She speaks. Or rather, she writes.

again, the resized pictures are cut off for some reason I don’t want to bother finding out, so click http://blog.myspace.com/azlinatalib for the full view..

Wednesday 14 Sept

The day starts out pretty good, I drive us to Monument Valley which is
about 3 hours away.. Believe me, it can get boring driving, if you’re
travelling at 65 mph.. So I make it interesting.. I speed. HAH! Some
highway patrolman pulls me over.. No, he was coming from the opposite
direction, so he literallly just started driving ON MY LANE.. And
forced me to the shoulder of the road. Once by my side, he goes in this
mean seargent like voice : "Speed limit is 65mph, not 85 mph" .. Well.
That sucks Mr. highwayguy. Nways. He doesn’t gimme a ticket or
anything, just warns me that a huge oversized trailer is going to come
my way, and I should stop speeding. Well I would stop speeding if only
you would raise the speed limit! Hahaha.. Denial

Well we got there.. ANd for me it was just an amazing feat to have
accomplished. I kept thinking back to the days we were in Missouri, I
thought No way in hell could we ever make the journey here. And again
in NYC, talking to Mary, looking at her pictures.. It just seemed
impossible that we would ever be able to experience that for ourselves.
And yet here we were, right smack in the middle of the Mojave Indian
Reservation, driving our rented car (not in some crappy tour).. It was
soo surreal.. It really goes to show, dreaming big is no wasted effort..

Car in desert..

The rocks were a magical splendour of nature. The formations were
incredibly pretty for something that came out of nothing but wind
erosion. The Mesa was table- like rocks.. The Bhutte (Pronounced Byiut)
were the ones that had been eroded to sticks that stuck out.  And
after even further erosion they were called something else I can’t
remember.

The Rock formation at the back is called The Three Sisters.. The two at the sides are what they call Bhuttes..

And something as big as this is a Mesa…

If you look reaaaal close, you’ll see me sitting on the ledge..

Being in the midst of the desert was an unforgetable experience.
Everywhere I looked was sand and Red Rocks formations. Felt like I was
starring in some wild wild west movie. We didn’t know that climbing/
hiking up the rocks were considered trespassing, so yeah, we did
trespass into the Indian reservations. Cool huh?!? Hahahaha..

That’s us trespassing.. Hahaha.. Fun climb though..

GeeeDEEeeeeeUppppp!!!!!!!

EEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this picture…

We started to make our way back at about 6, arrived in Flagstaff where
we had been staying at about 9. Went out for dinner with Mark, the guy
that let us stay in his girlfriend’s house for the 2 days we were
there. Made a new friend, learnt a lot about the Indians, like how they
were an independant sovereign nation within the Unites States. They
were bounded by the federal law, but not to the state law. They made
their own law, and anyone within their land were subjected to the ways
of their laws.

All of us with Mark..

Thank God they’re not violent people.. The one lady I talked to that
was from the Mojave mountains explained that they only killed animals
for necessity, and even then they make use of every part that they
don’t eat as they possibly can, so the animal does not die in vain.
They lead a pretty simple life, and are mostly supported in the
American economy by tourism. I bought a dreamcatcher from her,
autographed and all :)

My dreamcatcher :) Everyone is in the photo, Me, Icky, and Catherine is in the mirror :)

Tuesday, Sept 13

We pick up a friend we met in LA, Catherine, in Vegas before making our
way to Grand Canyon. On the way we stop and see the Hoover dam, one of
the Man made Wonders of the world..

The Hoover Dam.. Slightly dissapointing to me, I expected it to be more than just that..

We leave for Grand Canyon soon after, as the mission was to catch the
sunset. A crazy 1 and half hour drive gets us there.. and boy was it
worth all the effort we put in to get on this trip, and worth every
penny that we spent..

The wind was blowing strongly, the cold biting in my fingers. The sheer
drop from the canyon edge should be enough to send people scurrying
away. And yet everyone stayed, transfixed by the beauty that lay ahead.
The setting sun was casting shadows in the Canyon, creating a 3D effect
that no imagination could surpass. Everyone sat in silence, as if
respecting the magnitude of the creation of God.. and we just..
STared.. STared.. Trying hard to comprehend the sight before us..
STared.. And when the sun was no more, we shakily (frozen to the core)
make our way to the car, each of us feeling unfulfilled, that we want
to see MORE of the canyons..

