Another Victoria's Secrets

Continuing our 2017 calendar freebies, here is the second quarter's monthly planner for you:





Feel free to download, or if you need a bigger resolution, email me anytime!
Download your first quarter of 2017 calendar here.

I dunno why I enjoy celebrating birthday in silence lately, especially since I reached the number 30. Few days ago I celebrated my 33rd birthday in silence again, turning my socmed data into private to prevent the public announcement. I dunno why I did it actually, but maybe because I love the fact that the people who are actually sending me birthday greetings are those who really remember it.

This year, my birthday was another gleeful moment. I spent it alone in Bali last year, went to Sanur beach to say a prayer and having only a friend came late at night by accident without even knowing it was my birthday, but this year I spent all day with a best friend who was fully aware of it and made the best out of it. We had brunch and dinner, watched a movie together and even a post-midnight supper. I feel loved; purely and sincerely, honestly and spontaneously. It's such a great feeling!


My cousins, aunt and grandma came the next day, bringing me cake and presents. My mom came home even later at night, and I haven't even meet my siblings until today, five days after. But I don't mind. Perhaps I've celebrated birthdays in the crowd for so many years and I've celebrated birthdays in tears for several years that I've come to this point where I just want to celebrate my birthday with only very special people in my life.

Last Sunday I spent half a day with my best friend Rachelle and her husband Bobby at The Breeze. It was a spontaneous meeting but I'm really glad that I got them in my life. And later at night I spent time at Mas Bagjo's house. He's a middle-aged man who became one of the closest friends I got for the past two years. He gave me a present, cooked us late-night supper, and opened a bottle of red wine. Such a special treat!


I dunno with whom I'd celebrate my birthday next year, but I'm not worried. In fact, I don't care. As long as I'm in love with myself and got love inside here, I know I'll be okay. As long as we know how to be grateful, everything is just beautiful. Thank you, for all of you who wished me a happy 33rd birthday this year.. I love you all!

saya dan mas Herwiratno

This book is written in Indonesian, so I'm gonna share the story in Indonesian too.
Kemarin saya menghadiri diskusi buku berjudul "Dialog Jiwa Semesta" yang diadakan di Teras Omah Yado, daerah Radio Dalam, Jakarta Selatan. Sang penulis buku, Herwiratno, memaparkan pengalamannya berkomunikasi dengan alam roh dalam kedua buku ini. Kabarnya buku ketiga dan keempat akan segera menyusul.

Terdengar mengerikan memang awalnya, tapi rupanya lebih banyak pengalaman dan pengetahuan berharga yang dia dapatkan dari mereka yang telah "lulus" kehidupan itu ketimbang rasa seram yang mengikuti. Mungkin serupa istilah "menghargai kesehatan setelah tahu rasanya sakit", Mas Herwi "belajar tentang kehidupan dari orang mati" dan membagikannya dalam dua buku ini.

suasana praktek meditasi sebelum mulai diskusi

Saya belum membaca buku-buku ini, tapi dari pemaparan selama lebih dari 4 jam kemarin, saya mendapatkan banyak pelajaran, baik yang sama sekali baru maupun yang bersifat reminder bagi saya pribadi. Berikut adalah beberapa pelajaran yang saya petik dari acara bedah buku "Mati Tak Berarti Pergi" dan "Hidup Tidak Lenyap Hanya Berubah" kemarin:


1. Hidup adalah proses. Jika kita memohon "shortcut" atau meminta agar suatu perjalanan hidup kita "dimudahkan", kita menghilangkan proses pembelajaran yang merupakan hal paling penting dari kehidupan ini. Karena itu, jika memohon pada Tuhan sebaiknya meminta agar kita "diberi kekuatan dalam menghadapi sebuah permasalahan", niscaya kita akan bisa melewati sebuah perkara dengan gemilang walau sesulit apapun.

2. Membantu orang lain adalah baik adanya, tapi membantu terlalu banyak malah mengintervensi proses pembelajaran hidup dan jiwa orang itu. Kadang, yang perlu kita lakukan hanyalah memberitahu, menasehati, mengingatkan. Perkara dilakukan atau tidak, itu urusan mereka. Yang jelas, kita memang harus menolong mereka yang datang pada kita, tapi tetap sesuai pada porsi dan peran kita.

