Scenes of Denver

I finally managed to sort out my Denver photos. Here are some of my favourites of the Rocky Mountains and of Denver city. I hope you will like them as much as I enjoyed taking them.





Rocky and the highway: Can you see the storm coming in?

Sun setting over the Rocky


Another sunset over the Rocky


I love watching the sun setting over the Rocky



Various city scenes

Catchy Foreign Songs

I remember there were a number of catchy foreign language songs a couple of years back. Here are my favourite ones lol. I am sure you remember them too. :P Go ahead, sing along to them and dance to them too if you want. :)

Ketchup Song


Macarena - Los Del Rio


Dragostea Din Tei or better known as Numa Numa

Paperwork

I have lots of work to do once I am back.

1) I have to put in the claim for the AERA 2010 conference.
2) I have to put in the insurance claim for my medical expenses when I was in Denver.
3) I have to mail my USA Departure Record form back to USA as it was not collected from me when I departed USA. :( Otherwise, I may have problem entering USA in the future. Sigh.
4) I have to work on an article, which my former boss and I co-wrote, and submit it for a journal.
5) I have to work on the book chapter which my current boss, 2 colleagues and I are co-writing.
6) I have to work on an abstract for submission to another conference at the end of the year.
7) I have to work on my dissertation and get it ready for final draft by end of this month.

Exams are OVER!

Today is the last examination for Marieann! :)
Her examinations actually started just when I went to Denver. :( When in Denver, I called home almost daily reminding her to revise her work and to do her homework until the point when she heard it was me on the phone, she would say "I have nothing to say" and then run off. Sigh. Concerned for her and this is what I get in return. :( Ok, maybe she was getting stressed out by me more than her exams. :P

Photos of Denver

I took plenty of photos when I was in Denver and of The Rocky Mountains. I have yet to sort them out properly. I will upload the photos once I have sorted them out. Soon I hope so please bear with me. Thanks. :)

Adjustments

Coming back from Denver, there are 2 adjustments which I have to make. First, I have to adjust to the change in time and second, I have to adjust to the difference in climate/ weather.

I find the second adjustment fairly easy to make but it is the first adjustment that I am having problems with. My body clock is out of synchronisation with Singapore time. My body is still operating on Denver time, that means I am falling asleep at the wrong time and I am getting hungry at the wrong time. :( In other words, I am jet lagged! The symptoms I have are irregular sleep pattern, fatigue, grogginess and sometimes "disorientation", especially when I wake up - I do not know where I am lol.

I hope I will recover from jet lag soon, in another day or two's time.

Happy Day

Happy Birthday to my father.
Happy Mother's Day to my mother.

It is a dual celebration today. We celebrated both Mother's Day and my father's birthday today. As I was away, my family didn't celebrate my father's birthday with a cake as I am often the one who took charge of such things. Since I am back today and in time for Mother's Day, we had a dual celebration. The girls were all eager to blow out the candle and cut the cake for their grandparents lol.

Home

Updated 9 May Sunday 11:59pm

I arrived in Narita and cleared the customs by 3.35pm Tokyo time (Singapore time 2.35pm). UA803 was departing at 5:35pm Tokyo time (Singapore time 4.35pm) which meant I had 2 hours to kill. I was beginning to feel really tired and sleepy at this point as it was night time in Denver lol.

At 6pm Tokyo time (Singapore time 5pm), UA803 was in the air. I was in the 2-seaters and the seat next to me was empty. Yippee, more space for me. :) I was able to take photos from the window seat. :)

Sun setting in Tokyo

Although I tried my hardest not to sleep, I did fall asleep, a good 4 hours of sleep. :( I am going to have a hard time regulating back to Singapore time now. Sigh. :( We were provided with dinner an hour and a half before we landed in Singapore at 11.53pm.

I had the same thing as I left from Singapore to Narita :(

By the time I reached home, it was 1am, 9 May Sunday. After I have had a shower and unpacked some of my stuff from the luggage, it was close to 4am. But I wasn't tired and I just couldn't sleep. :( Looks like it may take a few days to regulate my sleeping pattern. :(

I am definitely home. It is so warm and humid lol.

