One week in Disney and Universal! Part 1

 Greetings new viewers and old viewers! How is everyone’s 2018 going? I have been in Florida’s Disney and Universal for a week with my mom but now I’m back and let me share with you the experience!

MUST BRING TO BOTH PARKS

1. Backpack (You will buy a lot of things there no matter how neutral you are, trust me my mom resisted but she ended up buying a lot.) 
2. Water (You be at the park for almost the whole day and if you want to buy water there, it will be three dollars please.) 
3. Portable phone charger (Again you will be there all day, you wouldn’t want to run out of battery and miss taking all those beautiful pictures.) 
4.  Small First Aid Kit (No matter how careful you are, be safe!) 

  Umbrella (OMG! You need one, Florida is known for raining a lot and it rained twice when I was there)

         NOW LET”S GO TO THE GOOD STUFF! 

        It was an early 7 am flight, then after 5 hours and watching Solo on the plane we landed in Florida, Orlando. Secondly, we went to check in to our small hotel. We rest a while then went to Red Lobster for dinner, it was a long walk but totally worth it. Day 2, we waited for the bus to take us to Universal it was still dark. When we arrived, the park was empty because it was very early. 

      A fact I learned was the Universal residents gets to go in first, then when it was time we immediately went to the Minions ride. The Minions ride was a blast, you are being put into a room and the minions use the shrink ray to make you into minions. Agnes, Edith, and Margo are assigned the task to train you. It’s a different feeling going to Universal very early, you get to have all the fun before people come filling in and you need to wait in line. 

      As we were walking we noticed many Halloween themes going on, it was close to Halloween so they have horror nights. Then my mom stopped at the place where I dread the most, the Mummy ride. Last time I was here I freaked out and didn’t want to go but this time we went to the ride. Before you go on this ride empty everything out because this ride is 360, the rollercoaster gives a 360 feeling. It will give you a real thrill, it rocks you sideway then upside down I almost felt dizzy. 

      In the afternoon we arrived at the Harry Potter section, the first time I came here I was very amazed. I saw the Harry Poter movies when I was younger and I still can’t believe the books now transform into a theme park. Last year when I went there wasn’t the iconic train but this time we went into platform 9 3/4, you get to experience passing through the wall too! The train comes fast so you won’t need to wait too long. Harry Potter, Ron, and Hermoine don’t make an appearance but you can hear them and while you are on the train you can take a glimpse of everything in the movie then a few seconds later you arrived in Hogwarts. 

       HOGWARTS!!! What a wonder! Once you walk inside, you immediately see the dragon at Diagon Alley. This is an enormous dragon and surprise! It breathes fire so you can see many people waiting on the side. They are waiting for the countdown for the dragon to breathe fire again. To know when the dragon is going to breathe fire it will make a growl and then sparks will fly. This is a sign that the dragon will breathe fire in a few seconds. The fire feels very hot, it feels like its close to your face but its far away. As you wander everywhere, you see many familiar shops from the movies. When we went further inside, we saw butterbeer! I got one and it tastes sweet and amazing. 

     Then we went to ride Jurassic Park the water one, the thrill of rushing down made it heart pounding. We then took a break for lunch, the food there is delicious I never had it. Later we went to a few shops, I saw Thor’s hammer but I never saw Captain America but I did saw Doctor Doom. We then proceed to go to Simpsons land!

     This part of Universal I never went to because we were always in a rush so it’s very refreshing to have time to explore the park. Simpsons is a breath of fresh air, as a big fan since I was younger it’s exciting to see Moe’s. Before we left the park, I couldn’t resist buying a huge donut at Simpsons and it tastes sweet and addicting. No wonder so many people in Springfield loves it! 

UNIVERSAL! My favorite place in Orlando.

Early Morning Universal!

The scariest ride I ever been!

Have you seen her?

Ready to take off!

Delicious food and the frosty is free!

Can I have some?

Always have a donut before work!

Norwegian Gem vs Breakaway?

Two years ago I abroad the Norweigan Breakaway and this summer vacation I went to Norweigan Gem both of the cruise ships have their own unique amazing qualities. But which one is better? Let’s take a look.

Norwegian Breakaway, when me and my family abroad this ship it was very new we went there around 2013 and it was wow! Once we step into the lobby we saw the beautiful illuminated spiral staircase, every step we took there is neon lights and I always love those lights. The breakaway is a lot bigger, it has three floors. The first floors are the main atrium, with the bars and photo gallery. There is also the art gallery there, where my mom and I  went to enjoy the masterpiece artworks of upcoming artists and experienced artists. On the second floor located the casino, this casino is a lot smaller than the one in Gem, but the new addition is the ice bar. On the other side, they have a jazz bar and the waterfront for people who enjoy looking at the view of the ocean. The third floor is the gift shop, the gift shop is also a lot smaller, but there are a few stores surrounding it. The photo gallery is more technology based where you can use your room key to locating your photos, this is a great improvement for customers so we don’t have to look through a million photos just to find our photos. Since the ice bar is very new, my parents and I decided to check it out. It was a very nice experience, we got two drinks for free and the ice bar is very freezing. Inside located two sculptures. One of them is an ice throne and the other one is the statue of liberty, we got some huge puffy jackets to keep us warm. The food at Breakaway is delicious and the rooms even the inside room has a bit more space than the Gem, lastly the shows I enjoy the MOST. BURN THE FLOOR!! 🙂 Burn the floor is the broadway show I at least watched about five times, the dances were insanely good and the singing is on point! Everything about the dance had me intrigued and makes me want to watch it again and again!