3. Ukuran dosa menurut Tuhan berbeda dengan manusia. Apa yang kita pikir adalah pelanggaran ringan bisa jadi merupakan dosa berat menurut Tuhan, dan sebaliknya. Maka dari itu janganlah kita saling berprasangka apalagi menghakimi satu sama lain. Karena apapun yang kita ketahui sebagai manusia tentang semesta ini sangatlah terbatas. Dan bukan kita yang mengetuk palu keadilan di dunia ini.

4. Kita hanya bisa memberi apa yang kita punya. Jika pemikiran kita negatif, maka kita juga akan memancarkan energi negatif itu melalui perkataan maupun perbuatan negatif. Sebaliknya, jika kita dipenuhi cinta, damai dan kasih, yang kita bagikan pada sekitar kita adalah energi positif. Dan energi positif itu menular. Jadi, penuhi diri kita dengan kasih supaya kita juga bisa membagikan kasih. Pengertian dan cara mencapai kedamaian dan kebahagiaan dipaparkan lebih lanjut di dalam buku.

5. Kita menciptakan surga dan neraka kita sendiri. Surga dan neraka bukan hanya suatu tempat, tapi bisa juga berarti keadaan. Di dunia ini pun surga dan neraka hadir, tepatnya di dalam pikiran kita. Persepsi, ekspektasi dan imajinasi kita berperan dalam membentuk surga atau neraka dalam hidup kita. Maka sebaiknya penuhi diri dengan kedamaian dan kebahagiaan, supaya walau masih berjalan dalam kehidupan ini kita bisa menikmati surga.

6. Kedamaian adalah berkat dasar. Semua manusia pada dasarnya punya damai, hanya pikiran kita yang biasanya memanipulasi, mengkorupsi, dan menggratifikasi kedamaian itu. Kembali ke poin 5, cara kita berpikir akan menciptakan kedamaian dan surga bagi hidup kita, karena hanya kita yang bisa membuat diri sendiri nyaman dalam hidup kita masing-masing.

7. Kebahagiaan tidak perlu dicari. Pada dasarnya juga, semua manusia berbahagia. Kebahagiaan itu hanya perlu disadari dan diterima. Ketika kita mensyaratkan kebahagiaan pada benda atau orang lain (misalnya "aku akan bahagia kalau sudah punya ... atau kalau bisa menikahi ... ") maka kita menghalangi diri kita sendiri untuk bahagia. Selebihnya tentang ini, akan dijelaskan di buku.

8. Surga adalah kenikmatan bersatu dengan Tuhan. Bagaimana caranya bersatu dengan Tuhan? Ketika kita tidak lagi memikirkan hal-hal duniawi yang kadang menyesatkan. Manusia-manusia paling bahagia di dunia ini adalah manusia-manusia yang tidak mengejar hal-hal duniawi dan tidak berpikir dalam kapasitas manusia, melainkan menyelaraskan hati dengan cara berpikir Tuhan / alam / semesta, di mana kasih dan berkat yang diberi tanpa syarat, tidak objektif, dan bersifat membebaskan.

9. Kalau dirimu damai dan bahagia, perbuatanmu akan mencerminkan kasih. Sebaliknya, kalau dirimu penuh kekhawatiran dan ketidakbahagiaan, tindakanmu akan tercemar dan orang yang menerimanya akan merasakan energi negatif itu. Ini adalah salah satu pelajaran yang ditarik dari kisah-kisah yang ada di buku. Silakan dibaca kalau penasaran (;

10. Masing-masing kita hidup di dunia ini punya misi jiwa. Goal utama hidup ini adalah menuntaskan misi jiwa ini, yang bisa berupa apapun mulai dari aksi sosial, riset sains, hingga sebuah karya. Apapun itu, misi ini adalah alasan kita hidup, dan karenanya harus dituntaskan dalam masa kehidupan ini. Yang jelas, mengetahui misi jiwa akan sangat membantu kita berfokus pada tujuan hidup kita.


