Paris - Day 3 - Disney!

once upon a time, i was kinda disturbed by the ladybird version of 'the little MERMAID' , where in the end she was turned to FOAM n disappear in the vast blue sea. that melancholy was bit too much to take for a tiny weeny kid. but under the magic touch of walt disney, ARIEL was happily married to her prince charming n LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER on land.



now don u juz luv disney n all the happily ever afters packaged wif saccharine sweet soundtracks?

from disney cartoons... HAPPY ending
to
jack-n-rose-u-jump-i-jump-jack-died... SAD ending
to
complicated rectangular relationship in Closer... OPEN ending.

sheez i've aged.

so ppl get more complicated as they grow. where else to offer escapism, dream, n bring back that bit of innocence in u?
.... DISNEYLAND!!!!


22nd DEC: juz when i tot i've avoided lotsa queueing up in this paris trip, heck! the q to get in disneyland was crazy. v bought the 1 day ticket for 1 park. brilliant decision! cos found out later that it's impossible to even cover 1 park in a day.


can u spot mickey??

WEEee~ off i went to disney park.

spotted this huge, luvly xmas tree.

aww goofey!

main street

as i focused my view further straight down main street, omg look at this!

n there stood this castle where princess aurora was awakened by a kiss from prince philip! it's juz a fairytale~ ya so wat... dang! it's such a LUVLY castle.



exploring each land.


adventureland



pirates of the carribbean... took this ride. pirates burnt down houses, lotsa treasure but it's juz a slow boat ride wif 2 slides. anyway when a RIDE inspires a MOVIE, it can't b that bad after all!



fantasyland. where all the sweet fairytales came to life n within ur touch.



alice in wonderland-themed... reli a wonderland. LONG Q.. *sigh



it's a small world... recommended ride but LONG Q... damn!



donald! quack quack quack quack


discoveryland.


they've got 1 or 2 crazy rides over here like this space mountain but LONG Q, Again!... @#%* wth!!!


buzz lightyear kinda dominate this land.

this is when i switched from =sprightlysue= to =grumpyGeraldine=. oredi half a day gone n JUZ 1 RIDE, THAT'S ALL?! that din justifiy for wat i've paid! frust gilerr...

then i c many ppl munching on a bloody red apple like the 1 that got snow white poisoned. grabbed 1 for myself n no, i din faint, that bloody TOFFEE apple did cheer me up a bit=)




look, rudolf in discoveryland!

later on v bump into the lion king musical... but there's like sooo far away... i had to do bit of giraff-ing... ah watever! i'll watch that in london muahaha.

frontierland


it's more like a COWBOYland. so no prezzies for guessing that WOODY is da man in this land.

v kiasu-ly left this land for the parade in main street but uh it's oredi crowded wif ppl. i waited, not very patiently, n after sum time... ta-dah! the parade started wif the ever so famous MICKEY n DONALD on the 1st float.

it's all weird n sweet to c the princes n princesses turned 3D, totally alive n waved to me. not forgetting Timon, Pumbaa, Simba and the cute n cuddly Pooh Pooh. the floats were all elaborately decorated. the parade ended wif SANTA n his REINDEERS... betul2 reindeers ni.


hey baldy, get outta my way! (sry ppl, lazy to post videos)

went back to frontierland n v joined the q for a ride. don care la, there muz b a 2nd RIDE today!!! woohoo it's FUN fun fun. not regrets.. defly way more ADRENALINE rush than the 1st 1.

then v headed back to the centrestage for another show- the CANDLELABRATION. pluto, goofey, donald, daisy, minnie were so excited that mickey's coming to town. the atmosphere was all so merry merrry xmas-ey n finally mickey's arrived. the whole main street wif the princesses LAMP POSTS straight down to the huge xmas tree was then beautifully lit... wow! v knew that there's not all cos mickey kept saying, look closer n the attn was directed to the SLEEPING BEAUTY CASTLE.

