Walking With The Stars

Walked down Hollywood Boulevard to see Hollywood's most famous stars. How I wish I am talking about seeing them in the flesh! But I'm just talking about them glittery pink stars lining the sidewalks of the boulevard known as the Walk of Fame. The place was teeming with snap-happy tourists, street performers and people posing as superheroes for a quick buck. It was a quite a sight but I mostly kept my eyes on the pavement, looking for names I would recognize. Now here's a thought: Why does Tinkerbell have a star when Kurt Cobain doesn't have one?

We also saw the Dolby Theater, which is home to the Academy Awards. Amazing how this seemingly ordinary street burst with glitz and glam once the red carpet is rolled out.

Just a stone's throw away is the distinctive Chinese Theater, with its pagoda-like architecture. Outside the theater were the handprints, footprints and signatures of numerous screen legends immortalized in cement.

No trip to LA is complete without seeing the iconic Hollywood sign. We searched the net for the best viewing locations, drove through a residential area, up steep hills to our chosen spot - the Canyon Lake Drive. It was beautiful! We had an unobstructed view of the Hollywood sign perched high atop a mountain, Lake Hollywood on the other side and luscious greens everywhere.  We also stopped by Beverly Hills for some quick photos.

Then 'twas time to say bye bye bye to La La Land. But we'll be ba-ba-back soon! :)

Universal Studios Hollywood

Jhe's moving to San Francisco in a week. To spend her last week with a blast, we decided to drive to Los Angeles for some fun time at Universal Studios Hollywood!

There was a long queue outside the park. Good thing we've already purchased our tickets online so we went straight ahead to the turnstiles. First stop was the the Studio Tour. We rode a tram that went around the studio's backlot where various movies and TV series were shot. The "general purpose" sets are composed of building facades that they can transform depending on the film's needs - from an Old West town to the famous streets of Manhattan to the outskirts of Paris!

We also saw some of the more recognizable sets like the pretty houses of the Desperate Housewives, the Bates Motel from Psycho, the lake house from The Great Outdoors, the plane crash set used in War of the Worlds and the oh-so-quaint village of Whoville from How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

A portion of the tour showcased the coolest cars used in the Knight Rider, Magnum PI, Back to the Future, The Flintstones and of course, the Fast and the Furious franchise!

One of the tour's highlights was the King Kong: 360 3D experience. We entered a cave that brought us to Skull Island where a dinosaur almost had us killed if not for the mighty King Kong rescuing us. Luckily, we all survived to tell the tale. Hehe. Another highlight would be the special effects demonstration of a flash flood and an earthquake that looked and felt so incredibly real! Need to capture that on video next time!

We then found ourselves in the middle of Krustyland aboard a virtual roller coaster ride. It started with a couple of drops and swerves, then Sideshow Bob unleashed a wrecking ball that wre-e-ecked the tracks and made the ride go completely haywire! It was fun and funny and it got my favorite family on it! What's not to love?! The souvenir shop is designed after Springfield's Kwik-E-Mart. The store employee didn't look anything like Apu but he kinda looked like Lard Lad. Hehe. And yes, they're selling Lard Lad donuts! How cool is that?! We were also able to meet Marge and Homer outside the store! Starstruck me! Haha. :)

The Transformers: The Ride 3D would have to be my (and probably everyone else's) favorite attraction in USH! We waited more than an hour in queue - walking around NEST and pressing every useless button I could get my hands on. Hehe. But it was worth all the wait (and buttons pressed)! We were basically transported into a torn down city, right into the dead center of a war zone between the Autobots and the Decepticons, dodging missiles and explosions. I was utterly impressed with the visuals, the special effects and the motion simulator that brought the film to life! I seriously wouldn't mind waiting in line just to experience the action all over again!

But if I am to consider a ride's scream factor, the Revenge of the Mummy would be it! This indoor roller coaster ride was mostly pitch black, leaving us uncertain on what to expect. It just dropped and turned in high speed, with mummies popping out of nowhere and beetles crawling up the sides. Yikes! It got me holding on to the handle bars for dear life, screaming like a girly girl! Haha.

The Jurassic Park ride was really fun, too. But when the dinosaurs started to turn to us for a tasty snack, the guides had to cut our tour short for an emergency evacuation! What started out as a rather peaceful nature cruise ended with a vertical drop straight down a death-defying plunge! We stepped out of the ride completely soaked! A welcome "refreshment" on a fairly hot day. Haha.

Another "wet and explosive" attraction is Waterworld based on the 90's movie of the same name. It is a live show with a cool and rusty set. Actors perform numerous stunts, the effects were nothing short of jaw-dropping especially when a full-scale plane crashed right before our eyes! We were seated in the "wet zone" so we started feeling kinda disappointed when the show was nearing its end and we're still dry. But as if on cue, a jet ski sped away and created a huge wave that hit us right smack in the face! We were drenched! And that's more we like it! Haha.

While we were walking around the park, we were lucky enough to see Sponge Bob and the Minions! They were so crazy cute!

We finished off the night at Universal City Walk where we immersed ourselves in the lights, the colors and the boutiques. We all had so much fun and we'll definitely be back soon! Say, next week? Haha.

Give Me A Brick

The US calendar isn't marked with a lot of holidays. This was actually one of my major beefs working on night shift. While the rest of the country's enjoying a day off, I had to go to the office and work. We get to observe US holidays though but as I said, they really don't have many.

To make the most of the long weekend, we went to Legoland in Carlsbad to celebrate 4th of July. The park is a mere 15 minutes away from our apartment. The concept is cool. Everything appears to be made out of colorful blocks - the rides, the decors, etc. But after walking around the park for some time, we kinda ran out of things to do. While there were some extreme rides like Project X and uhm, Project X, the theme park was obviously designed with kids in mind.

Miniland USA was a different story, though. Replicas of famous places in New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Washington DC, etc. were rebuilt in great detail using Legos! Each structure was brick by brick a materpiece! It was amazing!

The Star Wars installations were quite cool, too. The masters of the Force were lined up along the walkway and scenes from Episode I to Episode IV were setup, too. All Legonized!

Inside Legoland were two other attractions: the Legoland Water Park and Legoland Sea Life. The Water Park is one of pools and slides. We did not try it but it kinda looks like fun. Sea Life is a huge aquarium of beautiful and curious marine creatures. Having been to a similar place like the Oceanarium, there wasn't much to see here. Except for some Lego displays around the aquarium.

AnneBisyosa!

It's only been three weeks since I arrived here in the US but I was already starting to miss the brand of entertainment that we have in Manila. Sure, Derick has TFC but we barely have time to watch TV. So when we learned that Anne Curtis' US Tour has a San Diego leg, without thinking twice, we swiped Derick's credit card and bought us some tickets! Hehe.

The No Other Concert was held at the Pechanga Resort & Casino at Temecula. About 39 miles away from home. But really, we'd drive another 50 miles just to see her! At least I think Derick would, since he's the only one who drives. For now. Hehe.

Anne entered the stage with her back facing the audience. Funny how she seemed very nervous and how she giggled, shrieked and screamed just to calm her nerves! Cute! :)

She sang Rihanna's "Diamonds" wearing her controversial high-slit dress and constantly reminded everyone that she's wearing a tannga underneath. Hehe. Unlike her ASAP performance though, there were no rain effects. But she looked fiercely stunning nonetheless!

She also sang and danced along to JLo's "On the Floor", Katy Perry's "Fireworks", and Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass". Belted out "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston and the song that started it all - "Alone" by Heart, just to mention a few. Her performances were made even more entertaining by the whirlwind of wardrobe changes she had in between!

This being my favorite... :)

She said it's her way of making up for her lack of vocal prowess. Haha.

