Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Travelog: Madame Tussauds Hollywood

What not to expect when going to Hollywood:
1) Star sightings - all the stars are in Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive, not in Hollywood.
2) Glitz and glamour - the area is very downtown-ish and ghetto to a certain degree. I'm not sure. To me it came as a place that lost it's former glory although the hustle and bustle is still there thanks to tourism which is very much alive. The vibe is very different though inside Hollywood and Highlands.

First stop: Madame Tussauds wax museum. We were the first ones inside so we got to take a LOT of pictures with the wax figures without waiting for other people to finish. It was fun! Haha!

Hot Marilyn Monroe with Papa Leonardo di Caprio in the background.

Kim Kardashian - this wax figure is soooo pretty!

This seriously made me laugh! You see, on the left there was Brad and Angelina and then on the right there's Jennifer Aniston wearing this sequined dress looking at their direction and forever alone.

Breakfast at Tiffany's :) I did not stop until I got a picture with Ms. Hepburn!

It's Sue and she is so freakin' tall! She also has a whole section just for her. Bongga lang!

Papa Jack Sparrow!

Ninang Meryly Streep! I had to take a picture with her too! Haha!
 

More Hollywood pictures next post...

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Travelog: Sea World Part 2

I liked San Diego! We really didn't get to go around much but I liked what I saw.


Some more Sea World pictures...



Obligatory food pictures! Haha! 

When you see Red Velvet, you have to buy it and try it!

Famous, famous TURKEY LEG! Pinaka na, BEST pa! We bought one and then another before we went home. Medyo pricey at $7 for a leg but so worth it! It's not greasy at all! Must try ito!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Travelog: Sea World Part 1

Fourth day, we woke up around 4AM so we can get ready for our Sea World tour. The park is two and a half hours away from Anaheim and the bus was scheduled to pick us up at 8.30 so we really had to be early. 

Must have for Sea World:
1) Sunscreen - I can't stress this enough. No matter what you do, the sun and wind will burn you but better have some protection while you are burning.
2) Hat/Cap/Umbrella/Sunglasses - You have to have something to shield your face and eyes. No to wrinkles!
3) Water and some food - You can bring food in as long as you don't bring too much. Restaurant lines were ridiculously long and most probably, you will end up eating churro and hotdog if you don't like to wait.

We watched three shows and visited most of the exhibits. Warning: Don't expect too much from the exhibits. Some are not even clean.


Blue Horizons
Dolphins fly, birds dive and spirits leap in Blue Horizons — a visionary sea-and-sky spectacular from SeaWorld. Soaring birds, playful dolphins, dramatic pilot whales and thrilling aerialists fuse the vibrant energy of two fascinating worlds into a mesmerizing display of dance, flight, color and entertainment.

I wasn't impressed with this show. Sobrang bitin! It's more like a wanna-be Cirque du Soleil show! It's okay if the acts were impressive but most were repetitive. Some performers were jumping up and down using garters and I watched there thinking that something else would happen but no.




One Ocean
Dive into the exhilaration of the sea in our all-new Shamu show, One Ocean. The energy and spirit of the ocean envelops you in a multi-sensory celebration of life underneath the sea that entertains as it educates and inspires. Majestic killer whales join you on a journey into a world that drenches your senses in the vivid colors, vitality and global rhythms of the ocean. Dancing fountains set the stage as you connect with thrilling sea creatures and realize we are all part of one world, one ocean. Your soul is ignited as our worlds are united… and you realize that we all have the power to make a difference in this planet we share.

This show is way more fun than Blue Horizons. There were lots of tricks and a lot of people got soaked!



Sea Lions LIVE
Enjoy hilarious live-action TV and music spoofs performed by SeaWorld’s resident sea lion comedy team—Clyde and Seamore. Put on your investigator’s cap with “Sea Lion S.I.” and watch show biz dreams come true on “Sea Lion Idol.”

This is the show that I liked the most! The hosts were funny (especially Biff), the skits were great and the sea lions were just cute! It was rather short though.

To be continued...

Travelog: The Block at Orange

Third day is shopping day! We went to the The Block which is located in Orange, another city in Orange County.

This mall is huge so again, there was a lot of walking involved. Good thing that the mall map is easy to read so finding where specific stores are was easy. I also liked the overall vibe of the place! Very laid back! They also have a very good list of retailers from Forever 21 to Neiman Marcus Last Call.


Self-serve frozen yogurt where you can choose what goes in to your cup. This is strawberry yogurt + fresh strawberries + cheesecake chunks + graham crumbs. What's good is that you pay for how much your cup weighs and not by how many toppings you pick. I forgot the name of the store though.

The Block has Neiman Marcus Last Call and Saks Fifth Avenue Off Fifth right next to each other. It was crazy. Haha!

Display at Neiman Marcus Last Call.

Grabbed a box of Krispy Kreme before going back to Anaheim.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Travelog: Disneyland

Our first day was spent checking in (we luckily had a spacious hotel room which was located just by the elevators and the vending machines. Plus we had a balcony!), going around, catching up with Papa R (unfortunately we didn't get to see Mama B 'cause she has work and they are flying to San Francisco immediately after), shopping for supplies and getting ready. We arrived at Anaheim at 11.30 AM so we had lots of time.

Second day: Disneyland
We got to Disneyland before 10 AM through Anaheim Resort Transport. Lines were moving fast in both the security check and the entrance gates that it only took us about 5 minutes to get in. No hassle!

Here you leave Today and enter the World of Yesterday, Tomorrow and Fantasy.


Innovation
exhibit


Mark Twain Steam Boat
which goes around one part of the park.


The tour brings the audience back to Mark Twain's time and experience what it was like to ride a steam boat.


Complete with realistic displays! Very educational!


Toontown - This part of the park is a visual feast!


Mickey Parade


Disneyland at night


We absolutely loved the fireworks!!! We even watch it every night at 9.30 from our hotel room!


Anyway, here's what I learned from visiting Disneyland:

1) You need to be well rested and all powered up if you only have a day to visit the park. We only went to Disneyland and it took us about 10 hours to visit each part. We didn't get to experience all the rides as we have no time. It wasn't about the wait time as lines move fast rather, there are just so many of them plus the number of things to look at. 

There will be lots of walking and it can be tiring. As for us, we went back to the hotel for a two-hour break to rest for a bit and change clothes.

2) PUT ON SUNSCREEN. It's a must.

3) Disneyland is not strict about bringing in water and food. Bring a bottle of water and some snacks if you can because food is ridiculously expensive inside the park. Example: a churro is about $4.

Recommended attractions: Haunted Mansion, Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

I'm Back!

I got back last night from a 6-day vacation! It was the first time that I had a real, long break. And it's very much needed for I have been going through so much stress lately. I'm going to share some of the pictures that I took during our stay bit by bit this week!

The destination: the state of Palm trees and freeways.


Only one delayed flight during the whole travel and it was the one coming back to the city so I would still say the WestJet was good. I was a bit worried about delays for we only have about an hour between flights to do our business (customs + baggage claim + check-in).

This is the first travelog. Hello, California!



Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Adele 21 Bonus

Everyone loves Adele! Admit it! Even you, Straight Guy! You can relate to her songs! Don't worry it will be our secret. :)

Image from: http://chibird.tumblr.com/
From "...this ain't lust aaayyy knowww this is love." to "We could've had it allllll. Rolling in the deeeeep" her songs are just spot on. Every. Time. In your lifetime you might find yourself in numerous moments where an Adele song just fits right in. To a T!

So speaking of Adele, I found these! Why oh why?!?!? Adele has bonus tracks and they are not on my 21. :(

iTunes bonus track and Japan Limited Edition

I Found A Boy




UK Limited Edition

Hiding My Heart


If It Hadn't Been For Love (cover)