I have been thinking of posting again in Andy's Undies. It has been almost a year since I went into hiatus due to some personal stuff going in me. Out of my silent and dumb moments, I just decided to write again.
For most of my readers (if I have one in the first place), Andy's Undies is known as a collection of my spiritual reflections. I do post some personal stuff or stuff that interest me but I kept them to a minimum. But I guess now, Andy's Undies expands to different interests which reflects also the other aspects of my [melancholic] personality.
Aside from being spiritual (not religious okay), I am also into a lot of things which the Christian world horribly despise as secular - like rock music for example. The church is quite divided on incorporating rock music into church services.
The past year has been quite interesting for me. I have indulged into a lot of new things. Last year, I bought a DSLR camera, a Nikon D60 which I absolutely love and explored my love for photography. It has been fulfilling being exposed to the photography ghetto and learning photography ghetto-speak like apertures, exposures, white balance,bokeh, etc. Also being involved in a camera club is quite an experience too. But a year forward, I decided to stay away from the "ghetto" and explored photography on my own. Sure, I can learn from the experience of others but I believe that photography is really a personal journey, where you can be creative in your pictures using your own style.
Last year, I decided to learn to play basketball. I have never learned to play basketball growing up because maybe I was such an anti-social obscure kid. LOL. But I longed to play growing up but just can't (for some unexplainable reason). I grabbed a few guys like myself and hired a coach to teach us how to play. After a few months, the coach that we hired can't train us anymore since he had an upcoming league to supervise. Right in time, a friend volunteered to teach us. Fast forward, we're now a team.
So many things to tell but I'd reserve it next time. Had other things to do for this day.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Mandug, Sigbin and other Mystical Tales
Mandug? Where the hell is that place? Can I find it in the map? Of course you can. Try using Google Earth or Wikimapia. If you will have a hard time locating it, try tracing Davao River from Davao Gulf upstream, surely, you can't miss Mandug along the way.
Almost half of my entire life was spent growing up in a remote barangay in Davao City named Mandug. Life was simple then. By six in the morning, I would be awaken by the sound of the airplane roaring above our house, doing its daily rounds of fertilizer spray of the bananas in Lapanday Plantation that surrounds our village. When I was in Grade 4, my Dad used to tune in to an AM station every morning which airs a Muslim prayer every 6AM. When I hear that distinct chant, I know it's time to wake up. By 7 then, we would be on our way to school w/ my younger brother and sister and we meet our classmates who are also our neighbors. Almost everyone knew each other and even the not-so-secret lives of a wife in another block. It was a small community then.
Mandug, as small as it is, is surrounded by big mysteries of the paranormal - of earth-bound creatures roaming above the silence of the pitch black hills and meadows, of the the mysterious kidnappings of small children by some rumored dark spirits. Far away, you could hear faint but horrible cries of torture and you know a witch rite has been going on and someone has been sacrificed ... and so are the other endless tales people tell to each other.
Listening to scary paranormal stories was my favorite when I was a kid. I used to have a classmate named Catalina (we called her Cathy) and she had lots of scary stories to tell, mostly from her own experiences. The scariest story Cathy ever told us was about the old mango tree at the back of our school. I remember that mango tree. It was unusually large, with a wide trunk and rough, hardened barks. There are moss growing on them and when you'll look at them, they seem to look like eyes. Its branches spread outwards covering a large area and providing shades for small animals like goats, 'carabaos', etc. If it had lots of dangling roots, you'd think it would be a balete tree. Anyway, according to Cathy, she went to the restroom alone one day and she had to pass by near the mango tree on her way. She was alone as classes are ongoing and suddenly the roots suddenly clung to her foot and when she can't move, she uttered this weird spell and the roots let go of her. We don't know if Cathy ever told the truth of that story or any of her stories.
Bloody Black Dog
The other fascinating tale that I also know and partly experience (or so I thought) is the story of Maria de Cacao. I'm not familiar with her story but according to the grapevine. When 12 o' clock midnight strikes, you could hear Maria de Cacao's ship passing along Davao River. What's striking about it is that you can't see the ship but you can hear the sound of the engine even if you are miles and miles away. Cool, huh. I used to remember one night, I think I was in high school at that time, that I woke up near midnight and suddenly I heard a ship's engine wailing in the silence of the night. I find it strange because our house was quite far from the river and then I remembered the story of Maria de Cacao.