Lebih dalam mengenai poin 10, saya mau bagikan sedikit pengalaman pribadi mengapa saya memutuskan untuk menulis. Suatu hari di akhir tahun 2012 saya ditantang seorang teman / guru / sahabat jiwa saya; twin flame saya. Dia bertanya: apa yang akan kamu lakukan jika walau kamu tidak dibayar--atau jika kamu yang harus keluar uang membayar sekalipun--akan tetap kamu lakukan?

Saya yang waktu itu tidak jelas arah mau ke mana dalam hidup ini, menjawab: menulis. "Maka lakukanlah," katanya. Saya tidak pernah lupa pertanyaan yang mengubah hidup saya itu. Kemarin mas Herwi menanyakan hal yang sama pada kami para hadirin, dan saya teringat pada kejadian di akhir 2012 itu. Ya, kekuatan pikiran (power of mind) dan frekuensi semesta (universe frequency) itu nyata dalam hidup saya, dan saya sadari betul hal ini yang telah membimbing setiap langkah saya sampai hari ini.



Saya sangat merekomendasikan buku ini untuk dibaca, sebagai pendahuluan / introduction mengenai dunia spiritual, sebagai pedoman hidup di alam manusia, dan sebagai panduan untuk langkah berikutnya jika waktu kita di dunia ini sudah habis. Banyak pelajaran yang bisa kita dapat dari mendengarkan pengalaman orang lain, jadi saya rasa buku ini wajib untuk ditelusuri. Setidaknya, sebagai gambaran apa yang terjadi di luar pengetahuan manusia kita yang terbatas.

Buku ini tidak tersedia di toko buku karena alasan misi pribadi. Untuk pemesanan, silakan langsung menghubungi mas Herwiratno di 0878 7791 6900 atau 0812 9173 414, atau email ke herwiratno@yahoo.com. Harga buku:

• "Mati Tak Berarti Pergi" Rp 120.000
• "Hidup Tidak Lenyap Hanya Berubah" Rp 100.000

Jika berminat hadir di acara diskusi buku berikutnya, catat tanggalnya 23 April 2017 di tempat yang sama. HTM Rp 45.000 sudah termasuk makan siang dan snack sore. Kapasitas terbatas untuk 35 orang. Untuk pendaftaran, hubungi Mas Aris di 0882 1341 7210.


Rahayu. _/|\_

Have you watched the La La Land? Well I watched it for the second time last night with my mom. I didn't want to, because I knew it'd make me emotional again, but there weren't much choices for her but the action movies she doesn't like. So we watched the award-winning movie together.

Watching the movie for the second time makes me look at more details and simple things that I forgot from the first watch, just like the mentioning of Indonesia that I didn't remember before. And just returning from Universal Studios Singapore made me realize that one of the settings was around a studio, the Warner Bros.

But the main thing that makes this movie special for me (and being reminded last night) is the story. It talks about dreamers, about making their dreams come true, about choosing between lover vs ambition. It made me really think: what do I value more in life; is it more to keep the love of my life, or to have the life that I've always dreamed of?

If you ask me the question, my answer would be to have my love forever in my arms. But in reality, I just realized, it doesn't go that way. The older I get the more I realized that most of my childhood plans don't work out. I dreamed of getting married with the first and only guy I date--but life happened and I'm already on my eleventh guy now at the age of (almost) 33.

Instead, my younger sister got married first almost two years ago, and I'm still single now. In fact, almost all of the theories and principals I had in mind when I was a little girl had changed now into the opposites. I've realized many years ago that life isn't as pretty as those fairy tales or Disney princess' stories. The happy-ever-after kinda life, I know now, happens just for a glimpse, for once in a lifetime, and could live forever only in our minds--just like Seb and Mia's fantasy when Seb played their song in his club at the end. Sad, isn't it?

But I'm a dreamer. Boy, I'm such a terrible dreamer. Deep in my heart I believe that I'd have that kind of ending; the happy-ever-after one. I know that I deserve such happy ending. So what if my last boyfriend chose his career over me, just like Mia chose to pursue her dream, got married with another man, and left Seb with nothing but his own dream to chase? Well, I might be Seb here, and I know I'm gonna have that club of my own. But unlike Seb, I believe I'll have another Mia in my life.