On My Way Home II

Updated 9 May Sunday 11:46pm

I arrived at DIA just before 6:30am but there was a queue already for the United easy check in. Thank goodness the queue moved quite fast and it is rather unique as you checked yourself in through the check in kiosk. There are ground staff who would come by once you have checked in to help you attach the tags and so on. By 7:15am, I cleared customs and was inside the terminal. I had a bit of time to browse at the shops (which were opened) before boarding started at 8.01am for UA875. By 8:50am, we were on our way to Seattle. :)

Sunrise on the way to DIA

The Rocky Mountain in the distance

The roof-top of DIA which is constructed to look like The Rocky Mountains

The train within DIA which takes passengers to Gates A, B and C

We touched down in Seattle at 11:50am Denver time. The next connecting flight from Seattle to Narita was on time at 1:30pm Seattle time (I think Seattle is one hour behind Denver time). :) I had about 3 hours to spare at Seattle Airport. I browsed in the shops, had some snacks and read my JR Ward lol. Soon it was the boarding call for my flight UA875.

From Seattle to Narita, the flight was generally smooth, only some slight turbulence. I managed to watch "Leap Year", "Sherlock Holmes" and "The Book Of Eli". :) I was trying my best not to fall asleep. Lunch was a diabetic meal of chicken in white sauce, brown rice and vegetables whereas the meal before we landed in Narita was omelette for me (it looked a lot like breakfast to me but the rest had either pasta or noodle).



Once we crossed the international date line during the flight from Seattle to Narita, we are officially now 8 May instead of 7 May. :)

On My Way Home

I will be leaving for the airport in 4 hours' time. My ride will be picking me up at 6am. Although my flight leaves at 8.30am, I would rather go earlier just in case of strict security checks, etc.

My flight arrives in Singapore on 8 May, 23:55pm. By the time I get home, it will be 9 May lol. I will update my blog when I am rested lol. :)

Last Day in Denver

Today is my last day in Denver. I decided to take it easy and besides, the weather has turned cold again lol.

After 1pm Denver time (3am Singapore time), I took a walk to 16th Street Mall for the last time. First, I took the free mall ride up to one end of the ride which is Civic Centre Station where I took photos of Colorado State Capitol, The Denver Post building. The sky started to look threatening. I took the free mall ride down to the other end towards Union Station where I took photos of Union Station and Tattered Cover Book Store. I visited Tattered Cover, a book store with lots of nooks and crannies, an ample supply of sofas, overstuffed chairs, and antique tables for lounging and study and a Coffee & Tea shop with free wi-fi. I don't mind doing my writing/ work in this book store lol. I wish we have a book store like this in Singapore. Something unique about Tattered Cover too, it sells used books in addition to new books.



Me trying to take a photo amidst the strong wind lol

The building that housed Tattered Cover Book Store

It was close to 4pm Denver time (6am Singapore time) when I left Tattered Cover with a purchase of two children's books. It has started drizzling. I took the mall ride back down towards Larimer Street where The Cheesecake Factory is. I decided to have lunch cum dinner lol. I had a Lunch Pasta - Pasta Da Vinci (US$10.95): Sautéed Chicken, Mushrooms and Onions in a Delicious Madeira Wine Sauce Tossed with Penne Pasta and Parmesan. It was delicious. I ended my lunch/dinner with a slice of Lemon Raspberry Cream Cheesecake (US$6.95): Raspberry-Vanilla Cake, Creamy Lemon Cheesecake, Raspberry Lady Fingers and Lemon Mousse. Sweet! :)



When I came back to the apartment around 5:30pm, it was raining lightly. The weather has certainly turned cold again lol. Strangely, I don't feel so cold now. I think I have become more accustomed to the cold now, just when I am to return home! Haha. :P Finished up the last of my packing and now updating my blog. I shall try to rest earlier tonight lol. :)

Back to Cherry Creek

I found the shopping at 16th Street Mall a tad disappointing. There aren't as many shops as I thought there would be (unlike Oxford Street). :( I have had the intention of going back to Cherry Creek even before my colleague, Luis expressed interest in going there as he hasn't done any shopping yet and it is his last day today in Denver.

We went off to Cherry Creek just after 1pm Denver time (3am Singapore time). We had a quick look at Cherry Creek North, a shopping area too, neighbour to Cherry Creek Shopping Centre. We went separate ways at Cherry Creek Shopping Centre and regrouped at 5pm Denver time (7am Singapore time). I bought more clothes for the girls and for myself lol.

