Great Falls from a different perspective

Last year around October, I visited Great Falls and from the trail, I saw people kayaking rapids. I secretly wished I could be on the rapids though I thought it was dangerous.
By a twist of fate, one year later on Oct 19, Sun 2008, I was on an intermediate white water kayaking trip on the Potomac River.

It was a cold Sunday and we each put on a wet suit, a splash jacket, a personal flotation device, a skirt and a helmet.

We had to carry our kayaks over some distance since the launch site was far away from the parking lots.

Before heading out to the river, we practiced rolling and none was successful on our first attempt. We were not used to the bulk and the water was freezing cold.

As I head out onto the river from an eddy, my kayak was caught by the current and I flipped. I tried to roll but was unsuccessful. I had to wet exit. It was embarrassing to be the first to wet exit on the trip.

After getting back into the kayak, I started to enjoy the scenery and saw hikers looking down at us from the trail. It was a different view, looking up at them from the river.

Great Falls pictures.

Boston, The Walking City. July 18-21

I am catching up with my postings since I had not been updating regularly for the past few months.

As my Ph.D. supervisor was working at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, I thought of visiting him and passing him my hard-bound thesis to him for mentoring me. It was also a chance for me to visit Boston.

He offered me his place to stay during my visit. It was located 5 minutes from where he worked. I arrived in Boston on July 21, Friday and took The Boston Subway, known as T to Longwood Station. I alighted at The Government Center to transfer from blue line to green line. Instead, I crossed to the opposite platform and took the blue line heading back towards the airport. I snapped out of my daze and jostled with the evening commute back to Longwood. That was when I learned about the inbound and outbound directions with reference to Downtown.

I also met my ex-colleagues who were currently working with my Ph.D. supervisor. I was given a tour of his laboratory by Guanglan. Thereafter, all of us went to Legal Seafood for dinner. I did my homework to check out which restaurants in Boston offered the best seafood and their chef's specialties. I ordered grilled swordfish and clam chowder. This was my first time eating swordfish and I found the meat tasteless. The clam chowder had a smooth texture and creamy taste which I wolfed down happily. For dessert, I had Boston cream pie which was rich but palatable. By the time we finished dinner, it was passed midnight as we were seated only around 10pm.

The next day, Guanglan and I went along The Freedom Trail which took us to Bunker Hill, USS Constitution, and graveyards etc. I noticed there were stones and pebbles placed on the tombstones of famous persons such as Samuel Adams. I wondered if this was an American culture.

At Little Italy, we had beer to cool down as the temperature was over 100 degree Fahrenheit that day. I even deliberately got drenched from a fountain. Thereafter, we proceeded towards Union Square Plaza where there was a farmer market selling fresh and cheap produce. I was tempted to buy a punnet of strawberries but the thought of carrying it around squashed the idea.

The trail also led us to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, bustling with street vendors, shoppers and tourists. We passed by Old State House, the State House with the expensive golden dome and finally to Boston Common.

Thereafter, Guanglan treated me to ginger stirred-fried lobsters, goat stew and a plate of greens which cost only $60. It was cheap for the quantity and quality of the food.

On July 20, I toured alone and went to Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. Fans were buying merchandise from the sports store and touring the stadium. Then, I passed by the Emerald Necklace, which is one of the oldest series of public parks and parkways, where city dwellers can get a respite from hectic lifestyle to garden or enjoy greenery. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted who also designed New York's Central Park.

To have a better look of Greater Boston, I went up the Skywalk Observatory located at Prudential Tower with an amazing 360 degree views. I could see Massachusetts Institute of Technology across the Charles River, Fenway Park, the Emerald Necklace, and Downtown.

Coming down from the observatory, I went to the shopping belt of Boston located along Newbury Street. High end stores include Gucci, Chanel and Burberry. I went into Northface to look at the prices for a kick. Visitors interested in sculptures can proceed to Commonwealth Avenue which is a mall of 14 sculptures.

