Lyon and around

My first week and a half in Lyon have been magical. I realize what a cliche that sounds like, but it is true. That is not to say that there aren't things that I have found less than savoury about my French experience, but there is so much more to adore and be enchanted by than there is to complain about. Within 10 days I feel as though so much has happened that I couldn't possibly document all of

A New Justin Moore Song

Justin Moore played "Hank It" at the QDR Christmas Wish Show. A great song, and a great story behind it.

A Young Taylor Swift

This is Taylor before she was a star. So like, 5 or 6 years ago.

Randy Houser at the QDR Christmas Wish Concert

Randy really slows it down, and the emotion pours out of him. Watch this and see how talented this new QDR Artist is.

QDR Christmas Wish Concert Highlights

Justin Moore, Randy Houser, Lee Ann Womack and Randy Owen donated their time and talents to help local families in need this holiday season. It was an amazing night! Here are some highlights.

X'mas in the tropics

...
Jingle bells, jingle bells,
Jingle all the way!
O what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh ...

Familiar with that song?? Yes... Christmas is coming ... Christmas is coming. I luv December as I can enjoy the Christmas songs and Christmas decorations, be with my family and I just like everything related to the Season. Fortunately, when I visited Singapore last week, even though it was only a short visit; I had a chance to capture the Christmas beauty in this small island. I know that this country always turns to be a beautiful country every Christmas. They usually start to decorate at the end of November to welcome the Season.

Here are some Christmas decorations in Singapore...


You can see a X'mas tree from a ferry approaching Harbour Front...

Orchard Rd welcomes Christmas



Decoration in front of Lucky Plaza


Orchard Road...


The Sweet Family - Mr. & Mrs. Sweet, Nicky, Holly & Chris


Inside HMV

Ohhh, do not forget the Christmas trees...


A big tree at Takashimaya


Another tree...


Coca cola X'mas tree


Trees at the Changi airport

A bit OOT, I saw the 'below' Chocolate tower, which was displayed in one of the malls in Singapore (I forget the name of the mall :)).

Wow, what a great work and two thumbs up for the Chef.


Last but not least, Merry Christmas 2008 & Happy New Year 2009 everybody. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

May your Christmas be joyful, peaceful, bright and filled with the love; and may God above will bless your Christmas day and everyday with peace and happiness.

A New Jason Michael Carroll Song

JMC Played at the NC Children's Promise Radiothon and busted out some new material. This song is called "That's All I Know" and it's pretty solid.

Blake Shelton's new superpower

After finding out he was one of People Magazine's sexiest men, Blake took to the streets of NY City to work it like only Blake Shelton can work it.

Darius Rucker at NC Children's Hospital

Darius was fantastic with the kids at the hospital. You could tell he was feeling fortunate to have healthy kids at home. A great performance. Enjoy part of it.

Probably against the rules of Soccer...

In Soccer, one is allowed to do a "flip-throw" to get the ball in bounds. Usually you pass it to a teammate. At the very least you try to avoid the opponents face.

QDR Acoustic Cafe: Kristy Lee Cook

It's fun to see someone of celebrity off their platform. We didn't get to see enough of Kristy Lee Cook on American Idol to make a judgement. She's a real sweetheart, but isn't afraid to tell you what for.

What is Taylor Swift trying to tell us?

The lyrics in Taylor's album jacket are all in lower case, except for select letters. It turns out, by writing those letters down you get a little message from Taylor. I've figured out two so far:

-Track 4 "Hey Stephen" makes LOVE AND THEFT

-Track 11 "Forever and Always" makes IF YOU PLAY THESE GAMES WE'RE BOTH GOING TO LOSE. (is that another encrypted dig at Joe Jonas?)

Not sure what happens if you figure them all out. Play along at home and leave your discoveries in the comments.

Happy Veterans Day!

It's important to recognize the men and women who served our country proudly. It's also important to say Thank You to the families who made sacrifices of their own while there loved one fought for our freedom. Local musician Greg Russell wrote a song called "Brave." Enjoy it HERE.

Taylor Swift gets emotional about Joe Jonas

Ryan Seacrest got Taylor to open up about Joe Jonas. Looks like he really wrecked her... are those tears?

QDR Cheerleader Rival Idol: Knightdale

The Knightdale Cheer team visited before a must win game against East Wake. The team said they have no fear, and are confident they're playoff bound.

-Click HERE for a popular Knight fight cheer.

-Click HERE for a QDR Cheer co-written by Billy Dukes.

-Then the girls started taking confessions. Click HERE to hear what one guy was up to.

-And somehow they got guys to start singing for them. Click HERE for that ridiculousness.

QDR Acoustic Cafe: Justin Moore

Justin Moore is real cool guy, and has a great voice. This is the first of a few videos of his visit last month. This song is a ton of fun.

QDR Halloween Harvest Ball

A recap of the Craziness from this year's Halloween Bash. Apologies to those who sees themselves doing something they regret.

QDR Cheerleader Rival Idol: Green Hope

The Falcon Varsity team stopped by to fire up the football team for Friday night. These girls definitely weren't afraid of the microphone. It was a ton of fun.

-Hear the seniors talk about their expectations from the under classmen for "Senior Night" HERE.

-A Lacrosse player calls in to defend his sport and fire up lady Falcons. Click HERE to listen.

-What you can expect to hear when the Falcons score their first touchdown on Friday. Click HERE to listen.

QDR Cheerleader Rival Idol: Fuquay Varina

It was Fuquay Varina in for QDR's Cheerleader Rival Idol. The varsity cheer team got the team fired up for Homecoming. First they showed some QDR Love. Then they did some calisthenics. And finally things got out of hand with a great QDR Cheer.

The Return of Terry Tate- Office Linebacker!

It's been too long. I spit coffee all over my computer when I watched this.

Zac Brown visits the QDR Studio for some live "Chicken Fried"

Zac played a great show at the Lincoln Theatre this month. Beforehand he wowed the QDR staff with some live chickin pickin'.

A dog drinking water in super slow motion.

This is fascinating. I'm amazed that dogs curl their tongues down, and slurp like a soup ladle. I always figured they pulled the water up. Who knew?

QDR Acoustic Cafe: Matt Stillwell

Matt is a North Carolina guy, and has a real funny video for a song called "Shine." This song is called "Damn This Rain." He sang this and others one day in late September.

Brilliant, stupid, genious Fun!

Umbilical Brothers - video powered by Metacafe

This combines my love of bears, with my love of well rehearsed stupid humor. Sweet Josephine is this funny! Watch to the end, it totally pays off!

Singapore's Icons

Singapore Icon

Esplanade theatre

Daylight


At night


Singapore Flyer

Merlion

Daylight


At night

Formula One Night Race... First Singapore Grand Prix

One of the F1 signboards

F1 night race... such a creative idea. Even I always watch the Formula One race on TV, I have never thought of watching the night race. This race will be the first F1 night race ever in Formula One history and the first Singapore Grand Prix. The event starts from September 26th, 2008 to September 28th, 2008. Around 80,000 tickets are on sale and the prices start from SGD168 to SGD 2,588.


Singapore GP circuit map ... the track is in blue colour (taken from www.singaporegp.com)

I walked along the road around Esplanade area and saw the preparation for the race. The race is not held on the purpose-built circuit, but on closed city streets. It is a similar concept to the Monaco Grand Prix in Monte Carlo.


The road which is included in the race track. Look at the red circle area ... very bright like daylight, isn't it?


Orange team's race car on display (Orchard Rd)

I cannot wait to watch this race on TV...!!

Mooncake Festival Decorations in Singapore

Singapore really is a festival city. They celebrate many festivals within a year, such as Chinese New Year, Moon Cake, Deepavali, Aidil Fitri, Christmas & New Year. A part of the city is always adorned with beautiful decorations during the festival. I was very lucky for having the chances to visit Singapore in two consecutive Septembers, when the Mooncake festival or Lantern Festival is usually being celebrated. The Festival is usually held in the Chinatown.

I upload some pics of Singapore's mooncake festival decorations (Sept 2007 & Sept 2008) in this blog and will write a bit about what mooncake festival is. Hope you enjoy them ...

Chinatown main road

Decoration 2007


Decoration 2008

Mooncake or Moon or Lantern or Mid-autumn festival or known in Chinese as Zhongqiu Jie (中秋節), is a harvest festival celebrated by Chinese people. Mooncake festival is usually celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th month Chinese calendar. Therefore, according to the Solar calendar, the festival is always celebrated around mid or late September. This year the festival was celebrated on September 14th, 2008 and next year will be on October 3rd, 2009. As its name, the traditional food of this festival is the mooncake and you can expect to see paper lantern decorations during the festival. On that day, all the family members usually gather to have dinner and eat moon cakes together.

Paper lanterns

2007


2008

Others...

2007


2008

There are many versions of the moon festival legend. This is my mom’s version. Once upon a time, the earth had 10 suns. One day, the suns appeared together and burnt the earth. Then, the King ordered Hou Yi, a famous archer, to shoot down nine of the suns. Because Hou Yi succeeded in his task, the King rewarded him an eternal life medicine. He hid the medicine under a rafter. His wife, Chang Er, found and swallowed the medicine. After that, she noticed that she could fly and flew into the moon. Hou Yi was not able to bring his wife back to the earth. Then, he visits his wife once a year, on the 15th day of the 8th month Chinese calendar during full moon. Therefore, on that night, the moon is full and beautiful...

I'm a sucker for bear costumes

It's a little sad, but I love them. That Coca-Cola bear... hilarious. Yogi, Boo-boo... I can't get enough. So I apologize in advance for laughing at this sad video of the devastating beachfront piers in Texas. But it's a friggin' bear!!! The best part is how the camera hesitates when he's asked to show the pier.

'Mango' ... Indonesia's must eat fruit

Mango or Mangga

Oh, I luv this month ‘September’, because I can eat my favourite fruit 'Mango'. We call it ‘Mangga’ in Indonesia. It is a seasonal fruit ... starts in September till November every year. I missed this fruit very much when I was working overseas two years ago. The supermarkets overseas sell this fruit but the price was too expensive for me. In my hometown, during the season, you can buy this fruit Rp.4,000 - Rp.5,000 (around USD 0.4-0.5) for 1 kg Mango. It is not even 1 dollar per Kg, can you imagine? Yes, it is very cheap ... Last year when I was in Singapore, the price was around SGD 2 for 1 piece ... expensive :).

There are wide varieties of mangoes in Indonesia, namely, mangga gadung, mangga podang, mangga harum manis, mangga manalagi, etc. I like mango gadung. It tastes sweet and delicious ...mmm... I really luv it.


Mango, anyone?!?

In addition, mango has superb nutritional contents. It contains high contents of prebiotic; fiber; antioxidants, such as vitamin C, A & E, polyphenols, and carotenoids. It also contains protein; essential nutrients such as potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron; vitamin B2 & B6; and folate.

So if you are now in Indonesia or if you have plans to come to Indonesia in the next two months, you have to try this ‘must eat fruit’.

Geysers at Whakarewarewa Valley

One of the Geyser's sign board

Whakarewarewa Valley ... quite a difficult word to say and write, I got it wrong everytime I write this word. I went to this place with a guided tour. We visited the geothermal area, which is located in Rotarua City, New Zealand. Geothermal area means that you can get the heat source from the earth within this area. Maori people lived in this valley since around 13th century and took the benefit of the heat source for cooking and heating.


