Universal Studios: Take Two

Back at Universal Studios Hollywood to once again enjoy our favorite rides! The Studio Tour was first on our list. We picked the outer seats on the tram to get better views of the different attractions. And as planned, I captured the experience on video!

Studio Tour:
- King Kong 360 3D
- Flash Flood
- Subway Earthquake

We then went in line for our favorites - The Transformers and The Mummy rides. As usual, there was a bunch of people waiting in line. But it was a lot shorter compared to the last time we were there. Walked around the park and spotted some new stuff, like Mr. Bean's car and the Mystery Machine with the entire Scooby Gang on board!

As part of the Halloween Horror Nights, there were creepy decorations scattered all over the theme park. It looked hella scary in broad daylight. I could only imagine the horrors it would give me at night!

But what really gave me the creeps were the vampires roaming around the park. They would usually pick on girls and would really bring their faces close to ours and hiss and stare with a serious thirst for blood! Sure, they were hot and sexy and good looking... but still! Haha.

We were already on our way out when we passed by the House of Horrors. Posted waiting time was 10 minutes so we thought we'd give it a try. Walked through a maze cloaked in darkness where monsters jumped out either before us or right at us! We were only halfway through and I just wanted to get the hell out! What happened to my brave heart?! Haha. When we finally got out, I was so exhausted and short of breath! But if you ask me, would I want to go through it again? Hell yeah! I'd even turn it up a few notches and go for the Halloween Horror Nights!

And on to my favorite shots...





Yep, I just love the flare. Hehe. :)

There's No Place Like Home

We went to Wesoloh yesterday to get Derick's car and I accidentally left our house keys in the service van. Good thing it was surrendered in the office. It would've been a real problem because one of the keychains has our address and apartment number on it! How convenient for someone to break in! Haha.

When we got hold of our precious keys, we stopped by Wetzel's for a bag of pretzel bites. I dropped my sunglasses while crossing the street and it almost got ran over by a car. I think the car just missed it by an inch or two! Whew.

It was time to hit the road to LA. We had no yellow brick road to follow, but we had Garmin to show us the highlighted route to Oz! Haha.

When we arrived at the Pantages Theater, there was already a handful of people waiting. Outside, the theater just looks like an old building but inside, its classic beauty was astonishing! The grand staircase, the chandeliers, the gorgeous ornate ceiling, the golden statues.. Everything just makes you feel kinda fancy. Hehe.

And since we still had a lot of time to spare... Haha.

We had pretty good seats. We didn't have a center view of the stage but we were quite near. I'm not that familiar with the songs except for Somewhere Over The Rainbow but I really enjoyed each and every performance! Danielle Wade, the girl who played Dorothy, was ah-mazing! Great acting and excellent singing. I'm still wondering how she changed from a blue dress to a green dress with just one quick turn. Seriously, what happened there? Was it the ruby slippers? The magic of Emerald City? Argh, I shouldn't have blinked! The Scarecrow and the Cowardly Lion were both funny. I love them! Glinda the Good Witch reminded me so much of Rachel McAdams. I remember in Wicked, she first entered the stage inside a giant bubble. In this musical, she was wearing this big elegant dress as she descended from the heavens. She sure knows how to make a grand entrance! Hehe.

After the play, we went straight to Universal Studios. Little did we know that the "regular" park was closing early because of a special event called Halloween Horror Nights. It requires a separate entrance fee and was not covered by our annual passes. Didn't have the budget for that but we would definitely schedule this some other time.

Dinner at Bubba Gump in City Walk. Tried this Blue Hawaiian drink, which is basically pineapple juice with blue curacao and vodka. It was refreshing, but not without a kick. We also ordered some very very sinful dessert! A warm soft chocolate chip cookie topped with vanilla ice cream, peanuts, hot fudge and whipped cream! One spoonful and I was in heaven!

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, McDonald's released these cute little Happy Meal toys! And I got to buy them without stuffing myself with fake chicken nuggets!

TatTwo

Woke up around 9am, ready to get my second ink. Already did some research before and found Full Circle Tattoo in downtown San Diego. But I thought, there must be a tattoo parlor nearby that won't require us to drive 36 miles. Asked for Yelp's help and found Frontline Tattoo, which is only 3 miles away from home. The reviews were good, some said they were a bit pricey but that they do quality work. For something that would be permanently etched on my skin, I really don't mind paying a little extra.

Called the Vista branch to inquire about their pricing and to set an appointment. The guy on the line told me that they do not do appointments and that it's hard to give an estimate without seeing the actual design. I really wanted to get a price range so I would at least have an idea. Didn't want to just walk in and walk away if it's way out of my budget. So I tried my best to describe the design. He said it would probably be around a hundred bucks, give or take.

When we arrived at the Vista branch, my hands turned cold. Haha. The guy in the receiving area was kinda arrogant in dealing with us. Probably coz we're interrupting his lunch or he probably thinks we're just a couple of youngsters with little money. Haha. Told us that the earliest available spot that they have is at 6pm. We could either wait or he could refer us to their Oceanside branch. He called them up and asked if they have any opening. Luckily, the other branch could take us in.

The shop in Oceanside was less intimidating. The front desk guy was very accommodating and was quite funny. Forgot to bring an ID so he just made me promise that I am of legal age. Haha. After signing the waiver, he introduced me to my tattoo artist, Julie.

I love the setup of the shop, the artists have their own curtained booth. Julie has a lot of framed artworks and she has this cork board filled with her sketches. Made myself comfortable in the chair as she prepared her stuff. When she turned the machine on, I realized how much I missed the buzzing sound of a tattoo gun. When the needle touched my skin, I realized how much I missed the "stinging" sensation. When it was over, I was seriously craving for more!!

Now that just made me sound like I'm addicted to it, but seriously, I am not. I mean, really. Nope, not an addict. Nuh-uh. Oh, bull. >_<

Like Moths To A Gaslamp

Grabbed an early dinner of steak and pasta at Rock Bottom Brewery & Restaurant. Needless to say, we ate thinking that we'll be doing a lot of walking after. Hehe.

Now that we're full on fuel, we had the energy to explore the Gaslamp Quarter! Hehe. The streets were lined with bars, restaurants, pubs and shops and there were Victorian-style buildings that make for a good photo.

As the night wore on, the place transformed into an adult playground. And I say that in a good way. The vibrant lights, the loud music, the alcohol, the happy freaks dressed in glittery costumes prancing around like it's the 70's..

Walking is a great exercise and a much needed one at that, but we had to give our legs a rest. Getting a table outside the restaurants were almost impossible as most of them were reserved. After some time, we finally got a table at La Fiesta Mexican Cuisine Lounge. Enjoyed a glass of mudslide as we watched the world go by. Well, the people of the world to be exact. Hehe. Sitting there as different kinds of people walked back and forth like it's freakin' runway, I felt like we just upped our people watching skills to an almost professional level. Haha.

Right across the Gaslamp Quarter is the San Diego Convention Center. It was pretty lifeless at that time but I can only imagine how alive and exciting it gets during the annual Comic-Con! The cosplayers, the celebrities, the toys! And I still can't believe we missed that!

Los favoritos:

Sun, Sand And Sails

Building sand castles in the beach may be thought of as child's play. But this Labor Day weekend, a group of sand sculptors have picked up their buckets and shovels to turn tons of sand into artistic masterpieces for the US Sand Sculpting Challenge!

The competition was held in Downtown San Diego. The place is a nice mix of city and sunshine. It got all the concrete and the buildings on one side and the San Diego Bay on the other. Aside from the amazing sand sculptures, a variety of 3D art and photography were also on display.

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: