Melody
Pulau Ubin, Singapore
(March 13th, 2006)



Melody
ISBN-13: 9780374303648
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Published: April 2010
256 pgs
Source: Library



Madeleine L'Engle was the author of A Wrinkle in Time, and though I have yet to read it, I am looking forward to it since I have read so much rave reviews on it. I went to the library for this book but couldn't find it, instead I found And Both Were Young and thus here we are.

Anyway, I started off with the introduction page written by Madeleine L'Engle's granddaughter, Léna Roy, who shared with us that And Both Were Young was in fact L'Engle's first young adult novel. She was inspired to write this book after she was being dropped off at a boarding school instead of living with her parents when they were seeking a cure for her journalist father, who had inhaled mustard gas during WWI in 1930 (L'Engle was twelve-year-old then).

So basically this story is about the life of Philippa "Flip" Hunter during her studies at a Swiss boarding school. Flip travels to Switzerland with her artist father after her mother's death in an automobile accident, and along with the journey is another woman who is hoping to take the role of the late Mrs. Hunter but Flip didn't like her. She thinks she is bossy and arrogant, and she is absolutely dismayed and infuriated with her father for listening to her demands at times.

Feeling homesick and not to mention a loner and self-conscious at heart, she struggles to fit into the school life and making friends. She later knew a few girls whom she called her friends, but deep in her heart she knew she could not compare them with a boy named Paul, who she has met by chance before her admission to the boarding school. They became good friends quickly, and as their friendship grows, Flip no longer feels so miserable and with Paul's encouragement, her self-confidence began to grow too. The thing is, Paul is not a student at their boarding school and Flip has to keep their friendship a secret.

Then there is Madame Perceval, who is Flip's art teacher and kind of a mentor to Flip. Through her guidance, there is a change of mentality in Flip as she has became to be a more confident and ambitious young woman. It is also through Perceval that readers will get to learn a little more of Paul, as he has a tragic past but I will not go further as it is best for you to read it yourself.

At first glance, And Both Were Young may seem like a teenage romance story, but let me assure you there are certainly more to it. Madeleine L'Engle had written a delicate story that revolves around identity, growing up, the joy and misery of adolescence and of course, love. The romance between Paul and Flip is subtle, yet that does not disminish the effect and the attraction they have for each other.

There isn't much glimpse of WWII, though this story takes place after it but readers will see how this has deeply affected the girls at the boarding school, in particularly to Flip's friends. All in all, this is a wonderful read. Now that I have gotten a 'taste' of Madeleine L'Engle's writing style, I will be sure to check out her other books in the near future and needless to say, A Wrinkle in Time will be the top of that list.
Melody

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
  • Please avoid spoilers!

During the war when her father had been in Europe, her mother was still alive; and then in the dark days after her mother's death Gram had come to live with them; and afterward, whenever her father had to go away for a few days without her, at least Gram had been there. Now she would be completely on her own.



(Pg 14, And Both Were Young by Madeleine L'Engle)

Melody
I felt like a slacker when it comes to finishing the reading challenges I had signed up for the year. Anyway, I am happy to say I have completed the 2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge, hosted by Home Girl's Book Blog (previously known as J. Kaye's Bookblog).

I committed to read 12 books and here's a list of what I read:

  1. Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

  2. Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick

  3. Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

  4. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

  5. Half World by Hiromi Goto

  6. Hate List by Jennifer Brown

  7. Heartbreak River by Tricia Mills

  8. Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

  9. The Worst of Me by Kate Le Vann

  10. All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

  11. The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson

  12. Mia the Magnificent by Eileen Boggess


And here's the part where I failed when it comes to Sookie Stackhouse Reading Challenge which is hosted by the lovely Candace of Beth Fish Reads.

I'm ashamed to say I have only read two books of this series:

  1. Living Dead in Dallas

  2. Dead Until Dark

I think my main reason for not completing this challenge is due to my reading mood. I'm not a fast reader in general and plus, I tend not to read books of the same series in a row, no matter how interesting they are. Perhaps I have left the reading gap for too long with this series, thus that explains why my anticipation wasn't there. Still, I'd want to read the rest of the books since I have them all in my pile.



Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Here's what I borrowed last Friday:

1) The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

2) Wings of Wrath by C.S. Friedman (Magister Series #2)

I read the first instalment, Feast of Souls and enjoyed it! (Here's my review.)

I regret to say I have to return Infinity (by Sherrilyn Kenyon) and The Toss of a Lemon (by Padma Viswanathan) after reading a few pages. At that point of borrowing Infinity I didn't realise it's a story about Dark Hunters and zombies. Though I enjoy reading about vampires, I've no idea why I just can't get sucked into any zombie story like the way vampires stories do to me. I think I've to blame it on some of those freaky zombies movies I watched. As for The Toss of a Lemon, the due date is up and plus it's a chunkster and I want to devour this story at my own pace, thus I will probably purchase this book next time.

Melody
We went to watch Toy Story 3 on Wednesday and I have to say all of us had a wonderful time, despite that we got the third row seats due to the June school holidays.

Having watched the first two instalments and enjoyed them, I stepped into the cinema with high expectations and am glad to say this movie did not disappoint, at least it is to me.

In this third instalment, we see Andy has grown up and is packing for college. His mother wants him to clear his room before leaving, and feeling sentimental towards his old toys, he decided to pack them all into a box to be stored into the attic and brought only Woody with him.

However, due to a slip-up, the other toys ended up at Sunnyside Daycare Centre. Woody plans to rescue them so they would stay in Andy's attic, but they think otherwise and are actually quite excited with the notion that they would be played by the preschoolers. Unfortunately, the preschoolers they encountered are boisterous and they handled them badly. Added to their grief is an evil strawberry scented bear, Lotso, who seems to be the leader of the toys pack and he made sure Woody and his friends couldn't escape from the daycare centre.

Aside from the usual characters of Jessie, Buzz Lightyear, Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head (just to name a few), we also get to see several new characters such as Barbie and Ken (who I think is hilarious), Totoro (a character from a Japanese animation My Neighbour Totoro) and many others.

Suffice to say, Toy Story 3 is a fun and entertaining animation that would entice both children and adults alike. There are a few sentimental and touching scenes that had me with a lump in my throat. Upon leaving the cinema, I reiterated the message to my daughter to put in extra care and love her toys the way Andy does (not that she don't, it's just that she can be a little disorganise sometimes).

Oh, I didn't mention that we watched this in 2D since my husband is not keen on the 3D version generally (said it makes him giddy). And do I hope for a next instalment? Definitely!



This section has got nothing to do with books or movies, but I am a huge fan of Lu Chen (刘谦)and I want to wish him a Happy Birthday since it is his birthday today!

He will be performing here on 31st July for his World Magical Tour 2010 and I was disappointed that I am not able to attend. Nevertheless I am satisfied enough to watch his appearance on a TV variety show every weekend, and hopefully next time I'd get the chance to watch his performance in person.

Melody
ISBN-13: 9780738710181
Publisher: Flux, Llewellyn Publications
Published: 2007
303 pgs
Source: Library





Caleb Becker and Maggie Armstrong used to be friends and neighbours but an accident has changed everything. Now Maggie walks with a limp and Caleb was sent to a juvenile jail for drunk driving. This incident has left Maggie both physically and emotionally scarred, and though she could tolerate the pitiful stares she received in school, she is definitely not prepared to face Caleb in person now that he has been released from jail early for his community service duties.

However, this is not the only emotional baggage Maggie is carrying for she is still sadden over her parents' separation. She often wonders if her father is happy with his new life, and whether or not if he still cares about her. To complicate matters, she does not know if she should feel happy for her mother now that her boss is paying much more attention to her. Though Mr. Reynolds is a good man and she knew her mother deserved someone better like him, she could not help missing her father. However, she likes Mr. Reynolds' mother and when she offered to pay her for helping out at her house, she agreed. She enjoys working for Mrs. Reynolds and thinks she is a great woman but her happiness is a short-lived one after learning that Caleb is also helping Mrs. Reynolds to build a gazebo in her garden.

At the beginning, they do not feel comfortable working under the same roof but something changed over an incident and plus, Maggie felt she has learnt a lot from Mrs. Reynolds' advice and understand that sometimes it is easier to forgive than to bear a grudge against someone for the whole of your life.

On the other end, Caleb felt the tension in his family. He felt he could no longer communicate with his twin sister, Leah; not that he could blame her considering her friendship with Maggie is ruined after the accident. And their mother seems to rely heavily on medications due to the stress and added to his frustrations is his schoolmates' mockery towards Maggie.

I have to say reading Leaving Paradise is like riding on an emotional roller-coaster. One moment I was feeling sad for Maggie's unfortunate situation, and then the next I could be laughing along with Mrs. Reynolds because she is such a funny and open-minded person. And of course there are scenes that made me cry but I'd rather not say anything as that would spoil your fun of reading this book, isn't it?

I loved the plot and the characterisations, and on top of that I want to applaud Simone Elkeles for writing a powerful and thought-provoking story that revolves around a few delicate issues one might have to deal in real life. I like books that convey a message without being preachy and Leaving Paradise is one of those. In this story, I learned that forgiveness is not only about accepting others' mistakes but also about having the courage of letting go.

Unlike Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction, the romance between the two protagonists in Leaving Paradise is more complicated given the circumstances and the tension arises from it. I understand there is a sequel, Return to Paradise, come November (after checking Simone Elkeles' website) so this explains why there are some loose ends in the ending. All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and I wish November will come quickly!

(Click here for other bookbloggers' reviews.)
Melody
Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Singapore
(March 12th, 2006)

Below are just a few faunas we met at the nature park . . .
Nope, it's not a baby crocodile but a huge iguana!


Can you spot the green snake?
I nearly screamed after realising what it was because it looked very much like a vine to me at first glance.

Melody
ISBN-13: 9781416982647
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Published: October 2009
224 pgs
Source: Library




It seems like I have been reading a lot of YA books lately, but that's because they are library books and I want to return them on time.


Holly lost her mother to cancer, so in a way this has made her worried and very conscious of her health. She does not have many friends at school, and she loves hanging around with her childhood friend, Nils, and she was glad that they went to the same school together.

While Holly thinks Nils is a good friend, she finds another Paul, another schoolmate attractive and despite they do not know each other very well, she does not mind hooking up with him though she knew he already has a girlfriend named Saskia. However, the more Holly spend time with Paul, the more she wanted their relationship to be serious but Paul thinks the other way, he wants their trysts to remain a secret.

To make things complicated, she and Saskia are classmates and their friendship blossoms as the days go by. Holly began to feel bad and try to leave Paul but he threatens to tell everyone about their relationship should she leave him. At this point of time, Holly realised that her friendship with Nils has began to change, and she thinks Nils having a girlfriend may also be a contributing factor.

However, when Holly realised what's most matter in her heart, things start to get more complex and she is caught in a lose-lose situation. She has chosen to leave Paul but then she would lose her friendship with Saskia and Nils too, since she has also broken a promise to him.

Nothing Like You is a bittersweet story of a young girl finding her self and love after the loss of her mother. Reading about her loss and her sadness have brought me memories of my late mother so I could relate to her in some ways.

I liked reading about Holly's exchange with Nils. Their friendship seems so sweet and real to me, and personally I think Nils is a perfect match for Holly but sometimes, things aren't supposed the way they are and moreover we have no control over things such as fate. Nothing Like You may seem like a typical teenage romance story, but I think there is much more depth to it as it allows the readers to think about things like loss (in general) and how we are going to deal with it, and also in what way it will affect us by the choice we made, etc.

Finally, I want to share an extract with you that I liked which made me think of self-acceptance and courage.

He dropped his bottle and scooched his chair back so we were facing each other. "You're you," he said. "You know, your mom made certain choices that I can pretty much guarantee, if faced with a similar crossroads, you wouldn't have made."

I nodded.

"Her path . . . that's not yours to follow. Okay?"

I resisted the urge to cry.

"Worse-case scenario, you face something similar . . . you fight, right?" He looked at me sympathetically. "Hey, you're your own person."
Melody

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
  • Please avoid spoilers!

I suddenly had a secret. And it made me feel guilty, yeah, but I also felt really fantastic.




(Pg 57, Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick)

Melody
I hope everyone had a great weekend and a wonderful Father's Day yesterday! We enjoyed ours and look what I found at the bookstore after we had our scrumptious lunch - Faithful Place by Tana French! This is one of my most eagerly anticipated books of the year and I was thrilled that they are already released here! (Well, if you have read In the Woods and The Likeness, you'd be able to understand my excitement.)




Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

Here's what I borrowed last Friday:

1) Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

2) The Stand by Stephen King (Initially I couldn't make up my mind whether or not to pick this up considering this is a chunkster and I'll probably couldn't finish reading it on time since I have another two more library books to read, but still I got it anyway as I've seen many SK fans highly recommend this. Plus, I've heard there are inevitable comparisons with Justin Cronin's The Passage so definitely my curiosity is piqued!)

Melody
ISBN-13: 9780670021390
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Published: January 2010
320 pgs
Source: Library




Saving CeeCee Honeycutt has been getting lots of rave reviews over the blogosphere so needless to say, my curiosity is piqued and I was thrilled to borrow a copy from the library.

Narrated by 12-year-old Cecelia Rose Honeycutt (CeeCee), she shares her story of living and taking care of her mentally sick mother to how much her life has changed after living with her great aunt Tootie in Savannah due to her mother's passing.

Through Beth Hoffman's beautiful prose and skilful writing, she has brought CeeCee and the other characters to life and I have to say I was on an emotional roller-coaster throughout my reading experience. I felt sorry for CeeCee right from the beginning and thinking how life has been unfair to her; at her age she should be having a happy and carefree life and not having so many reponsibilities dumped onto her. Her father, instead of being there for the family, chose to escape and find a new life in another woman.

At this point, I had great admiration for CeeCee for she seems to be able to take things in her stride despite anything, and instead of feeling sorry for herself she used this opportunity to bury herself in books. I felt relieved for her when her great aunt Tootie comes along and whisk her away from Ohio to Savannah. There, CeeCee made her acquaintance with Tootie's cook, Oletta and a few of Tootie's friends. Some of them are witty and fun to be with, while some are eccentric and gossipy. Either way, CeeCee's life is never bored with them around.

In a nutshell, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a heartwarming story of a young girl who has found hope and friendship after the loss of her mother. It is no doubt an uplifting story which I think would inspire many readers. Here's a few extracts from the book that I'd like to share with regard to Aunt Tootie's advice to CeeCee.
... "Life is full of change, honey. That's how we learn and grow..."
"It's not a book you can see or touch. It's a book that's held deep within your heart. It's guarded by your spirit... .
When a chapter of your Life Book is complete, your spirit knows it's time to turn the page so a new chapter can begin. Even when you're scared or think you're not ready, your spirit knows you are." (Pg 41)
(Click here for other bookbloggers' reviews.)
Melody

Booking Through ThursdayCheck Spelling

Do you prefer reading current books? Or older ones? Or outright old ones? (As in, yes, there’s a difference between a book from 10 years ago and, say, Charles Dickens or Plato.)

I don't have any preference when it comes to my reading, and it all has to depend on my mood. To me, what most important is not which year the book is published but more of the content and whether or not does the story suck me in.

What about you? Do you prefer current books or older ones?

Melody
Director: Yuri Kantake
Starring: Nozomi Sasaki, Shosuke Tanihara
Year Made: 2009
Language: Japanese (with Chinese/English subtitles)
Rating: NC-16 (Some Mature Content)




I was looking for some Taiwanese drama serial last week and I found this DVD by chance. Intrigued by the premise, I decided to buy it.

17-year-old Rio (starring Nozomi Sasaki) seems to have everything under her fingertips. She is beautiful and is popular in school and it is not a surprise most girls are envious of her. The truth is, she has a traumatic past and in order to forget the unhappiness and everything, she buried herself into making money and leading a luxurious life through her sugar daddy.

However, her life changes after her encounter with Kouki (Shosuke Tanihara), a lone history professor when she found out that their photos have been swapped by mistake since they shared the same family name. They agreed to meet to exchange their photos, and Rio is quickly attracted by his cool and calm demeanour.

Upon learning he is a history professor, Rio decides to ditch her glitzy life and vows to study hard under his supervision. On the other end, while Kuoki is slowly attracted by Rio's charm and her cheerful personality, the fact that he has brain tumour keeps him from getting closer to her. In fact, he is already counting down the days even before he had met her. So will their love beat the cruel state of reality, I suppose this is up to you to find out.

I have to confess there are several things crop up my mind after watching this show. First, I was quite concerned of the underlying message of teenage prostitution and suicide (the latter was told in a way that Rio's lesbian friend had jumped to her death after learning that Rio has chosen Kuoki over her) and it was to my dismay that these issues are not further explored. I understand that the main focus of this story is the romance part but here I am thinking that the young adult audience might take it the wrong way and think teenage prostitution and suicide are encouraged, and this is never meant to be.

Despite my above issue, still it is a good thing that Rio has changed to be more sensitive towards others and that she wanted to redeem herself after meeting Kuoki. In a nutshell, My Rainy Days is a sweet, poignant story that tells about love conquers everything despite anything. I also enjoyed the interactive between Rio and Kuoki as I could just feel their chemistry onscreen. Due to this, I will have to look out for Handsome Suit, as I understand both of them starred in this movie too.
Melody
Sunset at Clarke Quay, Singapore
(March 11th, 2006)

Melody
ISBN-13: 9780802720856
Publisher: Walker & Company
Published: April 2010
336 pgs
Source: Library




I had enjoyed reading Simone Elkeles' Perfect Chemistry so much so that I have to read this sequel immediately after finishing that book.

Using the same writing style as in Perfect Chemistry (alternating narratives), Rules of Attraction tells the story of Alex's younger brother, Carlos Fuentes and his stay in Professor Westford's house after his involvement with a dangerous gang and Alex would rather have his former instructor to watch over Carlos than having him being expelled from high school.

Professor Westford's eldest daughter, Kiara, is the other narrator of this story and from the opening of the story, it is not a surprise to see there is a clash between Carlos and herself due to the difference of their personality. However, that does not mean that Kiara isn't one who will say no to challenges if she ever met one, and she has proved to many others that she could fix vehicles just as good as many guys do.

Despite their differences, Carlos and Kiara are drawn to each other the more they get to know each other but Carlos, thinks Kiara deserves someone better than him and also that he wouldn't want to get her and her family into trouble since a drug lord had sought him out and wanted him to run some illegal deals for him.

As in Perfect Chemistry, there are a lot of intense moments both in the plot and the romance department. As much as there is attraction between Carlos and Kiara, there are obviously some obstacles between them and the Westford family will go to any lengths to ensure that Carlos is out of danger. There are a few heartwarming moments as well and I was especially touched by the way Professor Westford had helped Carlos. His past history surprised me and it was interesting to see the other side of him when he went out of his way in helping Carlos.

I also enjoyed reading about Tuck, who is a good friend of Kiara and reading about their exchanges had me grinning most of the times because he is such a funny guy. I'd love to read a story about him, and it would be a GLBT lit since he is a gay. Overall, I find Rules of Attraction a compelling read and I think fans of Perfect Chemistry would be delighted to devour this sequel as Carlos and Kiara make an interesting couple. As there is a youngest brother in the Fuentes family - Luis Fuentes, I wonder if there would be a story of him in the near future. I would definitely hope so.

(Click here for other bookbloggers' reviews.)

Melody

Teaser Tuesdays

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

  • Grab your current read.
  • Let the book fall open to a random page.
  • Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page.
  • You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
  • Please avoid spoilers!

As she began to slowly swing, I nuzzled closer. "Mrs. Odell, couldn't I live with you?"

"I wish you could," she said, pressing her cheek to mine. "But that's not the way it's written in your Life Book. This is the beginning of a big adventure, and you won't want to miss it. Your Life Book is about to reveal a brand new chapter, and so is mine."



(Pg 40-41, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman)

Melody

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia from The Printed Page where readers get to share the books that came into their house last week.

I was so thrilled to get The Passage by Justin Cronin (bought from The Book Depository) as I have read so many rave reviews about this one! I cannot wait to read it, but then I have to confess I am a little intimidated of this chunkster.


What books came into your house last week?



Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Eva and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries!

I found a few YA books which I look forward to reading them soon:

1) Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick

2) Leaving Paradise by Simone Elkeles

3) And Both Were Young by Madeleine L'Engle

Melody
Part 1 Recap

Don't you hate it when the time seems to pass by you quickly everytime you are having a wonderful time? We didn't notice lunchtime has rolled by until our stomachs rumble in protest. So we had our meals at a restaurant called Goldilocks where all of us had vegetarian burgers (I didn't take any picture of our meals because we were all too hungry!).

Since Goldilocks is located within Far Far Away, we decided to visit Shrek and his friends after our lunch.


Our first stop at Far Far Away is Donkey Live; it's a special interactive live show whereby the audience will interact and sing along with Donkey in an intimate theatre setting. I have no idea how this was done, but I have to say it was all pretty amazing! Again, I didn't take any picture of this as I was afraid of interrupting the show.)

Follow up next is Shrek 4-D Adventure. It is a fairy tale adventure where we got to see Shrek and Donkey saving Princess Fiona and I have to say we enjoyed this experience immensely! Not only do we get to see the effects (with OgreVision glasses), but we get to feel the actions right from our seats too! (e.g. there was a scene about Donkey sneezing and we felt droplets of water onto our face. I think the most memorable experience was when we felt some spiders brushing against our legs, eek!)


We also rode on a family roller coaster named Enchanted Airways (which featured the Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf, Gingy, and Pinocchio etc) but we didn't take any picture of it. *sigh*


Far Far Away


Our next destination - WaterWorld at The Lost World, is a live water show where the performers performing some dangerous stunts along with the thrill of real explosions of fire and water. The audience is free to choose their seating (there is a wet or dry zone indicated alongside the benches so if you don't mind being splashed with water, the front seats are highly recommended.)


Jurrasic Park! This is another place I loved besides The Revenge of the Mummy (yes, I'm still thinking of that thrilling high speed ride!).



And speaking of high speed ride, Rapids Adventure is another thrilling ride one shouldn't miss! We bought disposable raincoats just for this ride because we had witnessed several people getting soaked when they got out from their ride. We sat on a circular raft (opposite us were two couples who didn't prepare anything so we must have looked very silly to them with our raincoats on!) where it moved along with the waves so there was a lot of bumping throughout the journey as we watched robotic dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures roaring at us as we bypassed them. And of course the most thrilling experience was where the raft was dropped at a certain height and needless to say, this is the part where we got drenched but thanks to the raincoats, we were totally spared from that experience!)

But that is not all in The Lost World, we also stopped by Canopy Flyer and Dino-Soarin' where we enjoyed a bird's eye view of Jurassic Park on the seats of a flying Pteranodon and a ride on the back of flying dinosaurs going up and down, and around respectively.




The above three pictures capture the feelings of strolling along the sidewalks in New York. Oh, I loved the setting! Tucked along a corner was a building where we witnessed a Category 5 major hurricane hitting New York City in a studio. Named Lights, Camera, Action, this is a place where we were introduced the incredible effects and the magic of filmmaking. It was indeed an eye-opening experience for all of us.

Well, have you ever watched a live rock musical performed by some infamous Universal Classic Monsters (such as Dracula, Frankenstein, the Mummy etc... just to name a few)? Monster Rock reminds me of a Broadway musical as I watched those monsters sing and dance (rock-n-roll style) using state-of-the-art digital projectors, sound systems and so forth. I was glad we had chosen some good seats for this performance, which was just nice being in the middle row so we had a great view of the overall setting.

I think I had covered most of the attractions but then again, there might be some things which I might have missed due to time constraint (and not to mention I didn't take some pictures for some places).

Finally, I want to share this picture with you all of what we saw at an MRT Station on our way home.