Geyser eruption

There are at least 65 geysers in this area. However, only 7 geysers are still active now; namely, Kereru Geyser, Prince of Wales Feathers Geyser, Pohutu Geyser, Te Horu Geyser, Waikorohihi Geyser, Mahanga Geyser, and Pareia Geyser. There rest are the dormant geysers. The most famous one is Pohutu Geyser, which can erupt up to 30 metres high every hour. Unfortunately, I could not manage to see and take a photo of the Pohutu's eruption as we had limited time and to leave to continue the trip.

Second Video of Clementine. Twice as cute!

Each night after dinner, but before I leave to go to the radio station, my wife and I play a game in the backyard to wear the puppy out a bit.  Watching her run full speed at you is awesome; it's a look of pure joy on her face. It's times like this I wish puppy's could giggle.

Sydney Opera House

I believe when you see the picture above you immediately know what I am going to write about today. Everyone know Sydney Opera House. Yes ...it is a very well-known landmark in Australia. So ... if you hear about Sydney Opera House, then you will immediately think about Australia. This is one of the ‘must see’ sites in Sydney like Eiffel Tower in Paris or Statue of Liberty in New York.

It is located in Sydney, close to Sydney harbour bridge and the Royal Botanic Garden, New South Wales, Australia. So, after you visited Sydney Opera House, you can continue to walk to the Botanic Garden ... it is a huge, big garden. Sydney Opera House was designed in 1957 by Jorn Utzon, a Danish architect. The construction work started in 1959 and was estimated to be completed in 4 years. However, the building was just completed and officially opened in 1973.
It is included as one of a UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 2007.


Brief explanation about the shell roof
It is an amazing unique building. For me, the unique thing about this building is the ‘shell-structure’ roof. The roof is just such a creative idea.


And ... the Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House is the home of many famous performances (theatre, ballet, orchestra, concert, opera etc)and arts exhibitions. When I visited this place, I did not have the chance to see any performances there as the ticket was quite expensive for me. I think I need to work harder so I would be able to experience and see one of the opera performances at Sydney Opera House one day :)

Free "Chicken Fried" Download

"I like my chicken fried, cold beer on a Friday night. A pair of jeans that fit just right..." Yeah, that song. The Zac Brown Band sings it and you can get a free download right here. Click away and enjoy.

QDR Acoustic Cafe: The Road Hammers

It was easy to tell these guys had done a ton of live shows. They are just the right amount of corny, without going too far. Where can I buy one of those Resonator guitars?

QDR Acoustic Cafe: Derek Sholl

Derek was a really good guy, with a big powerful voice and he doesn't hold back. This is one of a few songs he played for us, over time I'll put together the others.

New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute

New Zealand Maori Arts & Crafts Institute

If you have interest in indigenous cultures, New Zealand Maori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) is a place worth to be visited. NZMACI was established in 1963 by the New Zealand government. The institute aims to protect and teach the authentic Maori arts and crafts and Maori culture to the younger generation. The Maori Arts and Crafts Institute is located in Rotarua, the north island of New Zealand, around 3 hours drive from Auckland.

In this place, you will see the unique carving and weaving style of Maori. There are carving and weaving schools in the institute. The students exhibit their carvings and weaving works; and also share story about Maori history and their ancestors. You also can see Maori traditional house.


Maori traditional house

I am not an expert in the area of cultures or arts, especially Maori cultures or arts, but visiting this place gave me different experiences. I believe after your visit you will appreciate the Maori people’s spirit and efforts to protect their identity by passing down to and teaching the younger generations about their cultures ... because I really do!!

Bali beaches

After 'the caves' yesterday, today I post an article about beaches. Beaches in Bali ... great places to relieve you stress or energize yourself during your holiday. There are many beaches in Bali, around 8 beaches if I am not mistaken. I have gone to some of them, Nusa Dua, Sanur, Kuta and Jimbaran beaches.


Sanur beach

Sanur beach is a white-sand quiet beach that is located on the southeastern part of Bali, about 5-10 minutes drive from Denpasar. You can have a beautiful sunrise view here. Other things that you can do here are sunbath, watersports or snorkeling. Nightlife here is not as lively as in Kuta. If you have spare time, spend half day to come here just to walk along the beach or to enjoy the tranquility.