For dinner, I went to B&G Oysters Restaurant where I had half a dozen of raw oysters ($2.50 each) and bacon-wrapped cod. The oysters were smooth and did not smell which was worth the price. The bacon-wrapped cod was perfectly baked and delicious!

On my last day, I went on a 3-hour whale-watch cruise where I saw whales for the first time. There were three minke whales, a mother and its calves. It was awesome to watch them swimming along our ship and diving underneath it. The wind was chilling and even though it was cloudy, I got tanned after the trip.

I also took a quick tour of Harvard main campus where I took a picture with the statue of John Harvard. His left shoe was shining from visitors rubbing it. It was rumored that students peed on it which I thought not possible unless someone was standing on a ladder. Next was Massachusetts Institute of Technology when it started to rain when I reached there.

To wrap up this great trip, I went to Penang Restaurant in Chinatown for comfort food where the waiter had to remind me that I had ordered more than enough for a person. I remembered ordering chicken satay, yong tau foo curry, beef rendang and chendol.

Boston pictures available here.

Conquering rapids

Since my last white water kayaking trip in April, I had been looking forward to beginning of school term in falls as JHU Outdoor Pursuits would be organizing trips again.

I signed up for the beginners' trip on Sep 14 where we kayaked along Violet's Lock. It was the same river I went to for my first kayaking trip.

As safety was paramount in this sports, I went for my rolling session. I remembered that I was able to roll with the kayak model called Pop and practiced in it. I succeeded in rolling eight out of ten times which helped to boost my confidence for the trip. However, I still felt the need to have someone watching over me before I rolled.

The weather on Sunday was perfect. In fact, it was hot and dry as compared to the cold and rainy conditions for my previous two trips. I was able to paddle straight as opposed to the first trip where I was heading left and right except straight. I had learned to control my paddling strokes and use my hip to control the direction I desired.

There was one section of the river where we could practice surfing because of a big hole. A hole is usually formed behind boulders where water is circulated. In order to get to the hole, I had to pass fast flowing current. As I did not tilt my kayak towards downstream, my kayak caught the current and I went down under.

Not feeling panic and refusing to do a wet exit, I went to the starting position of rolling over. With one swipe of the paddle, I got myself upright and was feeling high from 'self-rescuing' myself. Undeterred from my failure, I tried one more time but failed. This time round, after attempting thrice, I could not roll over and drank a lot of Potomac River water. One of the kayak leader did a T-rescue. I was coughing badly after letting some water entered my trachea and my throat as of today, Sep 25, still feels weird. (I was coughing badly for two weeks before this trip and I am not a hypochondriac).

Along one stretch, I T-rescued a fellow participant who had capsized unexpectedly. Fortunately, I saw him since no one was around.

At the last stretch of the trip, I too capsized and tried to roll but failed. I was trying to hold on to the riverbed rocks with one hand and the other to the paddle so that the leaders would not have to retrieve it downstream. I could feel the river current swiping me downstream. After being rescued once again, my hands suffered several small cuts from the rocks.

It was fun and great to be able to roll in rapids but I would need more practice to perfect it. I am considering on the next beginner's trip which is on Oct 5 but it clashes with the river rafting trip I am organizing.

Hooray, my Nikon D70S camera is back in action

After my Yellowstone trip in June 2008, I found there were black specks on every picture I took. Being a perfectionist and a detailed guy, I was upset at the specks marring the pictures, especially of clear, blue skies. This made me uninterested to take pictures till I got rid of those specks.

Since I had two lenses, I tried to determine where the specks could be by switching lenses. Alas, the specks appeared on the exact spots which meant they were inside the camera body.

I sent my camera twice to Nikon Servicing Center (NSC). For the first time, I sent my camera body but they shipped back without doing anything. For the second round, I sent both my camera body and newly bought zoom lens where they replaced some components of the lens. However, the specks were still there.

I was frustrated and felt cheated even though I printed out a picture indicating the locations of the specks.