We returned to 16th Street Mall and after a while, we settled on Corner Bakery Cafe for dinner. Luis and I both had the Pesto Cavatappi (US$7.99): roasted chicken and cavatappi pasta tossed in a rich pesto cream sauce and sprinkled with toasted bread crumbs. It was simple but rich in taste and very reasonably priced too. :)



I have another day in Denver and will be returning to Singapore on 7 May. Since I got home earlier today, I might as well start packing tonight lol.

Luis, you have a safe trip home tomorrow. See you back in Singapore. :)

AERA 2010: Last Day

It's the last day of the conference. Time really flies. I attended one final session today by David who is an expert in Assessment. I managed to pose him a question from my good friend back home as well as gotten him to autograph my copy of his book lol. He wrote encouraging words in my book. Thanks. :)

On my way back to my apartment, I took some photos of the Rocky Mountains from the Denver Performing Arts Complex where I will be watching an award-winning Broadway musical show, In The Heights tonight at 8pm Denver time (10am Singapore time).



I was moved to a new apartment today because there was a leaking pipe in my former one and with the repair works going on in the apartment, there was too much dust for my eye to take. I was moved from 19D to 15D, but still facing the Rocky Mountains. :) The layout of the new apartment is the same as the previous one, just the difference in furnishing. It is still as cosy. :)

My colleague, Luis and I met up for an early dinner at 5.30pm before catching the Broadway musical, In The Heights. We went to Katie Mullen's Irish Pub & Restaurant. We shared Scotch Eggs (US$5.95): hard boiled egg, sausage wrapping and breadcrumb coating. I have been searching for this since I last had it in UK several years ago. :) Of course, it was delicious lol. I had one of the Traditional Dishes, Trawlerman's Baked Fish Pie (US$13.95): cod, salmon, clams, crab, vegetables, topped with mashed potatoes. It was really yummy. :) I love pies lol. My colleague had the Mullen's Harp-Battered Fish & Chips (US$14.95). The portion was huge!






"In The Heights" was a 2.5 hours musical with a 15 minute recess in between. Our seats were upgraded when we went to collect the tickets. Our seats were now just a couple of rows away from the stage and right smacked in the middle of the stage. :) The musical was great, the singing, the music, the dialogue. Thanks to Ursula who recommended me to watch it. :) It was almost 11pm when the show ended. I am really glad that I caught the musical at Denver Performing Arts Complex which is the second largest in the USA.


It has been an eventful day for me. :) I am beat lol.

AERA 2010: Day 4

Today is the day of my first AERA paper presentation at the 10.35am session. I am worried about two things. One is about how my presentation would go and second is about my eye. My left eye which I had poked last night was still painful when I blink and it was becoming red. :( But my eye will have to wait, my presentation comes first.

The Presentation
I found the room where I would be presenting, Plaza Court 3, Sheraton Hotel. I was the 3rd of 4 presenters to present. I was pretty nervous. My boss was there to give me support. Soon it was my turn to present. Once I started, instinct just took over. Just as the "5 minute left" marker was flashed at me, I started on my Conclusion slide lol. Each presenter had 15 minutes to present and I was the only presenter who finished it in 10 minutes haha. It was a big relief when I was done and also when my boss told me that I did a great job. :)
After the session, as I was leaving, two American ladies caught up with me and wanted my name card so that they could contact me. They said they were impressed with my presentation and thought I was better than the pros, succinct and on track. :) That's a really nice to hear. :) Just then, another group of Thai scholars came up to me and asked for my name card too and hope to email me about my presentation. They congratulated me for a presentation well-done and then proceeded to take photos with me! That's a surprise lol. All of a sudden, I have fans haha. :P


The Eye
I have to deal with my eye now as it was really uncomfortable. I sought help from the information desk at the Colorado Convention Centre. The lady at the counter, Susan was most helpful as she had been through a similar experience and we found the nearest emergency clinic which I could walk in today. I went to Urgent Care at Blake Street. My colleague, Luis was very nice and accompanied me to the clinic. We arrived at the clinic, just after 2:15pm and by 3:45pm, I was seen by the doctor. It was confirmed that I had scratched the cornea in my left eye. He was more worried about infection happening. He prescribed me antiseptic eye drops to apply 4 times a day, 2 drops each time for the next 7 days. We went to the pharmacy to pick up my prescription. As a result of my "field trip" to the clinic, both Luis and I missed two sessions which we wanted to attend. :( Sorry Luis but I really appreciated your help. :)

The Dinner
Since it was close to 5pm Denver time (7am Singapore time) and we had missed the sessions that we wanted to attend, we thought it might as well go for an early dinner at Rocky Mountain Diner. It is American food, done Colorado style and has won awards. As I was feeling relieved that my presentation went well and I have treatment for my injured left eye, I felt hungry lol. I ordered the Pan Fried Chicken (US$12.99): 1/2 pan fried chicken with mashed potatoes, vegetables, biscuit, honey butter and soup which was Turkey Posole for me. I tried, I really tried my best but I couldn't finish my food haha. I had to pack home a quarter of the chicken lol.

