No trip to SF is considered complete without trying the cable car.

With the breathtaking view while riding the cable car, who cares about the high fare?

The brake-system of the cable car is really awesome. Imagine going down a steep hill like this, and having almost 30-40 ppl in the vehicle, the cable car still has the ability to stay stable ... phew!

San Francisco: Sea lions (videoclip)

There is a rather bizarre phenomenon in San Francisco whereby there is a huge flock of sea lions that are currently residing in K dock of Pier 39 in the Bay area of San Francisco. To find out more about this phenomenon, please click here for some interesting reading.




First time sharing a video clip. Hopefully this will work.

San Francisco: The Alcatraz Island.

If you've watched 'The Rock' (a movie) before, you'll for sure know about Alcatraz Island, the former federal prison to some of the toughest crime in the country. These days, no longer a federal prison, this island is one of the most-visited tourism spot in San Francisco.

The Alcatraz Island.

Another view from the pier.

We were on a cruise to enjoy the view of San Francisco as well as the Golden Gate Bridge. On the journey back to the pier, we managed to have a closer look to the Alcatraz Island. You could actually go on a special tour whereby you can visit the entire Alcatraz Island. Yes, that would include the access to the jail, the facilities, etc. But we weren't too fancy about the entire place, so we left it out of our plan.

Although abandoned, this place is always full with visitors.

All the travellers on the cruise were trying to capture a few shots of the Alcatraz.

Very formidable looking to me.

I bet guys would like to visit this place, eh?

San Francisco: The Palace of Fine Arts.

A few years back I remember watching a movie having the Palace of Fine Arts as the beautiful background. The leading actor and actress were having some romantic moments rolling a small boat in the pond. I was really amazed by the scene, but I had no idea where that scene was shoot. A couple of months ago I was flipping a tourism magazine featuring San Francisco. I saw a picture of Palace of Fine Arts in it. I told myself, that's it, this would be my next destination should I travel.



Upon arrival at the Palace during our trip to San Francisco, I soon realized that the entire tourism spot didn't quite fit into what I would have imagined. What was in my mind previously was that it would be a place pretty much like Central Park of NYC, whereby you get nice lawn, well-maintained trees and landscaping, along with these nice achitecture. And in the pond/lake there would be boats for rent should the tourists like to have some fun paddling the boat. Hmmm, I was very wrong. To me, it looked more like an abandoned place as it was kinda muddy on most of the ground. Evidently, this place was ruined (during war time), then rebuilt, then demolished and reconstructed, all happened during the previous century (for more info please click here, and here). While we were there, a few parts of the park were fenced. Alongside with that were a few tructors. We surmised that some preservation work must be underway. Honestly, I was kinda dissapointed as the place did not fit into my romantic projection.

Having said that, the palace was still a remarkable place to visit. The fine and artistic sculptures delineate the meticulous works of those artists/sculptors. Definitely a 'must-visit', I would say.

The Rotunda, the most outstanding part of the Palace. You could actually view the dome even from a distance.




Awesome, eh?

We found two Cherry Blossom trees at the same site.

Am loving the flowers.

I hope you like these pictures.

Slide show.

Just checking. Some of you left comments in my previous post saying you can't view the slide show. Can you? Please, let me know, ya.

Thanks.

San Francisco - Flying high.

Pictures taken during the flight, from east coast (Virginia) to west (California). The total onboard time was around 6.5 hours, long enough for fellow Malaysians to fly from KL to the Downunder. Pictures featuring the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Evidently the snow hasn't melt yet at this month of the year.

The Vacation of the year - San Francisco. (Sneak Preview)

The flowers - Cherry Blossom.

The forever postcard pictures - Victorian Style house on Downtown San Francisco having the entire city view as background.

The awesome architecture of the Palace of Fine Arts.

The world-famous Golden Gate Bridge.

Déjà vu

Recent days I have been refraining myself from my study desk. Consequently, I have not been blog-hopping, nor blogging, or even checking my own mailbox.

Instead, I am spending most of my time on the bed.

Reach home a few days ago, but started not feeling well during the last two days of my trip. Initially it was sore throat. Just when the throat lost the soreness, my throat become highly irritated and the itchiness is causing me to cough non-stop.

Aiks.

Aside from that, I am experiencing extreme fatigue.

Don't worry, this shouldn't be something major. Should only be a non-specific viral infection. I will recover, but that requires time.

Getting sick after a trip? It's déjà vu all over again. The fatigue body, the warm summer temperature, the frustration of not knowing when to get better is haunting me. I absolutely abhor that feeling. It's like I am living that awful summer all over again.

Aiks.

I know I will feel better soon, but I don't know when. I can't wait, as I have to return to work soon. I have just returned from a vacation, and I don't have much time-off to spare.

Arrggghhhhh!

Away.

On vacation. Will be away for a few days. Blogging will resume when I return. Stay good, ya. =)

Bubble fun. 我们的泡沫年华。

Some personal archived photos as inspired by Twinsmom's recent bubble fun. Pictures were taken when I was in Halifax, Canada.