the TORCH held by each cartoon character statue on the castle was lit 1 by 1 UPwards. when all 15 candles lit up to mark the 15th anniversary, TINKERBELL at the tip of the castle sprinkled her FAIRY DUST n sth truly MAGICAL happened... part by part... within a min... the entire sleeping beauty castle transformed into this ENCHANTING castle....



guess it sparked my inner.. sth.. watever! it was soo awesome until it took me awhile to stop saying, gao meng ah! hou leng ah!...

halooo glasgow radiance, this is wat i call LIGHT festival!



well there's 1 more parade bfor v called it a day. this time wif flashy, sparkling floats fetching either famous villains or a royal couple plus sum enjoyable disney anthem in the background. whoalala! (again, lazy to post videos.)

it's a wonderful feeling to feel like a kid again. disneyland.. wat a damn commercialised themepark that offers nth but ILLUSION.



v stupidly paid for this illusion but at the end of the day, it's worth it! don u juz wan to b in an illusion once in awhile? i think v all do.. for watever reason

or izzit like wat's said in THE MATRIX, v r all living in a world of illusion.

ok, i've gone too far. haha actually, romance is not reli the genre that i'm in to.


=kiddoKate=

Paris - Day 2

21st DEC: here's bit on paris' moz famous monument. got its name from the designer Gustave Eiffel, built for the International Exhibition of Paris 1889 n initially parisians juz hated it. wat's wrong wif u ppl?! how can u hate sth so spectacular?! anyway the antenna on top saved it from demolition. imagine paris w/o eiffel tower....

then our paris trip wil take up MUCH lesser memory space. the nite view wasn't enuf to whet our appetite for photos so in the morning v went to champs de mars.

the sight of eiffel tower juz put me in AWE!


a rock chick for world peace. wo peng yu ngoi. beyond jing san bat sei!
this is for ga kui.


wif dear.. 1 of our many many attempts, by tripod/ helpful tourists.


unlike the usual me, i tak habis-habis POSING.. like a model in a photoshoot session except i ain't model quality haha.

ta-dah!


me touching eiffy!


me leaning on eiffy!


ENUF!! not gonna show all here. but hey it's Oh so FUN!


nx..opera garnier. it's a super grand opera house but sayang din get the whole picture, cos it has this MAJESTIC GREEN DOME that can only b seen if u walk further down the street.




Montmartre. i luv this place.

the cafes n studios make this area feel very very PARIS-ey to me. it's the place to tan sai gai, free ur mind, get a taste of foie gras, buy a sketch or get urself sketched...


...that wil all make u feel so spirited!

anyway a baguette n pain du chocolat r all i can afford.



at the peak of this area stands the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur.


true as it sound, the basilica is very much a SACRED place in ppl's HEART owing to the ivory white facade.

a magnificent white structure wif domes n towers.

n u'll get a great view of paris at that pt.



then off v went in search for hunchback of notre dame. instead of quasimodo n esmeralda, v were welcomed by an AMAZING gothic building-Cathédrale Notre Dame.


the architecture of the cathedral is quite dif from those that i've visited. i din pay to go up but a walk AROUND the cathedral is a MUZ cos the BACKview of Cathédrale Notre Dame is no less amazing! (sry short of adjectives. yes! everything is simply amazing in paris haha..)

flying buttress giving support n uniqueness to the structure.

as for the sideview, u'll c scary-looking GARGOYLES.

but i don quite understand y a sacred cathedral is decorated wif ugly gargoyles.

in the evening, FREE entry to musee du louvre. TIP!-access from subway station to beat the q. u know.. looking at all these artsy stuff.. fan fu zhok zi like me juz can't interpret the underlying msg or appreciate the beauty in it so it's alwiz recommended to get an audio guide.

