childhood revisited

Here’s making up for loss time.

The last stretch of our journey takes us to the newly opened Honk Kong Disneyland. It’s much smaller than the one back in LA. You can tour the place within a span of hours but it still has the same old Disney magic to it. I just love theme parks. You can lose yourself in an illusion of a cartoon wonderland, enjoy yourself and then go back to the real world afterwards. It gives you the license to leave your worries behind and just be a kid again for one day or so, take pleasure in trivial pursuits and indulge in childish fantasies.

Here are some pictures of our magical day in Disneyland HK…

First stop was the jungle. Of course the jungle adventure wouldn't be complete if we weren't going to see Tarzan...

The treehouse was quite lofty but it was worth the sweat. Tarzan's physique is absolutely fierce in this one and to make things more interesting, I met the character in person afterwards along the way, and he's doesn't look bad at all. I wouldn't mind giving up the city life and be his Jane. Just kidding.

After that my sister and I were off to space and beyond with Buzz Lightyear.

So little place yet there was so much more to see...

Anyways, on with the tour. Here is the parade...

Me and my sister in front of our lovely castle...

I tried to pull the excalibur out from the stone but a princess isn't really cut out for knightly pursuits...I had a wonderful childhood and it is something I would never trade up for anything in the world. I always made believe that I was one of those Disney princesses with her castle and now, who was to say that I wasn’t?

Childhood is a wonderful time in a person’s life. It is the stage that shapes us to be the person that we grow to be. This is also when we are oriented about the life ahead. For a kid, the world is an enthralling and magical place. Their enthusiasm is as boundless as their imagination. They are whoever they want to be. As we grow older, life becomes more complex and somewhere along the way, we get disillusioned and cynical which is probably the reason why we take a lot of things for granted and we get less and less ardent about this gift of life that we are bestowed. I’m not saying that we should revert to our childhood state, things are indeed more complex than what we knew as kids but it still wouldn’t hurt if we view this world through the eyes of a child, explore and look at things as if it was the first time.

There is a garden in every childhood, an enchanted place where colors are brighter, the air softer, and the morning more fragrant than ever again. ~Elizabeth Lawrence

lost in translation

Looking around, the signs are comprised of symbols that aren’t even anywhere close to familiar. It was overwhelming enough to make one feel bewildered. Small captions and translations don’t offer much comfort. If it weren’t for my trusty map, I’d feel completely lost. Some translations are correct in context but somehow seem…wrong.

This one seems so unusual that it’s kind of funny in a weird and pathetic way. Aside from this one, I also saw some sign on the street that says that waiting vehicles will be persecuted / prosecuted. I can’t clearly remember but either one seems wrong. Hong Kong locals maybe able to properly decode whatever this sign truly mean or wish to convey but for me and some of my bizarre friends, we’re still as stumped as ever. It may be technically English but it seems like a completely different language. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.

There are a lot of things that caught my attention around these parts but the thing that really stuck to me was that its one thing that guys stare at your cleavage, I mean it’s like the way of life. Instincts tell them to look but when girls stare at that too. I find it so weird that I can’t help but laugh about it. Especially when mine isn't even all that big, just bigger than what they have. Or so I noticed.

Each busy and congested street resembles each other. It screams busine

ss and commerce. We scoured the streets for a good bargain. They had a ladies’ market, where every girl can shop their hearts out and a night market which is open from 12pm up to midnight. Hong Kong is truly a shopper’s paradise, good bargains and great finds. I know how I proclaimed my love for Chinese delicacy for years. I even came close to saying that I could eat it everyday until I get morbidly obese. When I first set foot here in HK, the aroma of the food was so inviting that it made my mouth water but after a chockfull of dumplings, a couple of dimsums and bowls of noodles later, I reached my saturation point. Never in all my life that I even thought that this moment would materialize. The mere hint of its scent became quite nauseating. Don’t get me wrong, Chinese food is delicious cuisine it’s just that it’s one of those food choices that are good once in a while. Maybe the anticipation of it makes it more irresistible. Let’s just say that it will take quite a while for me to be able to appreciate Chinese food again but I’m sure it’s still somewhere in my future.

Anyways, on with the tour. We toured the outskirts of the area. We went to the Avenue of the Stars, this was their own version of Hollywood walk of fame. The streets are filled with names of various celebrities, mostly people I don’t know. But eventually we found people like Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat and Jet Lee. But the most amazing thing we found there was the shrine they built for the legendary Bruce Lee. He has some great physique, his abs were absolutely fierce with this one. The picture is kind of shaken up but you can still get the idea.

The view of Harbour Bay was spectacular and absolutely breathtaking. The pictures pale in comparison to the magnificence of the place. The different colors of the city lights and neon lights from the buildings play gracefully with the water surface that it creates a rainbow of colors. It was so beautiful that I can’t stress that enough. Here are some pictures of us there…