ALiFe

It's 645pm, and I've got about an hour at Disneyland. I'm back where my journey started 24 years ago and the place has gotten a whole lot smaller. ;p

The first thing I noticed along main street are the people sitting along the sides neatly. Ah... a street parade must be coming up soon.


These are the new subs that replaces the Nautilus ride. I loved that completely as a little kid!! Just the whole descending of the sub with the bubbles and all excited me and still excites me. This new Finding Nemo ride opens June 11.


All the rides in this area are closed, including Fantasmic... a night time 'live' show that I really want to sea. They're preparing the Mississippi River for the World Premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean on May 25.


The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse has been turned into Tarzan's Treehouse. If you miss the old treehouse, it's still in Tokyo Disneyland... just thought you might like to know... ;p


There... Cinderelli's Castle. It looked really small!! Not because I'm a lot bigger, but the Castles in Japan and France seemed a lot bigger physically.


Met Walt briefly. He was busy taking pictures with everyone else. Spoke to him about me wanting to work at his Imagineering. The situation would have been very different if he were still alive... I am so sure of it.


He reminded me one thing.
"We keep moving forward..."
Where? How far into the future?
I found myself in Tomorrowland. This place reminded me of how I got lost for eight hours the last time I was here with my parents in '92.


It was closing time. My mobile read 9:32pm. Park actually closes at 8pm. I was probably the last one out. But I knew that Walt wouldn't have minded.


I realised I still have a lot inside of me wanting to work at Imagineering. As I walked the parked, I had plenty of ideas generating in that puny head of mine... certainly, I mean who wouldn't, right?? And as I left the park, I wonder where will this journey take me to?

To finish what Walt had to say...
"We keep moving forward... opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

There's Sulley waiting to hug one of his favourite fans.


Mr Incredible poses for a shot while flexing his muscular foam!


Chip and Dale prancing along Hollywood Street waiting to pounce on an unsuspecting guest.


The Tower of Terror makes you think twice about riding a service elevator on Halloween Night.


The ride Mike and Sulley to the Rescue is like a Snow White and It's a Small World combined. This ride is too cute to pass.


A Bug's land really puts you in perspective.


Even the restrooms are made out of a tissue box! Oh how excited I get bout these things.


The 3D presentation "It's Tough To Be a Bug" uses clever state of the art
equipment to create 'live' interaction between the audience and the surroundings.


Soarin' Over California is a ride that I have been waiting to hop on (apart from Mission:Space). This ride lifts and takes you over the many beautiful sites of California. What was also interesting about the ride is the play with the sense of smell. For example, when you pass over an orange orchard, you actually smell oranges!!


Many locals don't really like this park, just like how many Singaporeans don't like DisneySea in Tokyo. But I give it a thumbs up!! Being a disney fan, I really appreciate all the nitty-gritty details and creative ideas that were put into this park! Too bad that the park closed at 6pm on the day I was there. It only left me with about an hour to park hop over to Disneyland...

More coming up...

I haven't been exercising, so I took a trip down for a full day's workout at one of L.A.'s nicer parks. It was a day filled with brisk walking and photo taking. I thought my knees would go bad the following day but apparently, it didn't.

25 years after its opening in 1983, I had the awesome privilege of visiting Disneyland. Thanks Mom and Dad! That one single trip led me down a path of creativity that was unprecedented. But enough about me... onto Disney's California Adventure Park.

This is a new park adventure for me since its opening in 2001. Located adjacent to Disneyland, the concept and idea of this park celebrates California as the Golden State in past and present living showcases.

In the words of Walt when he opened Disneyland, "To all who come to this happy place... welcome."


At the entrance stands the Golden Gate.


Based on a typical Californian coastal boardwalk theme at Paradise Pier.


Catch a glimpse of Grizzly Peak, the California Adventure park icon,
from the wilderness area of the Redwood Creek.


Pin Trading is well alive at this park. Here's my collection!
Managed to find a place that sells them at half the price!
Wanna know where? Tag me!


The music played at the parks always send a nice warm feeling
down my spine! Here are four a cappella crooners doing their
rendition of the Mickey Mouse Club theme song.


Over in the animation department at Hollywood Pictures Backlot is a sneak peek into Pixar's new baby for 2008. For all Finding Nemo fans, Andrew Stanton directs Wall-e; and for all Star Wars (and Back To The Future) fans, Jim Morris produces it.


Disney's Aladdin - a musical spectacular is a 45 min show
not to be missed at the The Hyperion Theatre.


After a tour at the Sour Dough Bakery and the Tortilla Factory back at the Golden State, it was time for lunch at the Cocina Cucamonga Mexican Grill right behind the factory.


UP NEXT, more stories from the park...
(Tag me to let me know if I should continue.)