Ahh ..... FOooooooooOOoooooo ....

Bubbles flying ...

Go up .. up .. to the sky ...

At bubbles wonderland ...

[Maria, your girls are invited to have bubble fun at my wedding next year, alright? =) ]

回到校园 - 我的回忆录ii

2. 崇文国民型华小

小的时候其实明明已在坤城小学报了名，但是不晓得为什么最后我父母却被告知名额已满，然后派我到brickfield那一带的一所华小。基于距离问题，我 父亲成功将我申请到崇文华小。在我还没进入此小学以前，学校的名声不怎么好，毕竟坐落在一所巴刹旁边，周边都是木屋的neighbourhood。不过那 几年掌校的校长很努力的将一切改善，现阶段的崇文华小在我家的那一带也算是一所有威望的国名型华文小学。

一年级。没有什么大印象，应该是很循规蹈矩的一位学生吧，我想。唯一有印象的是，学期末老师公布班级名次。那是我有生以来第一次有名次（毕竟幼稚园没有 嘛），记得自己完全不晓得要expect什么，结果在自己的名字后面听到老师说‘一’，刹那愣了一下。接下来的一段回忆是很久以后有一次和妈妈聊天的时候 聊起的，她说我那一天兴冲冲一从校车下车往家里冲的时候，还没到家我已经对着在庭院的妈妈高喊‘妈妈，我考第一名！妈妈，我考第一名！’，一直重复很多 次。没有要炫耀什么，不过我想那一幕应该是蛮温馨的，对吧？

二年级。那时的一到三年级没有按成绩分班，所以朋友们都和一年级的一样。因为名次关系，二年级当上了副班长，没有当上正的因为老师觉得要挑个比较高的学生 比较好。我一向是那种中等高度的人，也没有觉得怎样啦。班长不过是帮老师搬簿子或者换节的时候抄名以外，也不晓得真正作用是什么。二年级的班导师是一位临 教，教了我们那一年也进入了师训学院。若干年以后有一天当我也职起了临教这一分职务时远远的我又看到他，但是我没有行动。现在想起来还真有点遗憾，很想上 前告诉他‘我是你198X年当临教时的学生，那时我是你的副班长，不晓得您还记得我吗？’唔，我确实应该好好把握当下的。

三年级。因为没有分班的关系，我在那一班一连三年都是拿第一名的。三年级当上了正班长和巡查员。记得那时候一至三年级学生是上下午班的（现在都一律是全日 制了），所以三年级的学生都很有大哥大姐的感觉，加上自己是巡查员，确实好不威风！你记得巡查员的职务是什么吗？站岗咯，每一次下课都得傻傻的站在一个指 定的岗位确保没有学生从食堂带食物到课室啦，没有学生乱丢垃圾拉，看到垃圾要捡起来啦，等等等等。哎，想起来这些职务还真有点无聊。

四至六年级。早上班。三年同样的一位班导师。开始了以成绩分班的日子，我被纳入了所谓的第一班。其实一切感觉都不错，我们那时的班导师是一位很严厉的老 师，功课之多实在是不在话下。记得每个周末班导师都会找出很多模范作文，让我们学里头的深词，然后再造句。我记得四年级时我们开始学习使用汉语字典，是字 典哦，那个如拳头般大小的字典。一年过后我们全都升级成汉语词典的使用者。五年级开始我们每人每天都得扛三本重重的字典上学。中文汉语词典10cm，外加 国语与英语，所以不要讶异与小学学生们书包的重量。我忘了究竟是老师规定我们都得带字典上学，还是所有人的kiasu（怕输）心态在作祟。在第一班里头竞 争当然比较激烈，接下来的日子我再也没有拿过了第一名，因为总有三到四位男同学成绩比我更好，但是总可以保持在五名以内啦，也一直是全级成绩最好的女学 生。哈哈，且让我在这里有小小的夸耀，因为自从那几年以后就从来没有这样的优越感了！小学时候的奖杯拿得确实不少，华文笔试国文笔试科学常识数学比赛华文 作文国文作文等等文之类的奖项都是我的囊中物。不过我重来不是演讲的班级代表，美术作品更是让老师摇头。记得四年级流行起中国结，我费了九牛二虎之力终于 完成一样作品，但是基于绳子拆了又结结了又拆，整条绳子都是皱皱的，搞到老师的眉头也皱了起来。五年级弄灯笼。那是我一辈子最大的败笔，我想我真的是让老 师汗颜了。艺术上我比较擅长的除了剪剪贴贴，就没了。我很不能画，所以真的很羡慕土阿妈还有晓玲的天分。幸好我毋须靠艺术吃饭，要不我可要当上一名流浪汉 了。

六年级是所有校外比赛（除了演讲与美术）的校外代表，也只是代表而已啦，从来没有赢过什么个人奖，除了那一年我们的那一队赢得了全吉隆坡（还是全国？）队最佳中文笔试大奖，确实有一点威风，不过应该最高兴的是校长，那是他临退休以前最大的一份奖吧。