Waiting for the sunset..

And it starts happening, it’s descend highlighting the Colorado river down below..

I can still remember standing there.. STaring.. The wind in my face, the sun leaving..

The beauty that makes you STare.. Pictures do no justice..

That did not seem possible for a bit, as we planned to go up to Utah to
see the Monument Valley the next day, and then make our way back on
Thursday.. But I guess the overpowering desire was consuming enough for
us to make it happen, by hook or by crook.

So we do the unthinkable : Get up at 4 in the morning (after sleeping
at 12 the night before), drag our feet out of bed (kudos to Catherine
with iron steel determination) and make the journey up to catch the
sunrise..

We were already running late, so I was speeding just a teeny weeny bit.
And I was really watching out for those crazy animals that were
suicidal enough to jump in front of our red car.. But heehehe.. I STILL
GOT CAUGHT. The cop pulls me over, ( What was he doing there, 5.45 in
the morning??!?!?!?!?!?! don’t they sleep???!??!) Hahahahaha.. I
SOOOOOO cannot afford a ticket, so I wind the window down and in my
sweetest most respectful voice begin immidietly apologising for what I
did wrong. (Hell I was soo scared it did not take much trouble)
Hahahah.. Turns out, I was apologising for the WRONG offense..
Hahahahaha.. At that point I just wanted to laugh, but realized then I
might come off as dangerously insane. So I listened to the warning,
promised to do what he wanted me to, and merrily got on my way (at 40
mph).. WITHOUT A TICKET!!!!! Yahooooooooo!!!! HAahahaAHAhahaAH.. Close
call!!

Made it there safe, cheerfully watch the sunrise..

And really, why is it always me getting pulled over?!?? I mean, Icky speeds
too, waaaay faster than me, and his driving is much worse than me!
Seriously.. What’s wrong with the cops here in the STates??!? Hahaha..
Jangan marah Icky!

So we catch the sunrise in relative ease, and again, the hush
respectful silence with sooo many people around was something that I
was amazed at. It was like the Canyon itself commanded the silence,
just by being magnificent. (Or it could be people were soo cold they
didn’t bother with talking)..

~CooOOooLLLLLDdddddddd…

Whichever way to see it.. This time
around we went on the shuttle buses and went to see more lookout points
that painted a different picute of the great canyon. Time did not
permit us to hike down and truly claim the title of having ’survived’
the canyons..

Sun is up and about
casting shadows.. I wonder if this is where Britney shot her video clip
of  ‘I’m not a girl, not yet a woman’…?

Imagin how magical it can be to see elks/ deers/ whatever these animals were up close…

We make our journey back at about 11am, for some insane reason we
decide to check what Pheonix has to offer. Blaaaah! Asphalt jungle!

We start the trip down to Vegas.. I’m all excited! LA has nothing much
except the normal Hollywood blitz.. THIS trip was gonna blow my mind, I
just new it..

So we arrive about 5 in Vegas, and meet up with Cindy and Andy who has
graciously decide to host us there.. We spend some time talking and
voilla! Learn new things everyday.. Andy is a *ahem* computer
programmer that successfully managed to built a program that now
comfortably supports him and Cindy. That was the story at first..
LATER.. Jeng JEng Jeng.. hahahaha..  He’s actually a professional
gambler, he bets on baseball games based on the recommendation from a
program he wrote.. How cool is that??!? And it’s all done over the
internet, somewhere in between legal and not. Hahaha.. I think that’s
super cool.. ANd creative to boot..

We check out the ’strip’ later that night.. Truly something I never
seen (Except on TV) in my life. The whole street was alife with people,
and performers. Every casino that we went to had the same thing, and
everything was all spruced up with entertainment to attract more
people. Mirage, Paris, Bellagio.. They had fountain, plays, acrobats..  Everything was checked out.. None was
played :)

Fountain at Bellagio, where Ocean’s Eleven was shot

View from atop of Ballys

The Pirate show that is just an excuse for exploitation of women.. But the guys were hot! Hahaha

That’s right Icky.. I won’t lower my standards to raise yours! Hahahaha..