During my last trip to New York City, I met a guy at The Top of The Rock where I asked him to help me take pictures of me with The Empire State Building. I approached him since he was carrying a Nikon camera too. He asked if he could change the manual settings on my camera. That was my sign to ask him if he could help me identify what was happening to my camera.

He said if there were black spots, then the sensor needed cleaning. For greenish spots, the problem was fungal. He also said any camera repair shop could clean the sensor after I mentioned sending to NSC.

Not willing to be disappointed by NSC again, I searched the internet and found an independent authorized Nikon repair service center. I called them up and was given an estimate of $45 to clean the sensor.

After sending the body to Illinois, I was getting worried when I did not get any phone from them after three business days. Thinking to call them the next day, I got a letter of repair estimate on the same evening. I was shocked to see the bill. It cost $115 plus $12 shipping.

I called the next day to complain why there was so much discrepancy between what was quoted to me and on the letter. There were services which I did not requested such as auto-focusing adjustment, TTL flash etc. After resolving the amount, it was settled at $45 plus $12 delivery.

Just when I thought I should be getting my camera back, it arrived on the same night. I wasted no time to take pictures and check for specks.

I was elated to find the major specks gone from viewing the LCD screen. I would need to transfer to a computer screen to scrutinize the cleaning but I am upbeat about it.

Striking off another "things-to-do-before-I-die" list: Tandem skydiving on 9/21/08

I guess I am not the only one interested to skydive at least once in life. In fact, I think it is a cliche but who cares. For example, in the movie "The Bucket List" starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, one of their wish lists included skydiving.

I had to skydive before I have no guts left and major life commitments prevent me from doing such a risky sports.

The drop zone I went to was Freefall Adventures, located in New Jersey. I was surprised to see a crowd already filling up waiver forms before the official opening hour at 9 am.

There were at least eight pages of waiver form I had to sign and initial, agreeing not to sue if some mishap were to occur to me. I found one item amusing but realistic where I had to fill in any distinguish marks since it meant that my corpse had to be identified by someone.

Participants also need to view a short video clip, emphasizing on the risks involved in skydiving and a longer section on the thrills of skydiving.

I decided to include a video package to capture my first tandem skydiving for memory sake. My senses would be overstimulated from an adrenaline rush.

Rob was my tandem instructor who had 17,000 jumps under his belt and started skydiving since 16. My video cameraman was also called Rob.

After gearing up, we were taught how to exit from the plane, adopt the free fall position by arching the hip, landing with bended knees juxtaposed, and most importantly, pulling the cord to release the parachute at about 5000 feet or the instructor would pull the cord.

The aircraft we boarded had a rectangular, transparent door where I had a good view of things getting tiny since I sat closed to it. I got more nervous as the plane ascended higher. I was having second thought on why I had committed myself to jumping out of a plane at 13,000 feet. I had to psych myself that my life was in good hands.

When we reached an altitude of about 13,000 feet, the door was opened. Rob, the cameraman was the first to jump. I did not have the chance to hesitate since Rob, my instructor, was pushing me towards the door. My heart was in my mouth when we leaped from the plane. I felt I was committing suicide. You could see I opened my mouth during the exit (second photo).

I remembered seeing the clear, blue sky before flipping back to see Earth. As I wanted to feel the full effect of free falling, I was dressed in shorts and a long sleeve with a t-shirt over it. The temperature was cold. We were falling at a rate of approximately 100 feet/second for about 60 s. During this time, Rob was filming and taking pictures of me where I did the Superman's pose and breast stroke or mahjong pose. I was also supposed to hold on to him where we spun around for video taking. I felt a tremendous force pulling us apart when we locked our hands. Rob, my instructor, was spontaneous and posed with me.

I was enjoying the rush of free falling and was shouting away. My mouth dried up quickly when I opened it. The force of the wind was so great that it created folds on my thighs and cheeks.

Oblivious of time and height, Rob pushed my left hand towards my face and I saw the altimeter's needle at 5,000 feet graduation. Conditioned from the safety training, I pulled the cord at my right hip.

