Of roads and cars and scenic byways. . . .

Some pictures of the rental cars (yes plural) i have gone through since my stay here. When i first arrived, National Car rentals had me slotted for a full size car. Then when I got to the airport, the man at the front desk was nice enough to bump me up to a premium car slot.So i trotted down to their car lot, and picked out a nice Volvo S60 T. =)

Its kinda teal-ish grey, and well its the turbo edition and has a full leather interior, dual climate and electronic seats (is that what you call them?). A full bodied wild stallion on the interstate - and later on from the pictures you will see, tears across the highways like an fat man through a KFC buffet spread. The gym i go to is also across the desert, about 5 exits away. So my therapy and time out here is driving across the desert roads in a nice car. Its not the car (denial denial denial), but more than that its the time alone to hear my thoughts.
But then there was always one car i always wanted to drive . . . . . .so last weekend before my trip to the outskirts of LA, i mossey'ed on over to the rental place, and traded the good old Volvo in for something with a little fresher fire. . . .I give you. . . the MAZDA 6!!!!! I initially popped in for a 09 Nissan Maxima, but they did not have any available at that time. =( So i went out into the lot, and say the Mazda 6! Needless to say i scurried back into the rental office like a rabbit on Speed and told the lady the Mazda was mine! Beautiful car. . . . .

The mazda catch phrase is 'zoom zoom'. In my case it turns out to be 'drool drool'. =) granted that this car had no leather interior. . . .well i was willing to forgive this minor shortcoming. =)

And gosh the thrill of going on the highway with this baby. . . . . .ooooooooooooooooooooooohhh. . Here are some shots from the highways we traversed the following day. . . . .

All of the scenery here seems to SCREAM for me to buy a cowboy hat. Pray i will fight that temptation. Right now here is the current temptation i am struggling with every night. . .

Ladies you may now post your spiteful comments. =)
Good night everyone.

Schedule:

This is my timetable - which i hope to follow as closely as possible. With any luck it will make the whole trip (5 months) zooooom by. =) 630 am: Up and at 'em (yes thats right! 630 am ok. . .)! 730 am: Go down for breakfast (its amazing how fast i start to loathe american food. uuugh. Wan tan mee oh dear God please some wan tan mee!!!) And yeah what do i need 1
hour to do? =) 745-ish am: I go to work! takes about 5 mins to drive there. about 5 mins to walk to my cube. 1130 am: Lunch! Sometimes homecooked food (with the rudimentary applciances and tools, barely resembling a home cooked meal i might add. . . . 1230 pm: Attempts to lepak at other people's cubes. . . . . . 100pm: Work (or so it seems). . . . 500pm: Time to shove off (is that vulgar? someone please do point it out if it is). 530pm: Gym time! Takes about 10 mins to get there - bar traffic. The gym is jsut spectacular - and only for $40 a month. Not too bad - but off course please don convert it lah. . . 730pm: Make it back just in time for some 'free' light refreshments (which is quite a decently heavy meal. . . .for a wiry asian fellow like myself). 800pm: Shower / make lunch and dinner for tmrw ( and it still tastes better than canteen
food). 900pm: Watching tv - but now i try to write a little, do some quiet time and also important business matters ( this slot to be filled when LCEC is around the corner). 1100pm: Moan and groan and then go to sleep. =) So quite a concise reduction of my days activities. See you soon June 2009!

How many hours difference?

Happy new year friends! A brand spanking new 2009! At least i post something in January, from way over here. One of my resolutions is to update my blog more - and since now most updates will come from it, I guess its a good a reason as any to write a bit more consistently. =) In the next few weeks (and months) you will see that for the CG this page will be a stepping stone to sharing our faith and experiences a little more convenient. . . .since i am way way way way over here. So lets begin shall we? I thought that sharing pictures of my home away from home would be most apt. . . .
The first picture is the first half of the rented apartment. . . .. . the left hand side of the room!
This is the other side of the room. . . . . .


And the kitchen. Red seems to be the color of the day. . . .or should i say the room. . . . But why oh why are the chairs green? The dinner chairs are green. . . . But I am liking the dishwasher and the fridge. Gun metal finish . . . nice.

The sofa ( which also is red) is also a pull out bed. Will be really useful when i have guests (a.k.a Mum and bro. . . .).

And lastly the bathroom - a little small, and without much storage. Actually the whole place has very little storage room. I have clothes and belongings stuffed in vaarious crevices all over the place . . . . . .


And so thats a little about what my place here looks like. I still owe some pictures of the ride. . . . I plan to turn it in for another one every other week or so. But don't tell my Optra - she might get a little jealous. =)

Good night everyone.