Friday, 20th February 2015 Second day of Lunar New Year. We were on our way to Johor Bahru this morning to spend a short weekend staycation. The traffic at both sides of the Causeway was incredibly smooth as we took minimal efforts to clear the customs. Our bus ride to the url=http://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowUserReviews-g298278-d4227651-r255587765-Renaissance_Johor_Bahru_Hotel-Johor_Bahru_Johor_Bahru_District_Johor.htmlRenaissance Hotel at Permas Jaya took a little more than 30 minutes as it made its way across the waterfront along Berjaya Hotel. By 11.15am, we were greeted by the beautiful hotel lobby. Since our room could only be ready after 3pm, we popped over to a nearby coffeeshop for our brunch. Surprisingly, there were quite a number of Chinese eateries opened for business even though today was a very important festival observed by the Chinese. It ... read more

Thursday, 22nd January 2015 It's outlet shopping day for me today. The Livermore Premium Outlets is by far the most public transportation-friendly outlet in San Francisco. Upon exit from the BART at Pleasanton Station, it was another short bus or taxi ride away. Since it was a weekday when I visited, the outlets were not overwhelmed with shoppers. The wide open spaces in between the shops allowed plenty of room to move about. At the end of my day, I was happy with the whole shopping experience. I scored some bargains along with some nice memories of USA.... read more

Tuesday, 20th January 2015 After leaving my luggage at the hotel, I was ready to commence on my LA adventure. LA has its own fair share of homelessness and crime. Going about free and easy on public transportation is probably not for the faint-hearted. The Hollywood Boulevard while being touristy is probably safe even though I felt uneasy walking back to my hotel in the evening. My day revolved around Hollywood where most of the chief sites were including the Walk of Fame that was scattered throughout the neighbourhood. There were a few museums and theatres along that same neighbourhood which provided good photo-taking opportunities. In fact, the Highland Centre promised a good view of the "HOLLYWOOD" sign which did the job for me. I couldn't find another nice reason to join a bus tour to ... read more

Monday, 19th January 2015 Staying at Berkeley was not complete without stepping into the University grounds. We decided to do just that today. I accompanied R to his campus before we went off separate ways for the rest of the day. The sprawling school compound was well-dotted with giant oak trees and well-designed buildings. Walking was very possible under the pleasant weather. As the term break was drawing to a close, students from all nationalities were returning back to school in preparation for the new semester ahead. From the University, I chanced upon a breakfast place that was run by a friendly Korean couple. I ordered the daily breakfast set that comprised of rosti, toast and eggs which turned out pretty well. It also came with freshly brewed coffee and juices. With not much of an ... read more

Saturday, 17th January 2015 I had still a couple of hours left in Hawaii before my afternoon flight back to mainland USA. The last couple of moments was spent by the beach again, catching the final glimpse of Waikiki before embarking on my journey back to San Francisco. It was nearly 9pm in the evening when my flight landed at Oakland International Airport. From the airport, the BART brought me straight to downtown Berkeley where I met R at Paris Baguette for our bus journey home. I was happy to be back to a familiar environment again. Happy that I was exactly half-way through my USA trip as I welcomed my new travel adventures in the coming days.... read more