Nina Girado (Didn't know she had a surname until today) was Anne's special guest. She performed her hits like "Someday" and "Don't Say Goodbye". Anne later shared the stage with her as they did a duet of Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing". Derek Ramsey was supposed to be there as well but unfortunately, he had some issues with his visa.

As the Annebisyosa always says, "I'm not a singer, I'm an entertainer." And with the show that she put on, I'm sure she left everyone completely and happily entertained! :)

Us: "One, two, three... We love you Aaaaannne!!"

Fan girls. Hahah.

Hump Day Slump

I am halfway through the week and I am not going to fall flat now. I will try to do the best that I can with what I've been given. No, it's more than that.. With what I have been blessed with.

California Gurlz

Ok, I feel like I just lost a few of my IQ points spelling 'girls' with a 'u' and a 'z'. Haha.

We went out today to explore the parks, the beaches and the beautiful people of Southern California!

Our First stop was the Seaport Village. It's a nice place to walk around. It has a nice view of the harbor and has a variety of shops selling some novelty items. Along the boardwalk, there were tables set up for local artisans, fortune tellers, etc. Also saw a guy with a flock of parrots and a balloon-twisting guy surrounded by kids. But what really caught my attention was this guy stacking rocks with an absurd level of skill and calm. Pretty impressive!

Lunch at Buster's Beach House. Ordered something from the ocean - a plate of coconut shrimp tempura! The shrimp was deliciously crispy and went well with the mango salsa but a bit too pricey. I could definitely get that someplace else at half the price.

Next was Belmont Park, which is a small amusement park. We didn't jump into any of the rides but we each played a round of hoops. Jhe won a stuffed monkey! Hehe.

Remember Neoprints? Those cute photo booths in Timezone that print your photos in little stickers? Used to have a board as big as a short bond paper filled with Neoprints back to back! Haha. Saw something similar at the park and decided to try it out. The design wasn't as cute, though. No hearts and rainbows and cute little ponies. But it made me feel like I'm 16 again! Haha.

Last stop was the beach!! It was a bit chilly down by the water but it seemed like we were the only ones wearing jackets. Duh, we're at the beach! Haha. It was packed with families, surfer dudes and bikini babes. While I don't think I could surf, being the non-swimmer that I am, riding the waves with a boogie board looks like fun! When is summer going to get here?!

My favorites:

And Then There Were Three

We first stopped by the Luau held at the apartment's pool area. 'Twas supposed to be some sort of a meet-and-greet the neighbors but the turn out wasn't that good. We just met a couple of people, had some punch and some cupcakes, stayed for a while to take some photos, then we're off.

Went to Barnes & Noble to kill some time. Enjoyed browsing through the titles and smelling the pages of the books. Walked around the toys section and saw a lot of stuff from Funko! Books and toys... I could literally spend an entire day here! :)

Headed to the airport to pick up our new housemate. Didn't really plan for it, but Derick and I were wearing matching color shirts. So we thought why not make it our "welcome uniform", lei and all. Should've brought a banner and a welcome drink, too. Haha. Welcome to San Diego, Jhe!!

California, Here I Come.

It all happened pretty fast.

I talked to John early this month, agreed to fly first week of June, was asked if I could fly a week earlier, next thing I know, I was packing my bags and saying my goodbyes.

05.26 6:03am PHT
My family drove me to the airport. It didn't really felt like I'd be gone for a long time. I was actually sadder when I first got deployed to New York. Isang beses pa lang, sanay agad?! Haha.

Unfortunately, the first leg of my flight got delayed due to some mechanical problems. And I'm not just talking about a few hours delay. My 8am flight was postponed to 3pm! That's seven @#%$ hours!! Called my mom to inform them of the situation. She asked if I wanted them to get me, to grab some breakfast or something. I told her that it's fine, wasn't feeling hungry anyway.