There are other numerous tales which are worth telling but I guess it would take another 2 or 3 paragraphs. Maybe next time perhaps. Mandug for me remains, an old ancient place, as my mind would give it. Despite, the new internet shops sprouting in every corner as I go there once a year, the memory of it, as seen from my childhood eyes, would make that place somewhat special for me.
Almost half of my entire life was spent growing up in a remote barangay in Davao City named Mandug. Life was simple then. By six in the morning, I would be awaken by the sound of the airplane roaring above our house, doing its daily rounds of fertilizer spray of the bananas in Lapanday Plantation that surrounds our village. When I was in Grade 4, my Dad used to tune in to an AM station every morning which airs a Muslim prayer every 6AM. When I hear that distinct chant, I know it's time to wake up. By 7 then, we would be on our way to school w/ my younger brother and sister and we meet our classmates who are also our neighbors. Almost everyone knew each other and even the not-so-secret lives of a wife in another block. It was a small community then.
Mandug, as small as it is, is surrounded by big mysteries of the paranormal - of earth-bound creatures roaming above the silence of the pitch black hills and meadows, of the the mysterious kidnappings of small children by some rumored dark spirits. Far away, you could hear faint but horrible cries of torture and you know a witch rite has been going on and someone has been sacrificed ... and so are the other endless tales people tell to each other.
Listening to scary paranormal stories was my favorite when I was a kid. I used to have a classmate named Catalina (we called her Cathy) and she had lots of scary stories to tell, mostly from her own experiences. The scariest story Cathy ever told us was about the old mango tree at the back of our school. I remember that mango tree. It was unusually large, with a wide trunk and rough, hardened barks. There are moss growing on them and when you'll look at them, they seem to look like eyes. Its branches spread outwards covering a large area and providing shades for small animals like goats, 'carabaos', etc. If it had lots of dangling roots, you'd think it would be a balete tree. Anyway, according to Cathy, she went to the restroom alone one day and she had to pass by near the mango tree on her way. She was alone as classes are ongoing and suddenly the roots suddenly clung to her foot and when she can't move, she uttered this weird spell and the roots let go of her. We don't know if Cathy ever told the truth of that story or any of her stories.
Bloody Black Dog
The other fascinating tale that I also know and partly experience (or so I thought) is the story of Maria de Cacao. I'm not familiar with her story but according to the grapevine. When 12 o' clock midnight strikes, you could hear Maria de Cacao's ship passing along Davao River. What's striking about it is that you can't see the ship but you can hear the sound of the engine even if you are miles and miles away. Cool, huh. I used to remember one night, I think I was in high school at that time, that I woke up near midnight and suddenly I heard a ship's engine wailing in the silence of the night. I find it strange because our house was quite far from the river and then I remembered the story of Maria de Cacao.
There are other numerous tales which are worth telling but I guess it would take another 2 or 3 paragraphs. Maybe next time perhaps. Mandug for me remains, an old ancient place, as my mind would give it. Despite, the new internet shops sprouting in every corner as I go there once a year, the memory of it, as seen from my childhood eyes, would make that place somewhat special for me.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Lost in Hong Kong : City of Ingenuity
I woke up with a bad case of allergic rhinitis, Sunday morning and the 2nd Day of our tour. I'm often prone to be sick if I haven't slept well. The aircon was too cold I guess and I kept on waking up having liquid dreams of walking in Disneyland and programming in the office. Anyway, we were outside the hotel by 8:30AM waiting for Erik. I managed to pop a Benadryl AH and took it in for the stuffy nose and to stop the incessant sneezing. By 8:50, Erik hasn't arrived yet and 20 minutes more, tourists started complaining. Later on, Zeny arrived. She was our tour guide for that day. She was speaking in her harried English and haphazardly pointed us to the bus. Tourists glared at her with irritated looks, and to add the fact the she didn't apologize for her lateness. How we wished Erik could have been with us instead.
I myself was carried away with all the grumbling and annoyed with my nose at the same time. I tried to concentrate on what Zeny was saying because her English is incomprehensible. We were along Aberdeen road at that time going to Ocean Park while having a meeting with my family on what time we would leave Ocean Park. About 9:30, we arrived at Ocean Park and at first, I wasn't like 'wow' it was like OK, fine. Anyway, we got inside and grabbed our brochures. Something that looked like Oishi Manju caught my attention and I bought one. It costs like 17HK$ and had 30+ pieces. FYI, Ocean Park was divided into two areas, the lowland and the headland. The main entrance was by the lowland while headland is located on the other side of the mountain behind the lowland area. You have to travel through cable car to go to headland or from headland to lowland. There is also an entrance in the headland named as Tai Shue Wan entrance and that's where we are going to meet by 5PM before going to Victoria Peak for the night tour.
Jack Black in Cage
Cable Cars
The whole view
Seal!
The Raging River ride took away my sleepiness as well the fever. My brother, feeling more courageous now, queued next to Space Wheel, where a wheel rotates while moving upward to 90 degree angle.
Dolphin show
It was about 4 when the show ended and we only got an hour to get to the rides before we meet the whole touring group at Tai Shue Entrance. My sister and I managed to ride the Crazy Galleon (similar to Anchor's Aweigh in EK), but we made sure that we sit by the end part to get the most of the ride. My brother managed to ride both the Dragon and The Abyss - and he was non-stop telling his feeling all about it as were all climbing up and down the Tai Shue entrance.
There was a commotion at the entrance as several touring groups were now merged and splitted depending on the next destination. Some who were with us originally but did not opt to join the night tour were grouped in another bus. Some of us were now joined with other tour groups (which includes a family of noisy Indians) and our tour guide by then was Henry, who was with Erik on the first day. Henry is very good. He communicates very clearly and he ushers everyone. When we got to the Peak Tramway Station, which will take us to Victoria Peak, he was the one who lined up to get the tickets for us.
It was a slow ride going to the peak and as advised by Henry, we got seated by the right side to get a better view of the HK metropolis. Unfortunately, it was very foggy, so there wasn't that much to see. When we got to the top we gathered round by the outside of the Peak Mall near Haagen Dasz and were handed with tickets to Madamme Tussaud's Wax Museum. We were only given an hour for the tour and to buy souvenirs.
Who the she is? But she's cute though
It was fun. I had a really good time in there and I bought HK ref magnets as pasalubong for my officemates. By 7, all of us were gathered in front of Haagen Dasz and proceeded to our bus. Our next stop was on the Night Market along Yau Ma Tei back in downtown Kowloon. While it too us only around 8 minutes to go up Victoria Peak, it took us about 30 minutes to go down. We have to go round in circles downward along the side of Victoria Peak. The view was breathtaking as HK buildings start loom large and the lights were just spectacular. Good for moonshell moments.
Anyway, after about 30 minutes, we arrived at the Night Market. It was 7:30 and all of us were starving. We scouted the entire length of Yau Ma Tei and we found a Chinese restaurant. God, the food was delicious! After dinner, we found out that we only had 30 minutes to shop around until we go back to the bus.
Along the way, the group split and I was with my sister. My bro was with my Nanay and Tatay so I texted them twice (while grieving over 40 pesos worth of text) to see them in the bus. I looked over some stuff and saw this cute figurine that looked like anime spirits. Upon closer inspection, they are two separate figurines, similar in look and joined together to appear that they are hugging. Much later on, I discovered that are salt and pepper vials. Cool, huh!
Anyway, my sister wasn't finished shopping and she hasn't picked anything when 9 came. We have to go back to the bus so we ran and despite the blisters on my feet we made it on time. We are the only ones that they have been waiting for but something inside me to go back so I asked Henry where Nathan Road is so that we could just trace our back to the hotel on our own. I happily tagged my sister back out from the bus and said to mom and dad to see them at the hotel. My brother went along with us.
We went back to the night market and decided to splurge all the HK dollars left in my pocket.. I bought two shirts and long sleeves for my office and gave the rest of my money to my brother. Anyway we finished shopping at about 10:30 PM so we started looking for Nathan Road which is fortunately just on the other side of the alley.
It was a relief to see the familiar "Babila" sign which means that we're just near our hotel so we walked a bit expecting after a block we could see the familiar aquarium and the magazine stand beside the hotel entrance. But after two or three blocks, we didn't find any sign so I began scrummaging over my map but I couldn't find any symbol or name of our hotel. So we walked again and after a block, my feet hurts from the blister made by the fake crocs that I bought in Manila, so we took a rest. I felt a desperation inside and the three of us looking like abandoned kids as people don't care to notice us and the shopping bags that we have seemed to look like garbage bags that beggars use. We felt so pitiful.
My brother pored over our map once again and voila! Just when we felt so desperate, we saw our hotel and we found out that we're 8 blocks away. We found out that we were walking to the opposite direction. All the tireness dissipate away as we know now where we're going. My blisters are hurting but it's okay, I'm gonna rest them on the soft bedsheets and I'll be dozing off. We arrived at the hotel at 11:30 PM. My sister called my parents in their room. They are already asleep. I'm glad that they didn't worry too much about us.
I was taking last photo shoots of the buildings as we were on our bus to the airport. The weekend seemed so long and the place grew on me now. It's quite sad that I'll be going back to Manila and I said to myself that I'll be back here to work perhaps or just plain vacation... and maybe see Erik again.
I myself was carried away with all the grumbling and annoyed with my nose at the same time. I tried to concentrate on what Zeny was saying because her English is incomprehensible. We were along Aberdeen road at that time going to Ocean Park while having a meeting with my family on what time we would leave Ocean Park. About 9:30, we arrived at Ocean Park and at first, I wasn't like 'wow' it was like OK, fine. Anyway, we got inside and grabbed our brochures. Something that looked like Oishi Manju caught my attention and I bought one. It costs like 17HK$ and had 30+ pieces. FYI, Ocean Park was divided into two areas, the lowland and the headland. The main entrance was by the lowland while headland is located on the other side of the mountain behind the lowland area. You have to travel through cable car to go to headland or from headland to lowland. There is also an entrance in the headland named as Tai Shue Wan entrance and that's where we are going to meet by 5PM before going to Victoria Peak for the night tour.
Jack Black in Cage
Cable Cars
The whole view
Seal!
The Raging River ride took away my sleepiness as well the fever. My brother, feeling more courageous now, queued next to Space Wheel, where a wheel rotates while moving upward to 90 degree angle.
Dolphin show
It was about 4 when the show ended and we only got an hour to get to the rides before we meet the whole touring group at Tai Shue Entrance. My sister and I managed to ride the Crazy Galleon (similar to Anchor's Aweigh in EK), but we made sure that we sit by the end part to get the most of the ride. My brother managed to ride both the Dragon and The Abyss - and he was non-stop telling his feeling all about it as were all climbing up and down the Tai Shue entrance.
There was a commotion at the entrance as several touring groups were now merged and splitted depending on the next destination. Some who were with us originally but did not opt to join the night tour were grouped in another bus. Some of us were now joined with other tour groups (which includes a family of noisy Indians) and our tour guide by then was Henry, who was with Erik on the first day. Henry is very good. He communicates very clearly and he ushers everyone. When we got to the Peak Tramway Station, which will take us to Victoria Peak, he was the one who lined up to get the tickets for us.
It was a slow ride going to the peak and as advised by Henry, we got seated by the right side to get a better view of the HK metropolis. Unfortunately, it was very foggy, so there wasn't that much to see. When we got to the top we gathered round by the outside of the Peak Mall near Haagen Dasz and were handed with tickets to Madamme Tussaud's Wax Museum. We were only given an hour for the tour and to buy souvenirs.
Who the she is? But she's cute though
It was fun. I had a really good time in there and I bought HK ref magnets as pasalubong for my officemates. By 7, all of us were gathered in front of Haagen Dasz and proceeded to our bus. Our next stop was on the Night Market along Yau Ma Tei back in downtown Kowloon. While it too us only around 8 minutes to go up Victoria Peak, it took us about 30 minutes to go down. We have to go round in circles downward along the side of Victoria Peak. The view was breathtaking as HK buildings start loom large and the lights were just spectacular. Good for moonshell moments.
Anyway, after about 30 minutes, we arrived at the Night Market. It was 7:30 and all of us were starving. We scouted the entire length of Yau Ma Tei and we found a Chinese restaurant. God, the food was delicious! After dinner, we found out that we only had 30 minutes to shop around until we go back to the bus.
Along the way, the group split and I was with my sister. My bro was with my Nanay and Tatay so I texted them twice (while grieving over 40 pesos worth of text) to see them in the bus. I looked over some stuff and saw this cute figurine that looked like anime spirits. Upon closer inspection, they are two separate figurines, similar in look and joined together to appear that they are hugging. Much later on, I discovered that are salt and pepper vials. Cool, huh!