The sudden slowing down by the opened parachute caused me to swing up and I could feel the strain around my thighs where I was strapped.

Thereafter, Rob, the cameraman proceeded towards the landing zone to get ready to take my landing shots while I admired the scenery from above.

I had to blow my ears because of the pressure built up from free falling and my voice was coarse from shouting with excitement.

Rob did some maneuvering of the chute where we spun around and I felt the strain again.

Instead of landing on both feet, my left foot got the impact. It was painful but I was uninjured.

The one-minute of free falling was awesome, thrilling, and exhilarating. I would consider jumping again if I have spare cash.

The Last Lecture

After reading The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch during my travel to New York City this past weekend, I was motivated to think positively. My life is not bad at all. (I am undergoing a period of searching and maturing as I am wrapping up my life chapter as a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University.)

Suffering from the certain death sentence of pancreatic cancer, he concentrated on living life to the fullest. The book is a very practical and optimistic way of leaving behind a living legacy, not only to his children but to those seeking fulfillment in life.

Conquering Old Rag Trail, Shenandoah National Park, VA

I went on a hike along Old Rag Circuit at Shenandoah National Park, VA with a group of Singaporeans on Aug 16. This was a physically demanding hike which required climbing, stretching, hopping and balancing to get to the summit of Old Rag Mountain (3291 ft/1003 m). People suffering from acrophobia should be aware that part of the trail runs along cliff edges.

We decided to tackle the challenging part of the hike first, taking Ridge Trail by following the blue markers and returning along Weakley Hollow Fire Road to the Old Rag parking area.

An average of 5.5 hours with half an hour lunch along a 8.8-mile trail took us about 7.5 hours instead as we were busy taking pictures of us scrambling up large boulders and squeezing through crevices, tunnels and caves. I had a good laugh at the poses we did at various parts of the hike. There were crane pose, crouching tiger pose, and Charlie's Angels pose by three guys among others.

We were fortunate to see a black bear on the trail. It looked skinny and I hope it would be fatter in time for its hibernation during winter.

The panoramic views at the summit was well worth the muscle aches and blister I endured. Eagles were hovering high in the sky, catching the wind beneath their wings. I could see rolling mountains touching the horizon. It was very peaceful to sit on the precipice with cool, soothing wind blowing and admiring at the picturesque landscape.

Pictures along Old Rag Circuit Hike.

Starting a new blog on career development

As I embark on my journey of searching for a job, I realized I had not truly reflected on what I like to do and how I want to see myself five or ten years down the road.

I also observe that many youngsters are at a loss after schooling. Education prepares us to read, calculate, and expand our knowledge etc. but it does not teach us job interviewing, networking, nor communication skills. We have to learn these skills as we go along.

I had been reading books related to career development and would like to share with you what I had learned.

Do visit and share your experience on career development: http://developing-your-career.blogspot.com/

Indomitable human spirit

While watching world-class athletics compete at the 29th Olympics in China, I often get inspired by the determination and strength of the human spirit. Athletics trained long and hard, pushing themselves to the limits.

I am now mentally tired, hoping to get over it soon. I want to share this beautiful poem which my best friend shared with me during this anguish period.


Invictus by British poet William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of Circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of Chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

Travelers intending to visit Yellowstone National Park during summer should plan at least half a year ahead since accommodations within the park were snapped up by the time we reserved ours in January 2008.

The one-week trip, beginning from Jun 7 -14, was joined by WenMin and Michele. We flew from Baltimore-Washington International Airport to Jackson Hole Airport, transiting at Atlanta, GA. As we approached Wyoming, we could see mountainous ranges with snow-capped peaks.

The sight of Teton range inspired awe and humility. As we entered the small Jackson Hole Airport, there was an arch of elk antlers to welcome us. There are four such arches at Jackson Hole Town Square, where many more antlers were used to make each arch than the one at the airport.