1st n foremost, presenting the moz valuable piece in musee du lovre n a Leonardo Da Vinci's masterpiece... La Joconde! ..behind a bullet proof glass.

ahhh i was enlightened... CRAP! anyway it looks natural n that's STH wif the eyes w/o eyebrows. her GAZE juz FOLLOWS me no matter which direction i walk to! again the advantage of visiting in winter.. no shoo-ing by guards. u have all the time to scrutinise the portrait.

my fav piece.. note the X shape n the tension btw the lips of CUPID n PSYCHE.. can u feel their luv? tragic.

hoho do u know cupid has a gf n his mom is act venus! dunno leh~

from buku sejarah.. hammurabi code. tamadun awal. mesopotamia. familiar? it's rite in front of me!

there's a gazillion of collection in this freaking huge musuem, bfor v can cover much, the musuem was closed. get a taste of grand exit from the glass pyramid designed by I.M.Pei.
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tired legs n fond memories...
it's been a great day n alas, kiss paris gudnite...




=happyHalle=

Paris - Day 1

20th DEC: yoohoo i'm in PARIS!!

rushed to a free tour. based on our experience in berlin, the tour is worth it cos the tour guide byk cerita, very informative n si kui ppl like me only need to tip 2 euros. the tour started at st. michael's sq.

every corner in paris juz OOzes wif BEAUTY effortlessly. can't stop clicking my camera until my fingers was numbed by the cold. only get to know that it's sub-zero degrees in paris after seeing the fountains switched off due to thick ice, like 4 inches thick wow.

it's a scenic walk along la seine... i reli wished i have more time to walk slowly along this river, let sum parisians n luxurious cruises pass me by, juz wanna b a part of this picturesque scene.



funnily, moz trees in paris r evenly shaved haha. dahla botak in the winter..



the majestic palais royal musee du louvre, nth is more famous here than ms mona lisa n her smile i guess.


the pyramid u c in da vinci code, it's the entrance to musee du louvre, striking a strong presence.


jardin du tuileries (jardin=garden). when i look around, it's all white, clean, peaceful n stil lively in the winter. cut out the life, it feels so much like the place to film a tragic beautiful luv story.



every city muz have an eye 1 izzit?!

grand palais, i luv the glass dome.


petit palais


luckily i read tru this again, ter-typed grand mal n petit mal.. wahaha! no lectures on epilepsy intended.

our long tour ends here. dear said he don have small change, i said i have so v can share the tip. then i rummaged tru my bag for 2 euro coins. ahhh don have! fine. 5 euros. ahh don have! FINE. i PAINFULLY part wif my 10 euro notes to tip the guide.. aikks! sim tiah. so rmb si kui budget tourist like me out there, make sure u prepare small change bfor the trip haha.

nx v walk on to champs de elysee. from designer labels like louis vuitton (well the french way, alwiz pronounced w/o the s sound.. lu-ee) to zara n gap. according to the guide, the st claimed to b so high end that H&M was not allowed to open a concept store there but hey, ronald mcdonald wil b waving to u when u r there. hmm..



at the other end of champs de elysee stands the arc de triomphe to honour the brave soldiers n so that mr Napoléon can celebrate his military success. wat's amazing is the Arch de Triomphe roundabout bercabang into 12 streets!!! omg it's 3x that of normal roundabout!!! btw, car insurance not covered here.




woohoo... eiffel tower sparkling! wat a dazzling sight!!


it's gud to visit eiffel tower during winter cos it's less than 5 mins q! part wif another 11 euros to get a LIFT to the highest platform. wan to save money then go to the lower platform, or walk ur way up muahaha. i think taking the lift up was the best part of all. unlike kl tower where u r enclosed inside n u have no idea how high up u r going, u can totally c for urself how HIGH have u left the ground plus the structure of eiffel tower is kinda.. NAKED, u know juz strong cold steels. my legs weakened for a sec when i look downwards.

n then i reached the highest platform. 1 round nth impressive reli.. c'mon i'm oredi standing IN the moz impressive sight in paris! then climb to an outdoor platform. it's not enclosed so u have ICY stong wind blowing on ur face n it's freezing!! i became jumpy n fidgety, that's my way of generating heat haha. i've nvr felt THAT COLD in my life bfor. anyway stil had to bare the cold to take a couple of pics to justify the ticket price haha. the same scenery looked nicer at the outdoor platform.


champs de mars

it's alwiz amazing to c eiffel tower from any direction. n it's simply spectacular from BELOW.