Anyway, my sister wasn't finished shopping and she hasn't picked anything when 9 came. We have to go back to the bus so we ran and despite the blisters on my feet we made it on time. We are the only ones that they have been waiting for but something inside me to go back so I asked Henry where Nathan Road is so that we could just trace our back to the hotel on our own. I happily tagged my sister back out from the bus and said to mom and dad to see them at the hotel. My brother went along with us.
We went back to the night market and decided to splurge all the HK dollars left in my pocket.. I bought two shirts and long sleeves for my office and gave the rest of my money to my brother. Anyway we finished shopping at about 10:30 PM so we started looking for Nathan Road which is fortunately just on the other side of the alley.
It was a relief to see the familiar "Babila" sign which means that we're just near our hotel so we walked a bit expecting after a block we could see the familiar aquarium and the magazine stand beside the hotel entrance. But after two or three blocks, we didn't find any sign so I began scrummaging over my map but I couldn't find any symbol or name of our hotel. So we walked again and after a block, my feet hurts from the blister made by the fake crocs that I bought in Manila, so we took a rest. I felt a desperation inside and the three of us looking like abandoned kids as people don't care to notice us and the shopping bags that we have seemed to look like garbage bags that beggars use. We felt so pitiful.
My brother pored over our map once again and voila! Just when we felt so desperate, we saw our hotel and we found out that we're 8 blocks away. We found out that we were walking to the opposite direction. All the tireness dissipate away as we know now where we're going. My blisters are hurting but it's okay, I'm gonna rest them on the soft bedsheets and I'll be dozing off. We arrived at the hotel at 11:30 PM. My sister called my parents in their room. They are already asleep. I'm glad that they didn't worry too much about us.
I was taking last photo shoots of the buildings as we were on our bus to the airport. The weekend seemed so long and the place grew on me now. It's quite sad that I'll be going back to Manila and I said to myself that I'll be back here to work perhaps or just plain vacation... and maybe see Erik again.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Lost in Hong Kong : City of Smog
Day 1: The City of Smog
A quarter before 9AM, we were all gathered outside our hotel in Natham Avenue waiting for our tour guide. The weather was perfect. It was cool and partly cloudy. The sidewalk was busy with people going to work. It felt like standing along the sidewalk of Ayala early morning. There was a magazine stand near the hotel entrance and I took a quick glance of the chinese versions of FHM, Maxim, Cosmo... too bad no Men's Health. I will certainly buy it even if I don't understand, y'know just for collection.
Avenue of the Stars, Waterfront
Our next stop was the TSL, makers of world-class jewelry. It was a waste of time going here since we don't intend to buy jewelry, not to add that they are too expensive ranging from 50HK$ to 2000HK$. It's good that they have free sodas and tea so that you can have something to sip while oogling over the gold and the diamonds. Next we went to the factory outlet to buy our souvenirs. I bought a set of champoy, 3 boxes of milk tea and a Hong Kong souvenir shirt. They were also selling Disney products at a cheaper price but they don't look that good.
Noon: Disneyland
It was about 12NN when we finished shopping and it's time to go to Disneyland. We were all starving and we asked Eric if we could have lunch first before going to Disneyland but Eric said it would be better if we take our lunch in Disneyland to save time. So we endured 30 minutes of hunger as the bus rolled towards Disneyland back in Lantau Island.
It was really hot and humid, not to mention that we're all too hungry when we arrived in Disneyland. Everyone in the fam was quite in an irky mood so we took pictures quickly by the entrance and by the fountain where the water was blowing up from a whale's blowhole and Mickey Mouse was bobbing up and down on a surfboard. It was really cool. We got quickly inside, grabbed out maps and brochure guides and looked for the nearest fastfood along the Main Street. We found an italian resto and we got quickly inside. The food was quite pricey about 60HK$ and up but since we're too hungry we didn't mind spending a lot. We were entertained by the performers of High School Musical just outside in the Main Street.