The last paragraph might sound delusional or like a denial, but I prefer to think of it as hopeful. At least to keep me going on for now. For the past two years I'd been lamenting my fate for being so unlucky with love life and repenting on why did he left me. But the movie--despite depicting my story in a grand musical way--reminded me that I, too, have a choice to make in this life. I have the power to rewrite my story, to reset my destiny, to change the plot anytime that I want.

Most people, after experiencing such great love and have lost it, choose to give in to life and surrender to the system: find any next eligible one available, marry them, have kids, and die old. I guess I'm never a fan to that theory. Maybe I'm really born a rebel. I prefer to experience greatness than mere goodness. Maybe I'll end up just like Seb: having my dream comes true for my career, without a family to build. I guess a family is not necessary to make, isn't it?

La La Land movie reminds us about choices in life. We are always offered with options, and each has its own consequences. It's just which consequence we want to live in better. And when we're the one who have to accept the other one's choice, we still have choices on how we'd live with that option. Because life is all about choices and consequences.

Wiken lalu saya pergi ke Singapura dengan adik saya dan suaminya (baca Day 1, Day 2 dan Day 3). Exciting, it was. Tapi ada hal yang bikin bete: saya salah pakai sepatu! Padahal sepatunya udah sepatu khusus jalan merk New Balance loh.. tapi memang model yang fashion sih. Akibatnya kaki saya seperti mau patah rasanya.

Mungkin ini terdengar sepele (bagi saya sebelumnya iya banget), tapi sekarang saya baru sadar pentingnya memilih sepatu yang benar untuk jalan-jalan jauh, terutama kalau pergi ke negara-negara penggemar commuting seperti Singapura, Hong Kong, Jepang dan Eropa.

Ada beberapa pelajaran dari liburan 3-hari kemarin yang saya jadikan tips di sini. Cek deh:


1. Pakai keds untuk jalan jauh

gara-gara masalah kaki, jadi naksir sepatu ini (fyi, ultah saya bentar lagi nih)

Mulai saat ini, sepatu menjadi perhatian utama saya. Saya memang penggemar sepatu, tapi bukan sneakers. Tampilan paling sporty saya maksimal di slip-on atau Wakai. Mulai sekarang, pertimbangkan untuk investasi di sepatu mahal yang proper untuk jalan--untungnya perusahaan-perusahaan sepatu olahraga sudah banyak yang mix dengan fashion, jadi udah nggak cupu lagi kalau pakai keds ke mall atau dipadankan dengan baju sweet atau formal sekalipun.


2a. Rendam kaki di air panas

rendaman pakai air panas (bukan hangat) benar-benar ngebantu relaksasi stress kaki

Kalau sampai terlanjur sakit, ada beberapa hal yang bisa dipraktekin seperti yang saya lakukan kemarin. Pertama, rendam di air panas. Lebih mantap lagi kalau ada garam, terutama garam laut, kalau dicemplungin efeknya akan lebih bagus dan cepat untuk mengurangi lelah dan stress pada kaki. Tapi asal bisa rendeman seperti ini (kalau ga ada bathtub, mungkin bisa pertimbangkan washbasin/wastafel kalau memungkinkan) udah oke banget lah.


2b. Koyo, minyak angin, tolak angin

Setelah itu oleskan minyak angin atau pasangkan koyo pada bagian yang sakit, pakai kaus kaki, lalu istirahat dengan posisi kaki lebih tinggi dari anggota badan lainnya. Hal ini bertujuan supaya darah yang terkumpul di kaki bisa 'berjalan' balik dan beredar dengan lancar. Biasanya di pagi hari kondisimu akan jauh lebih baik. Jangan lupa sedia Tolak Angin untuk diminum sebelum tidur. Bukan ngiklan nih, tapi beneran ampuh deh. Namanya juga orang Indonesia kan, tukang masuk angin..