Now for Norweigan Gem, Gem was the first ship I fell in love with when I abroad the Norwegian cruise line. The thing I love about Gem was the BBQ they have almost every day, I love BBQ and I love outdoors. Then they have a lot of outdoor activities for the customers to participate in, especially the extremely funny Mr. Sexy Legs contest. But this time, when I went back to this ship a lot of things, changed the dessert wasn’t that good but still the activities is very good and one thing I really love is the midnight movies. The shore extension is a great help and I love how they arrange things. Both ships have their strengths and weakness I love Norwegian can’t wait to try the other ships!

New York Public Library

The beautiful ceiling of New York Public Library 🙂

The beautiful painting in New York Public Library

The recorder from Uncle Sam era

The dark lightning and match with the beautifully lit candles capturing the darkness.

I love exploring New York City in the summer, as a New York City girl I always love exploring places but because I am a college student I don’t often have time so this summer I decide to explore everywhere in the city. Especially the New York Public Library, I saw a lot of posts of the public library and I am very intrigued to go. I went on a Tuesday when it was ninety-seven degrees when the heat is spreading everywhere, the subway was crowded with people. When I walked into the library I was amazed, the design is amazing and ancient. On the left and right side they had very beautiful stairs and the hallway is very unique, the pattern does repeat but it has a unique design. On the left is a golden lion water fountain, there isn’t water anymore but the fountain is priceless.

Once you approach the rose reading room, everything instantly becomes quiet. Many people are on their laptops and studying, to be honest, I felt awkward walking around when people are studying. On the walls, there are a lot of paintings of famous people hung around the walls. In a section, there located an ancient phone booth. The ceiling has a famous painting of the greek gods, everything seems very artistic and I enjoyed the view a lot. There were two exhibits in the library and of them is the era of Uncle Sam, inside that exhibit held many important documents of the World War. Walking inside that room, I could feel the spirit at that time and there was a recording of the war and celebration when the war ended.

The other exhibit is more modern, it was called Into The Public Eye. Once you walked into the exhibit, there is a reflecting mirror of the words the public eye. There are a collection of unique photos from the old times all the way to the modern era. Each photo has a different meaning and new artists, one of the photos I love is the two woman who is sitting on the subway. The New York Public Library is a gem in the heart of Manhattan and everyone should take a look at it when they have the time.

This is the best dumplings in China, this store has the best ratings and amazing food.

 

As we are going to the Universal Studios, we went to this store and tried out the famous dumplings. These dumplings taste so good and delicious especially the crab meat one.

Coffee Shop in Forest Hills

Photo taken By Jessica Lau
Beautiful latte art in red pipe cafe!

Are you looking for coffee in Forest Hills? Are you tired of walking around the neighborhood and all they have is Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts? Well, I got a place for you coffee lovers which I tried today, this place is near Bareburger. This place is called Red Pipe Cafe, there are specials every single day. You just walk a little bit further and you see it, it’s a small coffee place but when you walk in you will have a feeling that you are not at Forest Hills. This little coffee place gives you a feeling of another place, the dim lighting makes you relax and focus only on your coffee. At the entrance of the shop are seats for you to sit down and relax and there is some couch.

There are often people on their laptops or just people talking, I ordered a small Latte American and it was three dollars and twenty-five cents. I ordered it to stay and the mug was big so it was worth it, the latte art is also beautiful! When you sit down, there are different kinds of painting surrounding you and the lights gave me an antique feeling. This little coffee shop is a way to escape from reality and just surrender yourself to the surroundings and the coffee. I love this coffee shop and will go there more often when I am stressed or just want to relax.

Bermuda Trip!

Did you ever heard of The Bermuda Triangle? I have and I been obsessed of it since I was younger, I was always asking my mom where did the ships go? It has always been a mystery to many so last summer I went to Bermuda and discovered. When I went to the submarine to see shipwrecks, I was soo excited I always been a fan of those so when I saw a broken sunk airplane I was amazed. I also feel bad for the pilot, then the ship which also sunk all the way down the ocean. The ship itself have already turned old and I was surprised on how well preserve the ship is. Throughout the whole submarine, I was super excited and amazed.

 

Bermuda Shipwreck

Virginia Crystal Caves

One of the amazing scenic spots of Virginia is the Crystal Caves, the entrance roads are very slippery and the staircase down to the center of the cave is well worth it. There was still water dripping down on us when we were walking because the cave is still being refreshed and it is cold. But once we got down there I was amazed it’s like an eye opener, just the sight in front of me made me speechless. The tour guide told us imagine two boys falling down here and there was no light, I would be freaked out because I already have crazy vision of what is under the water lol inside the water we saw a lot of electronics tourist dropped. I couldn’t imagine myself being down there, I would definitely be scared out of my mind. “claps” for the founders for finding this cave.

Chinese Marriage Temple

As a big history freak I love when my trips go to historic places, the Chinese history fascinates me a lot especially when it touched the palace and different dynasty. In Souzhou, there is a temple where young girls went to praying the gods for a decent man she could get married to. In this museum, there is a remodel of what vendors sold in the old times. There are candy for kids, jewelry for ladies and there are often swords  for men.

Continued remodel of what the city looks like.

A remodel of what the old civilization looks like.

Ancient heroes that devoted their’s life to help the city of Sauzhou

The dragon boat festival where the emperor clearly have the largest boat.

A remodel of citizens from ancient times.

The temple where many young girls pray for a great young man.

The transportation in which the bride is brought to the groom’s house.

Old Streets of old civilization where all different kinds of vendors are located.

Hong Kong Street Art

In this trip to Hong Kong, I discovered this very special part of an area that has some amazing street art. In Mei Foo, thereis some drawings that described the old Hong Kong and each picture represent a different time zone it is so amazing I was speechless.