AERA 2010: Day 3

I was trying to take it easy today. I have my paper presentation tomorrow. This being my first AERA presentation, I was quite nervous. :( I stayed indoors most of the day, trying to prepare for my presentation.

My colleague, Luis and I had an early dinner at Dixons Downtown Grill due to my morning presentation tomorrow. We both ordered the Sage Chicken Breast (US$13.99): Sautéed chicken breast with tomatoes and wild mushrooms, finished in a burgundy tomato glaze and topped with a mixture of sage and goat cheese. Served with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The chicken was tender and juicy. The goat cheese wasn't too rich and went nicely with the tomato glaze and chicken. :) For once, I was able to finish everything on my plate without having to doggy bag it. :P



After coming back from dinner, I accidentally poked my left eye with my jacket sleeve. It was so painful that I thought I might have poked my eye out! :( The pain, though not as sharp as the initial one, persisted through the rest of the night. I hope it gets better tomorrow.

AERA 2010: Work and Play

Work
I attended the invited session at 8:15am and met up with one of the keynoters who was at the conference in Singapore last year as well as his wife. They were really delighted to see me again and invited me to have dinner with them. That was really nice of them and I accepted the invite. :)
I also attended my boss's roundtable session at 12.25pm because I wanted to see what's a roundtable session like as well as to give support to my boss, not that my boos needs support since he is a veteran AERA attendee lol.
Just before attending the roundtable session at 12.25pm, I grabbed a quick lunch at Corner Bakery Cafe. I had The Trio (under US$8) which allowed to choose any 3 salads from the menu list so I had the DC Chicken Salad, Tuna Salad and Egg Salad. The Trio was really delicious and filling. I was struggling to finish it lol. :P



Play
I met up with David and Ursula for dinner. They took me to this really nice Italian restaurant, Venice Ristorante & Winebar near Union Station.
We shared a Antipasto “Venezia” (US$17). I ordered a Risotto all’ Aragosta e Fragole (US$21): Imported Italian rice, lobster, fresh strawberries and lobster sauce. I didn't take note of what David and Ursula but all the dishes looked great and I am sure all tasted fantastic. Mine did! The sweet-sour taste of strawberries went well with the risotto and the sauce. The lobster (real lobster meat, huge chunks!) was succulent and full of bite. Heavenly. :) I had to doggy bag my risotto as the portion was huge lol. :P (Sorry, no photo to show. Have to maintain some form of decorum in front of 2 prominent professors. lol)
After dinner at 7.30pm Denver time (5.30am Singapore time), David and Ursula showed me the other side of AERA. Colleagues back home, you may know this but you may not. There is another side to AERA, other than the all seriousness during the day of presentations and discussions. It is the playfulness (and wild in some cases) of AERA which happens after dark! Haha. There are parties which are organised by the various universities and special interest groups. David and Ursula took me to the School of Education, Stanford University party where I was introduced to a number of their friends, all prominent in their area of research. I felt honoured. :) Next, we went to another SIG party where they presented a lifetime award to another of their friend.
Finally, we went to the best party of AERA, the Latino party haha. It seemed really surreal that I was brought to the best AERA party by 2 elderly professors who really enjoyed themselves too! :) There was lots of dancing to Latino music. So much fire, passion and life! :) I got to meet some of David's and Ursula's friends and they all made me feel right at home at the Latino party. :)


I was dropped back at my apartment at 11.30pm Denver time (9.30am Singapore time).

What a day! I think this is the best conference I have attended so far haha. :P I know what I will be doing at the next AERA. :P I feel really honoured that David and Ursula took me under their wings, took the time to show me the ropes about AERA, introduced me to their friends and most importantly, they are encouraging and supportive of my work, they treated me as a colleague, regardless of the fact that I am still very young in my career. :) Thank you so much.