Philharmagic
We went next to Fantasy Land and our first stop was at Philharmagic. It was like IMAX but it is 4D since you also get to feel sensation like wind or water sprays. The show was a suite of memorable scenes in Disney Classics like Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, etc. It was nostalgic for me because I grew up watching Disney Classics, memorize the songs like Mickey Mouse Club, Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, Beauty and the Beast, A Whole New World, etc. It brought me memories of my "unadulterated" childhood. It was like 2:30 PM when the show was finished. Next we went to Mad Hatter's Tea Cups where we went got dizzy spinning and spinning making sure to turn the steering wheel full counterclockwise to spin us very fast. After te ride we went to buy some cotton candies, we met some of our fellow tour mates and asked to join us since they weren't really familiar with the how's and to's. Back in the Main Street, the Disney Parade was already starting, so we hurried to get into our places. It was just in time when we got there, Mickey Mouse through the years float was just looming into view and floats representing themselves came into view like Chip and Dale, The Disney Princesses: Snow White, Cinderella and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Little Mermaid (though she's a princess but she doesn't have feet so maybe a separate float was dedicated for her), Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie in Toy Story, and my favorite, experiment 626, aka Stitch, lastly the trail was the float of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy and Pluto.
After the parade, everyone was tired standing, so it's time to give the oldies (my parents) to sit down and relax so we decided to take a slow ride. So we went to the Fantasy Land Train Station and rode the train that travels around the periphery of Disneyland. I'd expect the ride to be boring (read: not dangerous and heart-stopping) but surprises await you just around the corner: Mickey and Minnie Mouse would just appear and wave hello and those pesky little aliens in Toy Story would pop out and take pictures.
Donald Duck in Disney Parade
All were very frantic as we went out from the Space Mountain. We'd like to ride one more time but my mother swore that she would never ride something like this again. For me, this is a less scary version of the roller coaster since you don't get too see if you're already looping up or going sidewards unlike in the "The Dragon", the roller coaster in Ocean Park. Next stop was at "The Golden Mickeys". We only have the slightest idea that it would be a mini production number featuring all Disney Classics through the years. We were just in time for the 5:15PM show as people were now allowed to enter the theater. The production was themed like an awards night as Bebe(one hot Chinese chick) goes onstage presenting awards for heroes like Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan in Tarzan, Mulan in Mulan, and romance scenes like Belle and the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. Goofy comes in ruining the show (as he always does) and takes Bebe out from the show and brings her into his adventure. And suites from A Little Mermaid, Lilo and Stitch gave their huge shots. The show ended with the complete ensemble of the cast.
Lilo and Stitch, The Golden Mickeys
Everyone was excited as the voice over announced the start of the fireworks display. Sleeping Beauty castle was bathed in colored lights as fireworks start to shoot upwards, orchestrated and in sequence. No words to describe it and I feel like I was back in my childhood, just experiencing this awesome wonder that dates back when my father used to bring Disney VHS every weekend. They could be a Disney Classic movie or cartoon series of Mickey or Donald Duck or The Merrie Melodies, Sing-along Songs. I can't help feeling nostalgic and lost in the memories of my childhood, innocent, wonderful and exciting, devoid of the complications of being an adult. I was in that moment for a while. After 30 minutes, all was over and I wished it would never end but it's time to go home. As we made our way to the exit, my bro and sis sang those old Disney songs and I'm quite surprised myself that I still memorize them, the ones like "Merry Un-Birthday" or "Mickey Mouse Club" and "It's a Small World".
As our bus rolled towards our hotel back in Kowloon, I told myself I will go back here some time in the future.
to be continued: Lost in HongKong : City of Ingenuity
A quarter before 9AM, we were all gathered outside our hotel in Natham Avenue waiting for our tour guide. The weather was perfect. It was cool and partly cloudy. The sidewalk was busy with people going to work. It felt like standing along the sidewalk of Ayala early morning. There was a magazine stand near the hotel entrance and I took a quick glance of the chinese versions of FHM, Maxim, Cosmo... too bad no Men's Health. I will certainly buy it even if I don't understand, y'know just for collection.
Avenue of the Stars, Waterfront
Our next stop was the TSL, makers of world-class jewelry. It was a waste of time going here since we don't intend to buy jewelry, not to add that they are too expensive ranging from 50HK$ to 2000HK$. It's good that they have free sodas and tea so that you can have something to sip while oogling over the gold and the diamonds. Next we went to the factory outlet to buy our souvenirs. I bought a set of champoy, 3 boxes of milk tea and a Hong Kong souvenir shirt. They were also selling Disney products at a cheaper price but they don't look that good.
Noon: Disneyland
It was about 12NN when we finished shopping and it's time to go to Disneyland. We were all starving and we asked Eric if we could have lunch first before going to Disneyland but Eric said it would be better if we take our lunch in Disneyland to save time. So we endured 30 minutes of hunger as the bus rolled towards Disneyland back in Lantau Island.