u know wat... i had the moz forgettable n UNforgettable BDAY in life that day. dear n i totally FORGOT it's my bday that day n this only occured in his mind like 9pm wahaha. at the moment he wished me, i was like.. omg it's reli my bday today!! v were soo carried away by the beauty of paris! that's the moz wonderful 20th dec i had in my life so far, hence it qualified as an UNFORGETTABLE bday=)

=excitedElisa=

the end n the beginning

ytrday was last day of glasgow winterfest at george sq so decided to go for a skate. yeh yeh! it's been more than half a yr since the last time i had fun at pyrimid rink. went for the 8.00-8.45pm slot, as usual bcos of me moh moh soh soh get outta house late, by the time v put on our skates, almoz 8.15pm.
my feet kinda hurt n can't quite skate pass the uneven surface of the ice (it's the last day they don bother to resurface anyway). wth this is so not me.. then i realised i got the wrong size of skates n change to 1 size bigger. WEEeee~ i'm skating FREEly on ice now. it's so fun plus the fact that it's outdoor in a cold winter nite. how i wish it wud SNOW. imagine snowflakes falling from the sky while u r skating. wat a magical moment...
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mayb bcos i din wish upon a star, raindrops keep falling on my head instead. deng!

got to skate extra time yehyeh, last day adi so they chin chai. ppl went off 1 by 1 n alas, i was the last person in the rink. woohoo it's so great to own the whole rink n skate in watever direction. juz luv the sense of freedom n speed when the breeze pat my cheeks=) so honoured to b the last customer of glasgow winterfest 07/08 keke.

took sum photos wif my phone but i dunno where the hell did i chuck my cabel n i fail to find it in my pig sty so no photos for this post.

this is last day to the greatest ever skool holiday in my life. gotta wrap up this wonderful feeling in a box n hide it sumwhere in my pig sty so that i can concentrate on my research project labwork.

it started today. my gudness!! i'm quite a comp illiterate (don even know how to use excel), dah la blur dunno wat i shud do, summore had a hard time playing wif those softwares. after an hr i juz cudn't take it, working wif comp is so damn DAMAGING to my eyes, i got sooo tired n giddy half way tru. wth this is like only the 1st day n i'm complaining.. dsshh! mommy says eat more 'gei ji', i'm reli resorting to this no joke haha.


=tiredTammy=

Happy New Year!!

happy new yr to siu mao liong sam jek readers of my blog. live 2008 to the fullest yo!

anyway i did had the moz amazing countdown to new yr EVER in london. but then again... how many countdown to new yr did i have in my life so far? haha.. nvm.

i'm back from london which puts a fullstop to my TRAVEL-thon. paris-scottish highlands-london. syok gau gau. it may take me a whole month to blog abt it so STAY TUNE=)

well the old-fashioned way.. new yr resolution.

Ci'm clumsy n totally inorganised in my everyday life. i alwiz forgot where i left my stuff cos i leave them ANYwhere, EVERYwhere. as long as it's not disgusting, i can stand living in a PIG STY (that's how mom called my room). n then i have to waste sum time in my life juz to clear up the mess that i've created. erm.. i seldom clear up.. so to b exact... to search my stuff in the mess that i've created. eg. my wardrobe.


haha god knows how long i din fold my clothes

take away the =messyMeredith= in me!! even dear can't tahan my messi-ness n selamba-ness. he sounded like mom n he said that he COMPLETELY understands y my mom nags me all the time. omg.. i'm so screwed 1 ah.

i've alwiz luv to do things last min, on doing homework, studying for exams, catching lrt/bus, meeting frens. enjoy that kinda adrenaline rush. (dear said it's excuse!!! O~kay~)

juz when i tot i can b sumwat a reliable person... well nobody reli think of me so. my parents can't even trust me wif our housekeys all these yrs, dear won treat me as a reliable source of info sumtimes even if i got the RITE INFO n i recently forgot an important thing my fren reminded me to do.. aikss! how am i gonna b a convincing pharmacist in the future.. haih..

so pls, dump ur bad habits gal bfor u screw up ur life! b ORGANISED=)


=ordinaryolivia=