After picking up our rental car, we drove north, towards Yellowstone, passing by Grand Teton. The landscape was still blanketed with snow in June, in contrast to my mental picture of wild flowers blooming. In fact, we were hit by snowstorms and cold weather which might had affected my impression of Yellowstone. We were wise to check the weather forecast for the week and brought along winter gear.

Depending on your schedule and plan, I found that we could complete the highlights of Yellowstone within three days, provided that you leave early in the morning and return around 9 plus at night.

The highlights were Norris Geyser Basin, Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Fall, Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Mud Volcano Area, Yellowstone Lake, Old Faithful, and Midway Geyser Basin.

At Mud Volcano Area, the air was reeked with a malodorous odor of sulfur dioxide. I wondered if the mud here could be used to make beauty products such as face masque.

The picture of me, standing at 5-foot-10-inch (1.78-m), 'capping' The Liberty Cap, a 37-foot (11-m) travertine was taken at Mammoth Hot spring. Here, nature has created an amazing staircase of hot spring pools or terraces. Sadly, many of the hot springs like the one which had created Liberty Cap had ceased flowing, leaving terraces of white, porous deposits.



During this trip, I had lost count of the number of hot springs and geysers in the park, which had different colors, shapes, and sizes. Colors of hot springs included emerald green, cyan, blue, orange, and brown. I only remembered some of their names because they were aptly named e.g. Ear Hot Spring which has the shape of an ear. One reminded me of Edvard Munch's "The Scream". The largest hot spring in Yellowstone is The Grand Prismatic Spring which I had no way of taking it since it is approximately 250 by 300 feet (75 by 91 m). I had to be contended with buying postcards of it taken from an aerial view.

Taking pictures of hot springs meant waiting for wind to blow away rising steam from the water surface and longer waiting time for geysers to erupt. The famous Old Faithful erupts every 90 minutes plus/minus 10 minutes. You can check out the time from the front desks of The Visitor Center, Old Faithful Inn or Old Faithful Lodge. I was particularly impressed by the architecture of Old Faithful Inn which is the largest log cabin in the world. The main lobby has a huge fireplace, giving me a warm and cozy feeling.



Another attraction in the park, besides the hot springs and the geysers, was wildlife animals roaming freely. A telltale sign of animal sighting was parked car(s) along the road. We caught sight of our first animal, bison or buffalo, grazing in the fields. They were huge animals with scraggy fur. By the end of our trip, we were 'bored' of taking pictures of bison since they were ubiquitous in the park.

We saw grizzly bears four times in the park. One sighting was really close, where we were separated from a grizzly by a 20-foot wide river. It was standing on its meal at the opposite bank, occasionally looking up to see a crowd of humans snapping pictures of it. How to differentiate a grizzly from a black bear is by identifying a thick, muscular hump on its shoulder.

While driving one evening for animal sighting, a wolf or a coyote leaped in front of our car. It crossed the road unscathed because we did an emergency brake! I could not tell which animal it was since I had never seen the adult size of a wolf compared to that of a coyote before.

Other animals sighted included two curious chipmunks, an evasive marmot, several greedy ground squirrels, shy deers, and three long-faced moose. I could recognize Canadian geese and magpies, although there were other avian species to be sighted by bird watchers.

After completing our tour of Yellowstone, we headed towards Grand Teton National Park. A two-day tour was sufficient. The ever present Teton range could be seen anywhere in the park. I took so many pictures of the mountains that upon editing them, most looked the same to me. This is the advantage of a digital camera; take first, edit later.

We also took a ferry across Jenny Lake where we hiked up to Inspiration Point. At 7200-foot elevation, we marveled at the picturesque landscape of lake, open fields and mountain ranges.


We spent our last few hours at touristy Jackson Hole where merchandise were more expensive than in Yellowstone. Shopaholics can indulge themselves with a wide variety of shops.

For this trip, I broke my record for getting in and out of a car so frequently during one week to take pictures of animals, geysers, hot springs, and mountains. I could also strike off Yellowstone from my list of places-I-want-to-visit.