05.26 8:37am PHT
We were given free accommodation at Remington Hotel. I had sausage and egg for breakfast, then I just stayed at my room to rest. Wanted to get some sleep but didn't want to get left behind so I just watched some TV.

05.26 12:14pm PHT
Back to the airport. Needless to say, I was going to miss all my connecting flights. Talked to one of the ground stewardess about my concern. She told me that there's nothing she could do about it and that the rebooking of my flights would be handled by the Narita team. She apologized and handed me a $100 voucher for all the trouble. One of the passengers told me that I could refuse the voucher and demand for a seat upgrade instead. But I don't think I have enough spunk to contend with her.

05.26 2:33pm PHT
Boarded the plane to Narita. Got myself a window seat in the exit row. Fell asleep even before the plane took off but was jolted awake by the aroma of food. Hehe. Had milkfish, rice and macaroni salad. Watched Brave for half an hour then went back to my sweet slumber.

05.26 8:30pm JST
When we arrived at Narita airport, all passengers with connecting flights were grouped by destination. This is when I met Nanay Vivian. I just had to vent my frustration and she seemed like a willing listener. Hehe. They first processed those headed to New York. An hour later, 'twas finally my turn. Earliest available flight to Los Angeles was at 3:55pm the following day via American Airlines. Bummer. Now that things got worse, I couldn't wait for the "it gets better" part.

05.26 10:42pm JST
We stayed the night at Radisson Hotel. Shared the room with Nanay Vivian. The receptionist told us to grab a quick dinner before heading to our rooms since the buffet would soon close, to which we gladly obliged. Loaded my plate with fish, pasta and fried potatoes. After eating, we retreated to our room. She shared a lot of stories about her life in the US, most of which dated back to the '70s. We were both yawning a lot but she was on a roll. When I heard a very brief moment of silence..

Me: "Nay, gusto nio po ba lights off sa pagtulog?"
Nanay Vivian: "Ay oo, hindi ako nakakatulog kapag maliwanag e."

Lights off it is.

05.27 7:21am JST
Nanay Vivian was up early. Wanted to sleep some more but she was making a lot of noise with the hair dryer. After freshening up, we headed to the breakfast buffet. Really enjoyed the chocolate-filled croissant that I also slathered with sinful Nutella. Sweet! Hehe.

We then walked around the hotel to let the food digest a bit and to take some photos.

05.27 12:24pm JST
Rode a shuttle to Narita Airport. Nanay Vivian had set foot in this airport when she visited her son before. So she just sat and patiently waited at the lobby while I explored as much of the airport as I could in 30 minutes. There were little shops selling kawaii stuff and a lot of Japanese restaurants, one of which had sushi as big as my fist and ebi tempura as long as my arm!

05.27 2:52pm JST
After all the hassle, I was finally aboard a California-bound plane. Browsed through the in-flight entertainment offered by AA. The collection of movies wasn't as extensive as Delta's but enough to keep me entertained for a few hours. Two movies after, I still had a long flight ahead of me. With nothing better to do, I just leaned back and floated off into my own little world.

05.27 10:00am PDT
Arrived at Los Angeles International Airport. Nanay Vivian thanked me for helping her carry her luggage since we met each other in Japan. She told me to give her a call if I ever visit Las Vegas and she'll gladly show me around.

05.27 12:05pm PDT
Finally on my last leg. Two more hours to go and I'd be in San Diego.

05.27 1:57pm PDT
Derick and his dad met me at the San Diego International Airport Commuter Terminal. I'm very thankful that they were there to pick me up. Derick, Jhe and I used to just imagine ourselves being deployed in the US at the same time. Now we're here. For real. And in a week, Jhe would be here too. Who would've thought?

I'm very excited but at the same time, a part of me is scared shitless. What if I don't meet my boss' expectations? What if I feel overwhelmed? What if I don't deliver? What if I miss home? Will I be fine? Waah! But there's no going back now, is there?

Decisions, Decisions.

A few weeks ago, my parents had their annual lab tests and stress tests. My mom's the one who usually feels chest pains and experiences difficulty in breathing. My dad never really complained about anything. So we were all surprised when it was his stress test that showed some irregularities. The doctor suggested to perform angiogram to see what the problem really is.

Dad: "Walang makikitang problema dito.. Be positive."

As much as we wanted to believe that, the results proved otherwise. Three of his heart's major arteries were about 90% blocked. According to the cardiologist, my dad could suffer a heart attack even if he's not doing anything. And with his heart's current condition, there's a high chance it would be fatal.

Mom: "Pero doc, wala naman po sya nararamdaman.."
Doctor: "Ganun po talaga ang heart attack misis, silent killer."

Then he went on about his findings, showed us the diagrams, discussed the procedure, estimated cost, etc. He continually stressed the urgency of the situation and wanted us to decide right then and there. As the eldest, my mom needed me to make the decision. Do we stay at The Medical City or transfer my dad to the Philippine Heart Center? Do we proceed with the angioplasty or with a triple bypass surgery? Do we need to get a second opinion? God, what do I know?

My brother and I did some research, my mom sought the opinion of another doctor, but in the end, my dad still had the final say. He said he wanted to stay at The Medical City and that he's more comfortable with the angioplasty. Gave the go signal to the doctor and had my dad scheduled for the procedure. In just a matter of days, our hospital bill shot up to Php800,000. And that is exclusive of the cardiologist's fee, which brought the total to roughly a million. The personnel handling our account helped us exhaust every available option that could somehow cut our expenses. Thanks to her, about a hundred thousand pesos got deducted from our bill.

Thankfully, my dad's fine now. The doctor said it's like he has a brand new heart. I thank God for the successful procedure and for helping us through. This experience may have left us physically, emotionally and financially drained, but it also brought our family closer in love and in faith.

Ilabas ang lechon! Hehe.

Sa Wakas

Watched the first matinee performance of "Sa Wakas: A New Pinoy Rock Musical" featuring the songs of a band that will always hold a special place in my heart - Sugarfree! Read about it on The Philippine Star stacked in our bathroom. Yes, I still read the newspaper and yes, I read it while I was doing my "business". TMI! Pardon the imagery! Hahah.

Arrived at the PETA-PHINMA Theater an hour before showtime. We were seated on the 2nd row from the stage. We were so near, I could literally see saliva shooting out of the actors' mouths! Haha.

"Sa Wakas" is a bittersweet drama that chronicles the breakdown of a relationship and the beginning of a new one. Unlike most musicals, there were no fancy production numbers, jazzy choreography or elaborate set pieces. Just a simple love story and a great selection of songs that never fail to tug at my heartstrings. My only beef was that the live band played a few songs a tad too loud and drowned the voices of the leads at some point.

Meet the characters who were caught in a web of love and infidelity...

Fred Lo as Topper, an artsy photographer torn between two lovers. First saw him on stage in 9 Works Theatrical's staging of "Rent" where he played the role of the nerdy videographer Mark Cohen. Now, he once again worked his charm into his character as Topper. Ended up liking and understanding him even if the guy's essentially a jerk. Hehe. Overheard someone say that he's "bading na bading". Hmmm, is he really?

Laura Cabochan as Lexi, Topper's long-time partner struggling to balance her relationship and her career as a surgeon. Honestly, I wasn't that impressed when I first heard her sing during a TV guesting to promote the show. Guess she just had the jitters of being in front of the camera. Because from the moment she started singing her first few lines of "Kwarto" to her dramatic confrontation scene with Topper, not to mention her sappy fixation with Popoy and Basha; she was spot on!

Justine Peña as Gabbi, a chic photo-blogger turned magazine editor who shares Topper's passion for art and life. Despite her being the "other" woman, I really wanted her to get her happy ending. Loved the "Kwentuhan" moment at the rooftop and I couldn't help but feel for her character especially when Topper stood her up at the hospital. And I love, love, love her wardrobe! The Avengers shirt, the brown leather jacket and the black body-hugging dress! Hotness!

The show will have a limited run weekends of April 13-28. Click here for more information.

"Sabihin na natin ang di kayang sabihin
Aminin na natin ang di kayang aminin
Tapusin na natin ang hindi natin kailangan dalhin."
--- Wala, Sugarfree

Inked

Got my first ink at Snow Tattoo in Saguijo. Wait, I just typed "first" so am I subconsciously considering getting a second tattoo? A third and a fourth? Uh-oh, I smell a brewing addiction! Haha.

The tattoo artist, Sarah Gaugler, did a really fine job "tainting" my skin with ink. Funny coz I didn't know that she's the vocalist of Turbo Goth and didn't know that she's one of the endorsers of Globe Tattoo but her face really looked familiar. Did some research and found out that we attended the same highschool and was just a coupla batches my junior. Small world.

So, the question that everybody asks: Did it hurt? My answer: Surprisingly, it didn't. Sarah was very light-handed and I guess setting my pain threshold to an all-time high helped. Either that or I probably just crossed that fine line between pain and pleasure. Hehe.

Now I wonder, do collar bone tattoos hurt? Hmm. There's only one way to find out. Haha.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

When The Daylight Comes

"Here I am waiting, I'll have to leave soon. Why am I holding on?"

The song has been playing endlessly in my head for the past few days. Couldn't believe that it's already been 5 weeks and that I was leaving soon. I was both excited and sad to be going back home. Of course I miss Manila and all but there's still so much to see and places to go to and Broadway shows to watch! Super bitin! Nevertheless, I felt really blessed that I was given the opportunity to travel, that the project was not that stressful and that I got to work with really nice people and sooo thankful that Candice was there. Haays, I'm sure gonna miss New York.

"We knew this day would come, we knew it all along. How did it come so fast?"

Arrived at the JFK International Airport around 10am. Walked around for some last minute purchases and looked for something to eat. Had a plateful of scrambled eggs, bacon, potato bites and buttermilk biscuit from Sbarro. That was the heaviest breakfast I've eaten while I was there. Coz I usually got by with just a pack of Skyflakes or Inipit. Hehe.

"This is my last glance that will soon be memory..."

Boarded the plane around 12pm. Got an aisle seat beside someone who frequents the washroom like once every two hours. Looking at the bright side, at least he's Pinoy coz I could really use someone to talk to without suffering any blood loss. Hehe.

Him: "Hi, are you Filipino?"
Me: "Yup, I am."
Him: "You speak Tagalog?"
Me: "Konti lang. Joke lang. Oo naman!"
Him: "Haha. Ayun naman pala! Kanina pa kita ine-English!"

The guy's a seaman from Davao. He's going back home for a short vacation and would be heading back at sea after a month.

Sleep was quite elusive so I just took advantage of the inflight entertainment. I enjoyed "Wreck-It Ralph", sat on the edge of my seat watching "Argo", and I fell in love and cried watching "The Perks of Being a Wallflower". I also managed to eat almost all of the chips that I bought from the hotel's vending machine. Despite the roller coaster of emotions I strapped myself into and all the junk that I fed myself with, I just tossed and turned in my seat the entire flight unable to drift away to Lala land.

After being airborne for approximately 13 hours, we had to deplane at Narita Airport in Japan. It sucks how sleep would come at the most inconvenient times and the most unlikely of places. The moment I sat at the airport's waiting area, I just passed out. Didn't care if I was occupying more space than I should or if I had drool dripping out of my mouth. I wanted sleep, I needed sleep, so sleep I did.