Nusa Dua beach

Nusa Dua is an exclusive and quiet beach. It is located in the most prestigious and luxurious area in the southern part of Bali. There are many expensive International five-stars hotels in this area such as Hyatt, Hilton, Sheraton, Westin etc, and the beach is located at the back of those hotels. It is a nice beach, but I do not really like it as the beach is really really quiet. It is suitable for you if you want to enjoy the peace and relax with your family.

The last one is Jimbaran beach. Jimbaran beach is located close to the airport. If you come to Bali, I suggest you to come to Jimbaran beach in the evening and have candle light dinner with your loved ones at the edge of the beach. There are many seafood restaurants lining up near the beach. The food itself is not so special, but still you can enjoy the romantic dinner and the sea breeze.

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Glowworm Cave

Glowworm Cave

I just realized, when I write this piece of writing, that I had quite a number of caves tours. I have written about my visit to a cave in Lamongan (Indonesia) and Jenolan Caves (Australia) in this blog previously ... and this is my third article about 'cave'.

I went to Waitomo Glowworm Cave couple of years ago. It is one of the unique places that you should visit if you visit New Zealand. The cave is on the North Island of New Zealand. It is 3 hours driving from Auckland. The cave is just like other limestone caves with its unique formation of stalactites and stalagmites. But, once you are inside the cave, you will be amazed by the tiny little luminescent creatures that hang on the ceiling of the cave.

As it is named ‘Glowworm Cave’, then you will see the population of glowworms in the cave. The lifecycle of a glowworm is eggs – larvae – pupa – adult glowworms. The total lifetime of a glowworm is around 11 months. The light is produced during the larvae stage. Glowworms use its glow to attract, trap and then devour other insects. The adult glowworms is around the size of a mosquito and they have a very short lifespan.
The cave was extensively explored for the first time by Tane Tinorau (Maori Chief) and Fred Mace (an English surveyor) in 1887. However, the cave had been already discovered by Maori quite sometime before the first exploration. Then, in 1889, the cave was opened to the public for the very first time.

I have no pictures of the creatures as photography and video are not allowed during the visit. You also should keep quiet at all times when you are inside the cave. But, this place is highly recommended. You have to place the Glowworm cave in your itinerary if you visit NZ ... the cave with its glowworms are just unique and cool!!

The Greenwich Meridian

Have you heard of GMT? Greenwich Mean Time!? I believe this term is very familiar to you at least if you have learned about geography in your school or if you search for a place’s current time, you will find ‘Standard Time + (number) GMT'. Although the term Universal Time (UT) is used to replace GMT, the term GMT has been and is still in use since over 300 years until now.

Because of the infamous GMT, then, I spent one day to visit Greenwich when I was in London. Greenwich is in South-East London and very famous with its Greenwich Meridian (0 degrees longitude). I went there by boat from Thames Barrier Pier and arrived at Greenwich Pier. I visited the Greenwich Park and the Royal Observatory. The park is huge and I love it! It is beautiful ... and the Royal Observatory is in the centre of the park.


The Greenwich Pier

The Royal Observatory is a historical place. It was established by King Charles II in 1675. It was built to calculate the longitude of places for navigation purposes. The longitude was calculated from the Greenwich meridian, which was regarded as zero degrees longitude. Greenwich meridian is claimed as the standard for world time. I managed to see and take pictures of the famous Prime Meridian ‘line’ in the Royal Observatory. The Prime Meridian line represents the zero degrees longitude and divides the western and eastern hemispheres of the earth.


Indonesia (Jakarta) Longitude: 106 degrees, 45 seconds East

If you come to London, spend one day to go and take picture of the line. You can stand with one foot on the eastern hemisphere and the other on the western. The line lies on the ground and walls of the Observatory yard.


The Shepherd Gate Clock


The Greenwich Meridian Line

So, what time is it now? Mine is +7 GMT ...