Yellowstone National Park pictures.

Grand Teton National Park pictures.

Pick-your-own fruits and a trip back to Sep 1862

On Jun 28, a group of us went to a pick-your-own (PYO) fruit farm in Maryland. It was the beginning of blueberry and raspberry seasons.

When we arrived at the farm around 10am, some early birds had already finished picking tray loads of fruits. Most pickers sampled the fruits while picking them.

Picking blueberries and raspberries was an experience since I had not picked them before and I did not know how the bearing plants look like. I was told to tickle a bunch of blueberries where the ripe blue fruits would simply drop, leaving the green and red unripe fruits on the branch. I found this method not working for me. Instead, I picked only the bigger berries among the ripe fruits as I found that they were sweeter upon sampling different sizes of ripe ones. Blueberries are a good source of anti-oxidants.

I was surprised that a raspberry shrub has thorns. Having no clue to how a ripe raspberry looks like, I took a peek at someone's harvest and noticed the harvest consisted only of maroon fruits and not the bright red ones.

Thereafter, we headed towards Antietam National Park and managed to join the last conducted tour. A park ranger recounted the single bloodiest day of the American Civil War at different sites, dotted by cannons and monuments to the dead. Seeing pictures of dead bodies piled high up was disheartening. I also revisited Burnside's Bridge, rather than kayaking under it.

A visit to the sunshine state, Florida

Initially, I was apathetic to go on a road trip to Florida as I was writing up my experiments and driving at least 16 hours at night put me off.

Finally, I went since I promised Greg that I would go at the beginning of 2008 and I needed a break too.

We left on Friday night, May 16 and drove along I95, passing through D.C., Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia. We took turns to drive and stopped to sleep for two hours since we were drowsy.

We reached Florida on Saturday morning where I picked up some brochures and had complimentary orange and grapefruit juices at the visitor center.

Before going to Tampa, we en routed to University of Florida (UF) where Greg showed me around his alma mater.

I was impressed by the sheer size of the football stadium for a university. There were at least five more stadiums for baseball, track-and-field, basketball, softball etc. Among the sports facilities on campus, I liked the Olympic-sized swimming pool the most. I was fortunate to see the real mascot of UF not once but thrice around edges of Lake Alice, gator as Floridians will call an alligator.

On Sunday, we went to Clearwater Beach, ranked eighth in Florida where the sand was soft and white, and the seawater was literally clear. There were a lot of sunbathers basking under the summer sun.

Thinking that I came from sunny Singapore, my skin should be used to the sun and I applied suntan lotion instead of sunblock. But I had forgotten that I had covered my body for half a year from the cold weather. I strolled along the beach for two hours. After that, I went under Pier Six for shade and felt that my body was hot literally. It was irradiating heat. I was burnt on the second day and wondered how I was going to 'survive' in sunny Florida.

The next day, I was red like a lobster and sensitive to touch. On this day (May 19), Greg accompanied me to Busch Gardens, Africa where I enjoyed the 90 degree plunge from 200 feet in the air on the new ride, Sheikra. There were also other hair-raising and scream-inducing rides like Gwazi and Kumba. One commendable show was KaTonga, an African theme musical with energetic dance moves, lively music and great performances by the actors. The theme park also has a safari where gentle animals such as giraffes, zebras, antelopes roam freely in an enclosed area and visitors can go on the Serengeti Express, a truck or a jeep.

We parted in the evening where I picked up my one-way rental car from Tampa Airport and headed towards Orlando where I checked into backpackers' inn. To save on gas and parking fee, I parked the car at my lodging and took Orlando public transport.

I liked the public transport with buses arriving on time and they were cleaned. There were TVs on board which reminded me of Singapore's Mobile TV. At least, the volume in Orlando was not deafening.

As I was going on a tight schedule and not willing to spend a lot on theme parks, I had to choose two of four parks I wanted to visit at Walt Disney World. I bought tickets to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios. I gave Magic Kingdom a miss since I went to Disneyland, LA when I was still in my teens. I was uninterested in the animal theme at Animal Kingdom.

At EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow), the theme revolves around creative technologies gear towards the future. I love the icon of Epcot, The Spaceship Earth which is like a gigantic golf ball where visitors were taken on a ride in the 18-story dome. We were shown how human communication had helped shaped the future, one step at a time. I was impressed by how Disney showcased the message of conserving energy for a large audience where we were seated liked at a movie theater but moved around in The Universe of Energy pavilion. I had my adrenaline rush going on Test Track where the ride went at 60 mph and 45-degree inclination with winds blowing through my hair.

By Tuesday evening, I only managed to finished taking all the rides but had not seen the World Showcase of 11 countries: Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, United Kingdom and United States of America. Each country pavilion displays its culture and sells products made in each country. With only two hours left before my designated schedule, I zipped through majority of the pavilions.

As I needed to catch the last bus and I wanted to watch IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth at World Showcase Lagoon, I had to walk towards the entrance while watching a display of fireworks, lasers, fire and water fountains. After the 13-minute show, I dashed through crowds and managed to catch the last bus.

On Wednesday, I visited Disney's Hollywood Studio. It was smaller in scale than Epcot. I caught several live shows including Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show and Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. I admired how the daredevils maneuvered cars and motorbikes in the tight stage space.

I was surprised that I enjoyed Voyage of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage. This is the magic of Disney which kinder one's childhood imaginations and dreams. I even went for an animation class where I was taught how to draw Winnie the Pooh. Inside The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, I was lifted off my seat because of the 'free falling' effect of the elevator, with camera in one hand and holding on to dear life with the other.

My head was hurting and my body was aching by evening. I did not enjoyed my last ride on Rock & Roller Coaster since I felt my brain hitting against my skull with every twist and turn. I had to give up Fantasmic, a fireworks and visual hydrotechnic show since I needed a rest and I had watched a similar show at Disneyland.

By Thursday, after another bad night of sleep, I felt better. It was the searing temperature yesterday, lack of hydration and exhaustion. Since my departure from Greg's parents' place on Sunday, I had been catching at most five hours of sleep because I was sleeping at a six-bed dorm where strangers come in at weird hours and I got up early to travel.

After checking out from the dorm, I went to Disney's Blizzard Beach, a water park. I rejoiced at the overcast since I was sunburn and I was wet anyway. The first slide I went was Summit Plummet which is the world's tallest and fastest free-fall body slide. It stands at 120 feet (36 m) tall where riders can reach speeds of up to 55 miles per hour. My bums hurt after going down a couple of times at breakneck speed. As I was alone, I asked a father and a son if I could join them in a family ride called Teamboat Springs. After I had enough of slides, I took out my camera and stood in line for Summit Plummet. People thought I was going down with my Nikon D70S but I wanted a bird's eye view of the water park.

I had never went to four theme parks for four consecutive days. It was fun but tiring. I bid farewell to Orlando and drove along Route 4 towards Daytona Beach.

After checking into my motel room which overlooked the sea, I asked the front desk to recommend a good seafood restaurant nearby. I proceeded to Aunt Catfish's on the River. I loved the ambience and the food. A lot of locals were dining there. After a hearty dinner, I bought some fruits, mineral bottled water and a bodyboard at Publix supermarket for tomorrow.

On Friday, I woke up to the rising sun and strolled on the beach. I was surprised that cyclists could cycle on the beach. The sand was coarse and compact. Then, I went bodyboarding where I saw a family of sting rays, two parents and three kids. The waves were not fantastic compared to those at Barnegat Light, NJ. There was also a school of fish caught in a wave and heading towards me. That night, I had dinner at Down the Hatch, another great seafood restaurant.