3. Pakai backpack, jangan handbag

rekomendasi: bag tag itu bikinnya di ladybug

Handbag memang tampak modis, tapi backpack jauh lebih praktis. Untuk jalan-jalan jauh, sebaiknya pakai ransel aja. Selain muat barang lebih banyak, ransel menumpukan beban pada kedua pundak kita sehingga distribusi bebannya lebih merata dan tidak bikin pundak pegal. Cari backpack yang tampak modis tapi juga aman/ada pengamannya, alias tidak mudah dibuka orang lain dari belakang. Merk yang lagi in sekarang di antaranya anello atau Fjallraven. Coba cek deh!


4. Bawa koper 4 roda

jangan lupa kasih luggage tag lucu supaya mudah dikenali dari jauh

Orang-orang bule memang lebih prefer pakai backpack, tapi untuk saya warga Asia yang suka pegal-pegal begini, koper 4 roda adalah solusi terbaik. Walau barang yang saya bawa tidak sebanyak itu juga, koper ini mudah digeret, ditarik, didorong, maupun diisi lebih banyak barang (seperti hasil belanjaan). Yang paling penting: beban bukan di punggung, sehingga badan lebih ringan dan mudah untuk bergerak dan bertahan jalan seharian. Apalagi trotoar di Singapura maupun negara maju lain sudah nyaman untuk pejalan kaki,

Cari koper ukuran kabin (di bawah 22") yang rodanya lancar digerakkan dan tuasnya mudah dinaik-turunkan. Saya lebih suka bahan yang keras seperti plastik daripada bahan kain karena waterproof, tapi perhatikan bahan plastiknya harus yang kuat, jangan yang mudah penyok. Jangan lupa di-wrap di airport kalau mau masuk bagasi. Ssst, koper abu saya ini harganya cuma Rp 400.000-an, beli di Giant supermarket!


5. Banyakin minum

via drinkingwaterfountains

Liburan di amusement park maupun jalan kaki jauh keliling kota/mall membuat kita banyak bergerak, keringetan, tapi suka lupa minum. Akibatnya cairan tubuh berkurang dan persendian kita kaku-kaku. Untungnya di negara maju seperti Singapura dan Jepang banyak tersedia water fountain alias air minum yang bebas digunakan dan gratis. Kalau perlu, refill botol air minummu senantiasa supaya ingat untuk minum setiap jam.


6. Beli Universal Express

express pass USS

Kalau kamu punya uang lebih dan mau jalan-jalan ke Universal Studios, beli sekalian tiket Express nya deh. Karena ngantre di tiap wahana itu bisa makan waktu 30-90 menit sendiri, sementara waktu kunjung kita di negara itu terbatas. Universal Express benar-benar menghemat waktu, walau harganya memang lumayan mahal. Selain itu, lebih baik beli tiket masuk USS dari agen perjalanan/online untuk dapetin harga promo/best deal yang lumayan ketimbang beli langsung di loket.


7. Bawa jaket waterproof

raincoat seharga S$4.00 ini dijual di gerobak sepanjang jalan di USS

Kalau mau hemat S$4.00 dari keharusan membeli disposable raincoat seperti foto di atas, lebih baik bawa jas hujan atau jaket anti air dari rumah deh. Banyak wahana yang bisa membuat baju basah, tapi yang paling penting di musim hujan ini kita harus tetap kering supaya tidak gampang sakit (kebayang kan habis basah-basahan terus naik wahana yang bikin masuk angin?) Walau jas hujan ini lucu juga untuk dikoleksi, tapi ribet untuk dimasukin ke tas maupun dibawa-bawa lagi besoknya. Lebih praktis pake jaket sendiri deh.


8. Ingat, ada GST Refund

tuh lihat di bawah harga.. tiket aja ada GST-nya

GST atau Goods & Services Tax adalah pajak yang dikenakan pada setiap barang yang kita beli, terutama untuk barang-barang mahal, termasuk pada tiket-tiket masuk (cek dengan seksama ya). Ketika mau pulang, usahakan sampai di airport jauh sebelum jam yang ditentukan supaya masih ada waktu untuk mengklaim pajak ini. Kumpulkan dengan rapi semua struk belanjaan dan kalau bisa kamu foto semua belanjaan itu setidaknya dengan kamera HP untuk back-up data. Kalau tidak mau repot, belanjanya di airport mall saja. Kalau di airport sudah bebas pajak jadi tidak perlu repot refund lagi.