土阿妈有提到小学厕所的噩梦。坦白说小学的厕所是我一辈子的梦魇。记得小时候大家都很喜欢一传十十传百的将阴森森的厕所形容成鬼城般诡异，外加上那永远都不干净的打扫与冲洗，啊，kill me! 所幸现在不是这样子了，不然我还真的替小孩子担心呢。

其实很想念小学很便宜的食物。那时四、五十仙就有一碗清汤/mild咖喱面了，还有那十仙的冰棒，二十仙的零食，等等等等。

那种天真无邪，不知天高地厚的日子，真的很美，不是吗？

下一篇，中学篇。敬请期待！

回到校园 - 我的回忆录i

前言：
我不“踢”你，你迟早也会给晓玲“踢”到，躲不过的。再说很想知道你为什么你的中英文都可以这么好。(maria)

土阿妈踢你一脚，我爹你一下。怎样？还是写吧。(shiaulin)

先给人踢了一脚，再给人'爹'了一下，老实说我本来真的有点想说时运高-装看不到的，哪知那唱双簧的一前一后一唱一和，让我不能自己只有乖乖任命。不想回这一份meme除了因为忙+懒(嘿，要写就要有诚意长篇大论一番嘛，不然就作罢，我想），还有其实不是很愿意那么坦诚地将自己的一点点身世公开。不过，想了又想，小妮子我又不像土阿妈那样有广大的读者群，我就算写出来也只是和这几位知己部落客朋友们交流交流而已。所以啊，嗯，且让我竭尽所能，好好回忆一下我的前二十年的故事吧。


在多少间学校读过书?

1。 幼稚园-和shiaulin & Maria不一样的际遇，我有上幼稚园。幼稚园的名字为Tadika Intisari。其实认真回想起来，我可以记得的幼儿园点滴还真不少。我是那种很独立的小女孩，上幼稚园的第一天妈妈在门外守候，我招手和她说'可以 了，你可以先回家了‘。不知道妈妈有没有以我为豪，我只知道我接下来的两个弟弟们上幼稚园都要哭上一两个月才可以让我父母们无忧的送他们上学。我上的那一 所幼稚园是一间end corner lot两层楼的屋子改建成的，和一般两层楼的屋子比起来要算蛮大的一间房子吧。我记得5岁的时候我在一楼上课，6岁的时候则到二楼去。上学的交通工具是学 生巴士。每一早上妈妈会嚷我起床，然后在我睡眼朦胧的时候喂我喝小孩牛奶，接下来嘛就换衣上学咯。有不少时候当妈妈也迟起床，我们就会在楼上（我们那时住 店屋的顶楼）等学生巴士来，看到他们来了在阳台和司机招手说不用等了，今天自己上学。呵呵，然后之后爸爸会载我上学去。

5岁的记忆比较模糊，记得的不多，除了那好吃的炒米粉与红豆糖水，还有另一起事件以外，就没了。什么事件，你问？话说那时我家隔壁半夜着火，爸爸漏夜带我 们逃到屋外。其实隔壁烧得满焦的，庆幸的消防员叔叔及时把火给扑灭，我们住的那一栋楼都没有什么受影响。哦，干幼儿园什么事？你又问？我记得那时老师吩咐 我们隔天得将我们的美术文件夹带到学校，在这种千钧一发逃难的时候我什么都没拿，就只记得那文件夹。现在想起来还真地笑死我。隔天我有和班导师说那一夜发 生的经历，然后老师让我站在同学们面前让我再讲一次。我忘了我讲了什么，但是这样的记忆在我脑里久久挥洒不去。也算是宝贵的童年回忆吧，我想。

6岁记得的比较多。我依稀还记得那时班导师的样子，还有一些小同学的面容。我记得我老师向我强调doctor和daughter发音的分别（我那时问她的 女儿多少岁）；我记得星期五是女生们一起带巴比娃娃到学校一同交换来玩的一天；我记得朋友们总是有很漂亮很漂亮的巴比与可以替换的衣裳，我的永远就那么一 套；我记得我们有一次到国家纪念碑与博物院的一日游；我记得每逢星期五我们可以不穿校裙，而穿上印有幼儿园logo的T恤外加自己喜欢的裙子的每一天；我 记得每一天放学以后在学生巴士里归家路上和小朋友们一起唱歌一起吵闹的时刻；我记得学校一年一度的文娱表演我穿上很不舒服的马来装跳马来舞（然后那时我爸 爸匿称我为Fatimah)的点点滴滴（歌曲和舞步我依稀都还有印象）；哦，还有那幼儿园拍毕业照的经历我也还记得。

坦白说，我觉得幼儿园满重要的。那学前教育是否真有用我无法回答，但是这些宝贵的回忆，无价！


编按：基于作者考量到本回忆录冗长的可能性，此密密回忆录将分段上传。敬请守候。

（唉，实在太累了，唯有出此下策。不用担心，我一定会遵守诺言继续倾吐我的回忆录的。到时见！）