31 Aug 2013

Not much changes from previous entry. Slowest flat in this BTO is in the progress of finishing its roof top. Estimated the BTO will be ready in Q2-Q3 2014. HDB to start dispensing keys in Q3 2014?

That Girl in Pinafore

Synopsis: 1992, Singapore is on the cusp of having the first elected President, and it has just banned chewing gum. There is an air of hope and rejuvenation in the air, where everyone believes that a Singaporean dream is possible. Jiaming is a free spirited lad who has never really taken school seriously. His parents own a music lounge called "Meng Chuan", and he felt he could always help run the business if he drops out of school. True enough, his 'O' level results in high school bombed and he dropped out of school. During this month, the 4 boys took part in a local music competition, had their taste of puppy love, and worked hard to bring business back to "Meng Chuan's" struggling business. This coming of age tale, see Jiaming and gang learning the harsh realities of pursuing dreams in the real world; and finding out that choosing between what your heart wants and what the society expects from you, is akin to losing your innocence in an adult world.  [Source: InSing.com]

 

On the whole, this movie seems to be a local adaptation of the famous Taiwan movie "You are the Apple of my eye". Even so, I still find the movie well done. It has been a while since a local production came out decent. With the storyline set in 1992, just 20 years in the past, the director has manage to strike a cord with most Singaporean as it is something the majority of us can relate to. Going through the scenes, it just seems so nostalgic, when we see again some of the things we used to do in the past. Overall, I find the plot decent, though its ending was something I have not expected. I recommend to give this movie a shot.

 

Rate: 8/10

USA day 18 - Liberty Island

08 Jul - Good time just seem to pass by so fast. Before we know it, this is the last day of our holiday and we have to leave for Singapore on a night flight. With no time to waste, we decided to tour the liberty island, newly reopen on 04-Jul after a year of restoration work due to damages from Hurricane Sandy.

Spoils from yesterday outlet shopping

Metro station tracks, with express train lane

The Staten Island Ferry Terminal

A falcon statue

New York City

Statue of Liberty

911 Memorial 



It has been a good 18 days of fun, where we visited Cedar Point we used to work in, completed a mission milestone, enjoying cool weather in USA, and revisited all the awesome city such as New York and Los Angeles. Not to forget the windy city Chicago and San Francisco, where beautiful bridges lies. Hopefully, we will be back to USA in another 5-6 years time. =)

USA day 17 - Woodbury Premium Outlet

07 Jul - What is the fun of going to New York if you have missed visiting the Woodbury Premium Outlet, where major big brands goods are being sold at discounted prices? The outlet is considered the biggest in the whole of United States, and it literally let you shop till you drop. We started the day early to catch the first bus out to the outlet mall. From then on, its just shopping, shopping and shopping till the shops closed for the night. =)

Waiting for the ticket booth to open to purchase our bus ticket to the mall

The signature Woodbury Premium Outlet customer service center to get your coupons for more savings

 

We had a fruitful day, with myself clocking in almost $800 worth of apparels. I really amazed myself that I can shop so much! Unfortunately, we missed the last bus and we had to stay at the pickup point for 3 whole hours to wait for the bus company to arrange alternative transport. The occasional drizzles doesn't help either. However, for the goods that I have bought that day, the trip is still considered good! =)

USA day 16 - Touring New York

06 Jul - After a good night rest, we woke up early in the morning to start touring attractions that are within walking distance from our hotel.

Innovative way to park cars in land scarce New York. Perhaps Singapore can learn a thing or two from this?

United States Post Office

Sneak peek at Manhattan Building

M&M shop in Times Square

M&M statue of liberty

M&M fireman

View of New York City from the top of Rockefeller Centre

Central Park - Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir

South Gate House

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Squirrel sighted in Central Park

TKTS - A place to buy discount ticket for Broadway and Off Broadway shows

Shubert Theatre - Catching the musical Matilda

Overall, it was a day well spent. The Matilda musical was definitely worth the amount of money we paid for the tickets. The singing was top class and the plot was interesting. This Broadway musical was also different from the rest as it rely on a cast that consists mostly of children. Its so good (in my opinion) that it was no wonder that it got nominated for the 2013 Tony Award!

USA day 15 - Arriving in New York - The Big Apple

05-Jul - It is time to bid goodbye to Cedar Point to make our way to Cleveland Airport for our flight to New York. It is kind of nostalgic, to return to the same place after 6 years to do basically the same thing again - visiting Woodbury Factory Outlet and catching Broadway shows. But then, this basically summaries the main highlights of New York.

The New York Police Department in Times Square

Times Square buildings

The Majestic Theatre showing the Phantom of the Opera. The Musical was average, with the main actress showing an outstanding performance, but the rest of the cast sort of let down the show with some mis-coordination in the singing. 

Times Square in the night, lit up with its signature huge LED panels.

 

I find this song quite meaningful, and it basically summaries what New York is all about. Enjoy the song New York - by Alicia Keys

 

USA day 14 - Cedar Point

04 Jul - 4th of July, the Independence day, is traditionally one of the most exciting day in Cedar Point. Not only is the park opened for extended hours, there will also be an almost 30 minutes long firework show by Lake Erie in the night. For today, we visited the rest of the coasters that we have miss out one day earlier and targeted to watch all the live shows in the park.

Corkscrew - Turning the traditional coaster experience on its head, Corkscrew was the first coaster in history to invert riders three times over the course of its run. It also was the first coaster to span a park midway as it corkscrews, giving riders and park-goers views of each other with an amazingly exciting perspective.

Millennium Force launch station

Panda Express serving Chinese food

Monster - A many-tentacled creature has you in its grip. Ride the disorienting Monster and you’ll be spun, turned, lifted and lowered – all at the same time!

Magnum XL-200 in the evening light

Employee cafeteria, the place where employees go for a quick lunch in the park. Simply unforgettable

The WindSeeker with its LED lights in the night

And the firework show began

After the excitement and firework show is over, we began to make our way from the beach back to the hotel. As this will be our last night in Cedar Point, we went to various places in the park to take photos so that we can leave without regrets. Top Thrill Dragsters is no doubt one of the pit stop for photo taking. Although *mds* and I managed to spend a considerable amount of time by the car model, I managed to accomplish my mission and we left the place happily. This day will certainly mark another important point in our journey. =)