I’ve been to many casinos in other trips, but this is different. The people… everyone
had the same look.. The look.. Resigned to loses, yet somehow pulled
towards the lure of possible riches. It gave the impression that a lot
of them had travelled far and wide, just to have that one chance of
wealth, only to realise that the system will not allow such random
luck. To win big, you need to know the system, and know it well.

The people around the
Blackjack tables.. Apparently it’s illigal to take photos, but Icky got
away with it.. Look at them! All having the downcast looks..

Not me though.. Hahahaha..

Nways.

Then we went to check out the Red Rock Canyon in Vegas.. Good warm up
for Grand Canyon :) Did some hiking, made some horror videos, tempted
fate a little bit by doing crazy things.. But that was before realizing that if we
DID die, it’ll be waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay cooler if it was in Grand Canyon.
Then we stopped and continued the supposedly boring scenic drive in the
car.. Hahaha.. It was cool though, figuratively and literally.

Doesn’t look like I’m close to death, but it was actually a high climb….

….without proper climbing tools…

Sanity returns and we drive around in the car..

Although we did miss this part… Pushing it to the edge..

And here’s where I first realised that I’m afraid of heights!

I’ve been here for the past.. what? 4 days? And things have never been
better.. Today we didn’t do anything, due to the fact I just could not
drag myself put of bed at 7 in the morning.. Tired after too much
walking and waiting anxiously yesterday. So far, we have done quite a
bit, thanks a lot to Yas, who took us around and showed us the ‘fast
lane’ of LA..

The best for me was people watching in Venice beach. So many people, so
much culture. In fact, towards the end everything became a bit too much
for me to absorb, the scene is SOOOO much more different here than it
was in NYC, and it was difficult making the transition.

in the tiny background is someone teaching someone else how to dance..
Just watching them was an entertainment.. It must be liberating to be
so free and pretty much don’t care if people are watching you.. Then in
the front is one guy trying to learn some skateboarding skills..

This is a wall where people just come to express creativity.. They
allow you to do graffitti on the wall.. Some are really good.. Some
others are well.. hmm..

They have a free speech corner.. Something Malaysia definately need to
learn to adopt.. We stifle a lot of opinions and potential mind growth
by curbing our freedom of speech.. We talk about creativity and how
important it is in life.. Yet we are so quick to condemn when someone
has an opinion that does not conform to the norm..

Here is perfect example about how easy Islam is.. It’s just us the
followers that think it’s difficult. Seeing him and other instances
that I’ve encountered is a humbling experience..

End of watching people.. The rest of LA is equally exciting.. It’s hard
not to be swept away with the hype the celebraties pull you in. It’s
equally hard to resist the temptation to gawk and stare in disbelief at
the posh living areas and the brand names I cannot afford as of yet..
In a way, THIS is the America that has been propagated through the
shows we watch on tv.. Baywatch, Laguna beach, Beverly Hills 90210..
and everything else in between where people talk about the latest
fashion, whats in and who’s hot..

after a while.. I started talking and walking funny.. Hahahahah.. You
just feel different walking there.. With everyone driving really posh
cars and carrying bags after bags of shopping.. What a dangerous ground
for a girl!! Hahahaha.. Thank God I’m not most girls..

Then it comes to stars wannabes.. Some do real good.. Micheal Jackson
is plentiful here as people shamelessly immitate his skin, hair and
dance moves..

Haaaa.. This is what that got us in trouble.. We were so enthralled at
the POSSIBILITY of meeting celebraties that it was an agony for us to
decide to go home. Not that we knew anyone/ could see anyone there..
Hahahaha.. But that’s Hollywood for you.. We reach downtown and wait
for a nonexisting bus for over an hour before one of the drivers I
asked was helpful enough to set us on our way. We barely catch the last
bus, and come home to a worried Aunt Aidah.. I’m sorry Auntie and
Uncle.. We should’ve called. Doesn’t help that the past months have set
us in an independant mode, where we all but live and survive
individually. But we’re learning.. :)

Today is catch-up with energy day, stocking up energy for tomorrow’s Universal Studios tour..

arriving in the evening..

getting on the boat.. up close to the horseshoe falls..