Boarded the plane again after a couple of hours. Wasn't feeling all too well when I got to my seat. Tried to continue my slumber but I couldn't find a comfortable position. Food was served and I once again stuffed myself with as much as my stomach could handle. A few minutes after I finished my food, the plane hit some rough air. Felt like I was gonna faint and throw up at the same time. Good thing I still had a bag of M&Ms with me so I quickly downed some sweets to push back whatever that was that wanted out. Yak! Haha.

After what seemed like forever, I was finally back in the Philippines. Never had I felt so relieved to be on solid ground. My phone was dead and never coming back to life (An excuse to get a new phone? Hehe), so I had to come up with ways to inform my parents that I was already at the pick-up area. Like a smoke signal or something. Wehe. Approached one cab driver and asked if I could borrow his phone to contact my parents. All I needed was one text message but he urged me to give them a call instead. I was very thankful, I almost forgot that everything comes with a price. Another kuya approached me and asked if I was able to contact my parents. Then he asked me flat out if I have a few dollars to spare. It turned out that the call that barely lasted 10 seconds costs $5. Oh well.

Caught sight of our car after a few minutes. Waved at my parents with much excitement. OFW lang ang peg. Hehe. I was kinda hoping to find my siblings and our puppy inside the car but it was just my mom and my dad. Shared all my photos and experiences and stories on our drive home. My siblings were still up when we arrived. They were waiting for me daw. Aysos!

Me: "Namiss niyo ba ako?"
Mico: "Oo! Nasan na pasalubong??"

Grabe ha! I felt really missed! Hahaha.

Me: "Ito sayo, DingDong!

Day At The Museum

Had my last NYC lunch at Ho Yip, a Chinese restaurant near my hotel where I usually get my fill of rice. We then headed to the American Museum of Natural History, the very museum where different animals, dinosaurs, cowboys, Indians and Theodore Roosevelt comes to life at night. Hehe.

We first watched a space show narrated by Whoopi Goldberg called "Journey to the Stars" in the Hayden Planetarium. It launched us into a visual voyage through space and time to witness the life and death of the stars. The effects were.. well, stellar. Haha. Would've been better if the seats reclined a little bit more, though.

We then went to the Hall of Ocean Life where a full-size model of a blue whale is suspended from the ceiling. There's also a lot of masterfully crafted dioramas that looked very real. The stuffed animals, the recreation of their natural habitats, the backdrop, everything blended well together creating little worlds inside the glass boxes.

One of the museum's main attractions was the huge collection of dinosaur fossils in the Hall of Dinosaurs. Still can't grasp the fact that these ridiculously gigantic creatures existed millions of years in the past and walked the same Earth that us humans do. I mean, seriously! There's the Pterodactyl, the Triceratops and the mighty Tyrannosaurus among many many others. Power Rangers lang ang peg. Haha.

I was kinda expecting to find Sacagawea in the Hall of Indians and was kinda hoping that she would look like Mizuo Peck. Haha. There were some artifacts from the Shoshone tribe of which she was a member but there was no Sacagawea in sight. The women mannequins looked just as manly as the men and almost all, if not all, looked kinda creepy. Also saw the Easter Island Head but I wasn't able to get close to it. Too bad coz I got the dum-dum some gum-gum. Hehe.

There are many other halls in the museum that a day is not enough to see everything that it has to offer. It closes at around 5:45pm, just before the sun sets. The guards were pretty unrelenting in sending us out, like they wanted everyone out of the museum fast. Hmm, I could only think of one reason why. Haha.

Had my last NYC dinner at Bar Masa, a Japanese restaurant located in The Shops at Columbus Circle. Not really a fan of raw food so I ordered my usual Japanese dish, Ebi Tempura! Hehe. For dessert we had the uber yummy green tea mille crêpe made of very thin layers of crepe (about 25 layers according to Candice) all stacked up like a piece of cake! It wasn't fancy-looking, it actually didn't look too appealing, but I swear, it was D-E-licious! =P~