On my last day in Florida, I headed towards St Augustine, USA's oldest
continuously settled city established by Europeans. It was founded by Pedro Menéndez on September 8, 1565. The city has a Spanish charm with intricate facades and designs. I did not felt I was in USA. There were many museums to visit e.g. the Fountain of Youth, San Sebastian Winery and the Castillo de San Marcos. There is free wine tasting at San Sebastian Winery. To get around the city, you can go on a sightseeing train with detailed narrations at historical attractions.

I returned the car at Jacksonville Airport in the evening of May 25 and met up with Greg where we took the arduous 16 hours night driving back to Baltimore.

Look for eight Florida picture folders here.

Out of shooting action for now

After waiting almost a year for a camera lens that has long focal length and image stabilizer, I ordered the Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED-IF AF-S VR DX Nikkor Lens from US1Camera. This was to prepare for my Yellowstone trip.

I had been frustrated at not being able to zoom up close with my 18-70mm lens, especially when the subjects are at great distances. I love details.

After switching my lens, some dust particles got inside the camera body. I managed to get rid of a brush hair from the matte focusing screen. However, some dust stains were left inside somewhere no matter how hard I cleaned with my cleaning kit.

All of the Yellowstone pictures have spots, especially against the blue sky or snowscape. I am irritated by the spots but have to accept it.

I had sent the body to Nikon Photo Service Center in Melville, NY on last Friday and just got a quote of $25 for cleaning, $12.50 for shipping and $1.50 of tax. Hopefully, I will get it back soon and no more specks on my pictures!

I am not alone

In the midst of my traveling stint, I am writing up my experiments on flu vaccine. This partially explains why I have not been posting as I am sick of writing.

Writing a paper is a different ball game compared to posting on a blog. For me, I take it to share my traveling and experiences overseas with my love ones. Of course, there are people who take their blog seriously and write stupendous articles that keep fans coming back.

In research field, there is an infamous phrase 'Publish or perish'. Many researchers enjoy doing experiments but when it comes to publishing their works, many struggle to write or present.

Trained to be detailed, critical and creative etc., I have to think of how best to present my results after interpreting experimental data and give a thorough discussion as to how my results can contribute to the global view of my field. I have to write in an objective and logical manner instead of basing on my moods and feelings.

It becomes an obstacle when you know your experiments inside out and you take for granted that others will know them well too.

Letting fellow colleagues proof-read and critique the drafts helps tremendously. I got over my mental block and started revising tables and figures after constructive criticism and discussion. I totally agree with the old saying 'Two heads are better than one'.

Seven more US quaters to a full set

I have been collecting US quarters since 2006 after noticing there were different images representing the 50 states of North America.

The 50 State Quarters® Program began in 1999 and ends in 2008 where every 10 weeks, a new state's quarter will be released in the order states were admitted into the Union.

I found it interesting to see what each state choose to represent itself. The designs included state flora and fauna, state landmarks, landscapes etc.

The state I am residing in chose the familiar dome of the Maryland Statehouse which is the country's oldest state capital building still in legislative use (since 1772).

Presently, I am lacking quarters from Alaska, Arizona, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Louisiana and Ohio.

Cylburn Arboretum

Located within the city limit of Baltimore is a 207-acre nature reserve and city park, Cylburn Arboretum.

The Cylburn Mansion is Baltimore City's horticultural headquarters and home of the Cylburn Arboretum Association. The association is run by volunteers whose mission include working with the city to
preserve Cylburn's historic grounds and buildings by its horticultural and educational activities.

Cylburn Mansion began as a summer home for Jesse Tyson and his mother. Construction started in 1863 with gneiss quarried from Bare Hills, Maryland.

It became the Cylburn Arboretum Association in 1982. Educational activities conducted by the association are horticultural lectures and demonstrations, and guided tours of the Mansion and the gardens.

There is a small museum which houses Maryland fauna. This was where I learned of Blue Bunting which I spotted while cycling along the Northern Railroad Trail.

Plant lovers can see a variety of trees, shrubs and wild flowers. Many avid bird watchers also headed towards the nature trails, equipped with binoculars and water bottles.



Cylburn Arboretum pictures.