It was really hot and humid, not to mention that we're all too hungry when we arrived in Disneyland. Everyone in the fam was quite in an irky mood so we took pictures quickly by the entrance and by the fountain where the water was blowing up from a whale's blowhole and Mickey Mouse was bobbing up and down on a surfboard. It was really cool. We got quickly inside, grabbed out maps and brochure guides and looked for the nearest fastfood along the Main Street. We found an italian resto and we got quickly inside. The food was quite pricey about 60HK$ and up but since we're too hungry we didn't mind spending a lot. We were entertained by the performers of High School Musical just outside in the Main Street.
Philharmagic
We went next to Fantasy Land and our first stop was at Philharmagic. It was like IMAX but it is 4D since you also get to feel sensation like wind or water sprays. The show was a suite of memorable scenes in Disney Classics like Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, etc. It was nostalgic for me because I grew up watching Disney Classics, memorize the songs like Mickey Mouse Club, Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah, Beauty and the Beast, A Whole New World, etc. It brought me memories of my "unadulterated" childhood. It was like 2:30 PM when the show was finished. Next we went to Mad Hatter's Tea Cups where we went got dizzy spinning and spinning making sure to turn the steering wheel full counterclockwise to spin us very fast. After te ride we went to buy some cotton candies, we met some of our fellow tour mates and asked to join us since they weren't really familiar with the how's and to's. Back in the Main Street, the Disney Parade was already starting, so we hurried to get into our places. It was just in time when we got there, Mickey Mouse through the years float was just looming into view and floats representing themselves came into view like Chip and Dale, The Disney Princesses: Snow White, Cinderella and Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Little Mermaid (though she's a princess but she doesn't have feet so maybe a separate float was dedicated for her), Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie in Toy Story, and my favorite, experiment 626, aka Stitch, lastly the trail was the float of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy and Pluto.
After the parade, everyone was tired standing, so it's time to give the oldies (my parents) to sit down and relax so we decided to take a slow ride. So we went to the Fantasy Land Train Station and rode the train that travels around the periphery of Disneyland. I'd expect the ride to be boring (read: not dangerous and heart-stopping) but surprises await you just around the corner: Mickey and Minnie Mouse would just appear and wave hello and those pesky little aliens in Toy Story would pop out and take pictures.
Donald Duck in Disney Parade
All were very frantic as we went out from the Space Mountain. We'd like to ride one more time but my mother swore that she would never ride something like this again. For me, this is a less scary version of the roller coaster since you don't get too see if you're already looping up or going sidewards unlike in the "The Dragon", the roller coaster in Ocean Park. Next stop was at "The Golden Mickeys". We only have the slightest idea that it would be a mini production number featuring all Disney Classics through the years. We were just in time for the 5:15PM show as people were now allowed to enter the theater. The production was themed like an awards night as Bebe(one hot Chinese chick) goes onstage presenting awards for heroes like Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan in Tarzan, Mulan in Mulan, and romance scenes like Belle and the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. Goofy comes in ruining the show (as he always does) and takes Bebe out from the show and brings her into his adventure. And suites from A Little Mermaid, Lilo and Stitch gave their huge shots. The show ended with the complete ensemble of the cast.
Lilo and Stitch, The Golden Mickeys
Everyone was excited as the voice over announced the start of the fireworks display. Sleeping Beauty castle was bathed in colored lights as fireworks start to shoot upwards, orchestrated and in sequence. No words to describe it and I feel like I was back in my childhood, just experiencing this awesome wonder that dates back when my father used to bring Disney VHS every weekend. They could be a Disney Classic movie or cartoon series of Mickey or Donald Duck or The Merrie Melodies, Sing-along Songs. I can't help feeling nostalgic and lost in the memories of my childhood, innocent, wonderful and exciting, devoid of the complications of being an adult. I was in that moment for a while. After 30 minutes, all was over and I wished it would never end but it's time to go home. As we made our way to the exit, my bro and sis sang those old Disney songs and I'm quite surprised myself that I still memorize them, the ones like "Merry Un-Birthday" or "Mickey Mouse Club" and "It's a Small World".
As our bus rolled towards our hotel back in Kowloon, I told myself I will go back here some time in the future.
to be continued: Lost in HongKong : City of Ingenuity
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