after the superamazing<< running out of words>> boat to the very edge.. taking a breather n watching the american falls… just fully appreciating the fact that i was THERE.. truly one of God’s magnificent creation.. ( i think i was tearing up in the picture here.. hehhe)

…. now doesn’t this just take your breath awway?? imagine standing there..

then later at night we come back…

if i look sombre it’s because i was just.. speechless and awed.. hehehe.. tak sempat senym actually.. but really.. awesome.. just look at it!

and just when i thought it was over.. i come back the next day.. and voilla!!!! ANOTHER scene unfolds with the magical falls!!

a rainbow is created!!!!

i actually spent time blowdrying my hair, shoes and jeans that morning.. hahahah.. what a waste.. i was wet!

a trip well worth whatever we paid.. thanks dad!

August 20- Sept 3

These past 3 weeks have been an emotional roller coaster for me. SO many things happened, most of it so fast. We had to say goodbyes to all the friends, mentors.. people that had been the centre of our lives for the past 3 months and that guided us through the good and bad times. We had to pack and leave the apartment and the community where we have grown our roots, made a difference. Leave behind the hazy lazy days and get into the real world.

We fly into DC and meet up with more interns, both from India and USA. More friendships develop, more fun encountered. More business symposioms, more knowledge gained. Too bad we didn’t have more time to get to know each other. The Malaysians we invited to the Malaysian embassy to do a presentation on what we had been doing for the past 3 months. That was an awesome experience, not only because I met and talked to the Malaysian ambassador himself, but more so because I met and made really good friends there. Friends that have been there and done sooo much for me and icky. They have gone out of their way to welcome us and host us and feed us, and been the solutions to soo many of the problems that we had been facing. Their kindness is something I can only hope I will someday repay.

Okies.. No more emotional drama.. Time to talk about sight seeing. Starting with DC. We done a lot, but there is so much more I wish I did. Went to Capitol Hill, the war memorials, the Lincoln memorial, the national monument. Went to the Natural History musuem, the National American History musuem, the Holocaust museum, Smithsonian Castle and the area surrounding it. Owh how can I forget White House. Then we take a leap of faith and go the NYC.. to stay with a friend we just got to know…

Smitsonian Castle in DC

.. and it was Awesome (running dangerously low on vocabs here.. I’ve done amazing, wonderful, need to save breathtaking for the nature related experiences, what else??) hahahaha.. Well, tclss, NY was more than I had ever imagine it would be. The feel and exhiliration of being part of such a huge city is something that everyone should experience at least once in their lives. The city just never sleeps! Everyything works for 24 hours, and you see so many diverse culture/ religion/ ethnicity that you feel right at home! Time square filled me with awe (I literally was standing there and just gaping at the whole sight before me).

Went into MTV, Toys R Us, Hard Rock, Trump TOwer, Ground Zero, Winter Park, Rockefeller Centre, Central Park, everyhting lah! CNN, David Letterman, scenes from Sex and the City.. name it and I probably did it. We did the tourist stuff too.. Musuems (MoMA) when they were free, Ferry ride to Staten Island to pass the Lady Liberty, Empire State Building (didn’t go up as we were staying in a high rise apartment that gave us a better view), fifth Ave, Chinatown, Little Italy. Went to Brooklyn to some park to get a beautiful skyline of the lower Manhattan skyline. Went to a theather that cracked me up laughing, went to a musical. (thanks to our host Mary).

lower manhattan skyline taken from brooklyn

Ground zero.. and every person i met here, i asked about their experience during 9/11..

ambik gambar jerrr.. no money to go up there ponnn.. (yES.. ThATS the real story..not because we have a better view from somewhere else.. hahaha)

you’re fired! (i know.. cliche.. but tak tau nak tulis aper lagii..)

Nways

Then came the even better part: My roadtrip to Niagara Falls!! hehehe.. one word : Breathtakinglymagnificent. (YEs, that is one word). I remember back in high school I asked  my Geography teacher whether it was possible to  go under the Fall.  She said no, people die when they do that. Siap kene gelak lagi woooo.. Hehehehe.. I’m not bitter or anything, but I felt such an overpowering sense of fulfillment to be on the boat just a few feet away from the gushing falls. And to sit and stare at the falls.. man, I’ll never tire of it. I said I was a city gal, but I’m also very into nature. And Niagara Falls is about nature as you can get..

