boon's log 2106.05: Yosemite National Park

Couple of weeks ago, DM, YY and I decided to take a drive down to Yosemite. It was supposed to be one of the best times to visit YNP with all the snow melting and there will be ample supply of water down the various waterfalls. And true enough, it was. The last time I visited YNp at the end of fall/beginning of winter everything was stone cold and the waterfall... what waterfall? more like pee-fall!

DM offered to drive the 2-hr journey... we took off at about 4:30-ish in the AM and reached there about 8AM - after DM and his "excellent" navigator YY got us all lost with her MapQuest directions - oh by the way, for the record, I do think that MapQuest did a very bad job in prividing the directions/travel-distances. For anyone traveling in the States, please choose Yahoo! Maps or Google Maps (or Earth). MapQuest really did screw us up a little - well, at least that is what YY claimed...

Anyway, it was the perfect day to visit YNP with clear blue skies and 80-ish degree ambient temperature. Just nice. It was a scenic and picturesque drive and stop routine throughout - until DM and YY started to complain... "Waterfall, again?", "What? Rocks again?". Then they went "What happened to the wildlife?". Well, the wildlife did not emerge until very late during the day - we caught sight of some deers, and finally before we left the park a bear.

All in all quite a nice, fulfilling day at the National Park. I was hoping to do some biking or hiking around the park a little, but the other two guys were not really dressed up for real national park activities. Perhaps another time...

Here are some photos of the trip, as usual, click on the images for a larger view.


At the foot or Bridalveil Falls. I kinda like this one. This one looks like something out of an X-Files series. That's DM and YY, or should I say, Mulder and Scully...


El Capitan - famous for it massive bulk of largely unbroken rock and sheer


Yosemite Falls


Yosemite Valley - El Capitan, Half Dome and Bridalveil Fall


Mule deer


Macroshot of the parasites on one of the huge super-sized seqouia trees.


we got pretty close to this black bear - so much so that i snapped on a branch on the ground and he looked back at me while I took this shot. What's running through my mind? Ermm... "to run or not to run?" More facts about bears - <click here>


Yosemite Valley


Merced River


Half Dome





Bridalveil Fall

boon out...

boon's log 1906.04: Mt. Hood, we meet again...

This is a delayed entry. some weeks ago, before i made my way back to Penang, I had the opportunity to head up to Oregon for some training. It was a very short trip, move-in attend the training and then move-out. But managed to squeeze in sometime to head off to one of my most favourite place in Portland - the Rose Test Garden. I blogged about that the last time I was there as well. However, this time, we managed to catch a glimpse of the great 'ol Mt. Hood. It was still quite a cloudy day, but we managed to see the snowcapped peak and it's quite rare sight to behold, as Portland is mostly cloudy all the time, or maybe it's just me...



Glad to be back in OR again to catch up with some of the old friends there.

boon out...

boon's log 1906.02: Put those sweaters away...

It's time to store those umbrellas and put those sweaters aside! It almost feels like we've skipped Spring and jumped straight into Summer already! Gosh, the radio was reporting a high of 86F-90F today? Interesting weather. Took the opportunity last weekend to work out some of those fat around the equator and did a little bit of hiking. Went down to a place called Negro Bar. Now, before you get all worked up about me being a racist and all... that place is really called Negro Bar, okay? Don't believe me? Ask Google.

Anyway, it was not really a long hike because I forgot to bring along my insect repellent and them dang dino-mosquitoes were having a field day feasting on me blood! I should have taken a few shots of the mosquitoes. Furthermore, I was in shorts.

Anyway, pictures of mosquitoes, there aren't, but here are some of the pictures from my Negro Bar hike...







Negro Bar. Click for larger image

boon out...

boon's log 1806.03: April News and Updates

One month shot has past! Boy, does time fly. Have not been having much time updating my blog for April. For one, I (IL and I, actualy) have been tied up with the news of God's greatest gift to the both of us! Yeah, we've found out that IL is pregnant, praise God! At the time of this post, she is about 9-weeks into her first trimester. We've been very excited about the whole thing, being first time "parents-to-be" and the same can be said about our parents as well, being "grand-parents-to-be". This is definitely another major milestone for the both of us and our parents. Eversince the great news, we've been pretty busy getting books, reading materials, and not forgetting talking with friends and relatives on OB/GYNs and hospitals and even midwives - was told that we need to make the bookings right now as the good ones are really "hot". There are so many websites that helps you chart your pregnancy-calendar so that you can track the development of the fetus and your bodily changes on a week-to-week basis, pretty amazing... For example this one.

Our lifestyles have changed almost, almost, overnight. It is also amazing how such changes in your lives changes your entire perspective of things. For those who've been through this before will probably be able to identify with me on what I am saying. You don't really give a hoot of other things around you that much anymore, everything else takes a lower priority. You just want to know more about what's happening inside and how the little "baby" is developing and how your wife is doing and how to make her more comfortable.

A few of the guys were talking and sharing their respective experiences about their wives giving birth over breakfast the other day. EC was very descriptive about how his wife went through the three different ways of giving birth, Cesarean, natural and with epidural aid. Gosh, did I mention descriptive... ahem. Anyways, the other guy MI was saying that no matter what you say at the delivery room is ALWAYS wrong. Somethings that you should remember NOT to say to your wife in the delivery room, though, are...

"Everything is going to be alright, dear"

"Calm down, darling, calm down"

"I'm here for you, honey" and the like.

Well, if you ever do, be prepared... her hand will come at you at such high speeds and so powerful that you thought it was God Himself reaching down from heaven and slapping you at the face!!! Followed by

"What do you mean everything is going to be alright? Are you *toot* blind?! Am I the only one in this room who is awake?!"

And also, perhaps your arm will probably never recover from the bruise from the heavy pinching from your wife or your life may be at stake from the elbow-lock around your neck!!! It was both hilarious when we talked about it and at the same time scary to the both of us... So the conclusion was not to say anything at all. Well, then again, even when you don't say anything you'll get it too!!! So no matter what you do, you'll still get it...

Our cell group has also been pretty encouraging and excited about it as well. Only two months into her pregnancy, and we've already received bookings for God-ma and God-pa! Really appreciate our CG members for their continuous support and prayers... My CG leader even taught me how to help dig a baby's nose! Hugs to all my CG members!

I just got back from spending a week being back in Penang - spent the whole week with IL, making sure that everything is okay at home, at least, until my permanent relocation back to Penang at the end of May/early June. Also accompanied her to the OB/GYN(s) last week. Yeah, we're still "shopping" around - IL was "torn-between-two-gynecologist" - but we're pretty much set our minds on one particular one by the end of last week. Besides "shopping" for our doctor, we've also been doing a lot of shopping for baby stuffs, clothings for both the mom and also the babe, strollers, baby seats, etc. We just go for the neutral colored clothings since we do not know whether it is a boy or a girl. :) No pink since IL does not like pink.

Apart from the goodnews above, workload has been increasing exponentially as we approach the end of my relocation here and as we get ready to relocate back to Penang - tying up loose ends before I head off home. Work had been ever hectic. I cannot wait to go home. really looking forward to finally move back to Penang and be with IL and I am really regreting on how much I am missing out this 1-1.5 months that I am still going to be here, away from her. We'll see what we can do to pull in my return date...

more later...

boon out...