Pictures will be in a separate blog :)

Now in LA, can’t wait for the adventure to begin!!!!

It’s a nice Sunday morning.. I’ve had my first real breakfast in
weeks.. "real" meaning appropriate timing and proper breakfast-y food..

So it’s time to start updating one month’s worth of silence..

Let’s start with the roadtrip to Chicago via St Louis..

Day 1

Arrive at St. Louis at 10 am, miss the early bird specials for cheaper
parking. Fork out 6 bucks instead.. Go up and oooh aaahhh at the St.
Louis Arch, better known as the Gateway to the West.. Up 648 ft in the
sky, we got a view of Missouri/ St. Louis on one side and Illinois on
the other. Paid 10 bucks for it, so I’m going to convince myself that
it was an amazing experience,, hahahaha.. It was. Really.. hahahahaha..
Then went to some festival, German I think.. Did a few things not worth
remembering, then headed back to the hotel.. Later in the evening was
the best part : SHOPPING in factory outlets.. hehehe.. on sale items
having more discounts!!!

me with the arch in the background

Day 2

Spend more time in Missouri, doing things I don’t remember. Then we
head of to Chicago!!! Excitement still grips me when I talk about that
trip. We arrived at about 9 in my uncle’s place where we were all gonna
stay. Have dinner, talk and get to know the uncle I never knew I had/
met. Call it a night.

picture taking just before saying goodbye

Day 3

Take the train and have our first real taste of Chicago!! First stop :
Sears tower! (Another 10 bucks, but this time I’m not faking it, it was
well worth the money!!!) I guess I’m a city gal in heart, and to see
the whole view of Chicago’s skyline was just spectacular. Then we
forked out another 6 bucks for a map just so that we could locate the
visitor’s centre (where ultimately we had more than just FREE maps). No
pain no gain huh.. Did the normal : walk down Michigan Avenue (all rich
hoitty toitty shops I will only afford ten years from now) Go to some
modern art musuem (which was free admission for that day..) and walked
down the beach! It was the Lake Michigan’s beach/ Bay, but the lake is
just SOOOO Huge that you can easily mistake it for the ocean. Another
truly spectacular moment for me..

view from the top of the sears tower

at millineum park

Day 4

All the daredevils are unleashed as we rock Six Flags Great America!!
The rollercoasters, the crazy rides.. Genting is puny in comparison to
the variety of rides they have here. 2 things I remember most : 1st, we
had to walk back to the car because I had left the camera.. And this
lady approaches us asking whether we need tickets.. she had special
ones that she got for 25 bucks.. And since the original tickets were 49
bucks ($39 if you brought along a can of coke) .. we jumped at the
amazing opportunity to save $$$$$.. 2nd thing: When were waiting in
line for the most fearsome ride (De Ja Vu) and were AT THE VERY FRONT
(in fact, we were already in our seats) when they ask us to GET OFF..
because there was a technical glitch.. hahah.. 2 hours of wait (and we
had front seats!!) was now a frustrating hope against hope that they
would not close the ride.. After 15 minutes or so, they say it’s fine,
and let us on again. Now the terror is doubled.. hehehe.. I was scared
senseless that something would go wrong again and I’ll fly out of my
chair.. hahahah..

the scary ride

the first ride.. baru nak warm- up.. hehehe

Day 5

Say our goodbyes.. and leave for Chicago one last time. Go to
Chinatown, and Harpo studios. Went to some area where we got to take
magnificent photos of Chicago’s skyline. Ate the ever famous Chicago’s
pizza (Giordano’s) Sedapulicious. About 6 pm we say our silent goodbyes
to the awesome land and head back to boring ol Springfield..

skyline

oprah’s palace

As a whole the trip was something I will treasure for a long time to
come. I regret not taking the boat tours, and learning about the
history of the buildings there. It was a shame we didn’t do many
things, mostly because we were conserving cash, and also because we
just did not have enough time. But hey, these factors only strenghten
my resolves, and gives me all the more reasons to come back here
sometime in the future.

one last crazy picture…