 
Actually we didn't really go anywhere this day except for Changi airport. We woke up at 9 a.m. but we were all very tired. My sister said her husband and his group went home from the Guns n' Roses concert almost midnight, all satisfied with the show but disappointed from the facilities. I guess the promoter should learn from the promoters of Indonesian outdoor concerts such as Soundrenaline or Djakarta Warehouse Project, do you agree?


Day 3

our cheese tart breakfast by BAKE

So basically our morning was a lazy one. I was thinking about taking a swim on top of the hotel building but my feet hurt like hell so I opted to stay in the room. My sister brought this super good BAKE cheese tart for my breakfast, but I just finished my Kimchi instant ramen, so I kept the tarts for after shower. We didn't take the breakfast at hotel to save some money. We brought instant noodle in cups from Jakarta instead. It really saves some money!

at least I got a river tour here.. LOL

We checked out at 12 p.m. and took the MRT. At that time my feet hurt so bad that I took off the sneakers and wore flip-flops instead. I know I looked silly but I didn't care. My comfort was much more important than how I look at the time ;p

arriving at Terminal 1, we saw this floating copper teardrop installation--it's so cool!

We arrived at Changi Airport Terminal 3 and took the Skytrain to Terminal 1 where we'd depart with Jet Star. After checking in, we went to the shops area and had late lunch at 4fingers. We got this drumsticks combo of 9, salad, rice bowl, and burger for the three of us. Gigantic meal indeed!

big lunch for hungry stomachs

use me. I don't mind.

Cindy and Sean, my brother-in-law's friends, joined us for lunch. But for me and my sister, the remaining one hour means the last shot for souvenir hunting (read: shopping), so we went for a tour at the T1. We should depart at 3.05 p.m. but once we came to the gate, they said it was delayed until 5.05. Apparently we had another two hours for shopping, so we spent all of our remaining coins.

all that I bought for myself are these book-related stuff

you see how bad I need this book rest?

it's such a cool bookmark, isn't it?

We finished the lasts of our coins but there was still another hour to wait so we joined Maruli, Sean and Cindy at the O'Leary's Sports Bar & Grill. They got this Victoria Bitter beer so of course I ordered them!

stuffing our bellies with these liquid carbs

Victoria ain't that bitter actually ;p

the sport spirit felt strongly here

We finally departed and the flight was a nice, short one (to be compared to our flight on Day 1). We all then went to Neo Soho to check St. Marc Café's third outlet, which should be opened on March 1, 2017. The project was already finishing then

the Artbound @ Kemang Village

what a cute collage artwork!

another cute artwork I snapped

I promised my cousin to come to the art performances & exhibition she managed so I left at 9 p.m. and headed to Kemang Village. It was the very last of Artbound (from Fisip UI 2016) and I went home with her and her friends. So then I closed my holiday trip with this.

Don't forget to read my Day 1 and Day 2 of fun, and also more photos at Instagram. For tips, check here.

You might have come here from years ago, but this was my first time so I'm gonna post this anyway. On our second day in Singapore (read the Day 1 here), we gathered at the hotel lobby at 10 a.m. and shopped for snack around. What I meant with 'we' are me, my sister, her friends Afen and Andre, their kids Chloe and Ben, and another friends' kids Nevy and Nixon.


Day 2

situation at 3rd floor Vivo City

the ticketing booths

we're heading to Sentosa Island!

S$4.00 for all-day fun!

there's also a Madame Tussauds museum here but we skipped it

We arrived at Vivo City by MRT and went to the Sentosa Island ticket booths on the top floor. The admission is S$4.00 for a day-full of fun on the island (applies to all ages from 3 and above). We got on the Sentosa Express train that brought us to the fun island and stopped at its first stop: the Universal Studios.

me and sis

yay! I got the Elmo ticket!

are you ready?

our group

We didn't want to waste too much time here so we purchased the Universal Express to skip queuing (better check your travel agency for best price). It's like one of the best bet because we could cut the queue up to 100-300 people and took only about 5 minutes queuing instead of the regular 30-70 minutes.

I'm feelin' the jive already!

they said if I kept taking pics I'd be left behind but I can't leave such details unsnapped!

am sure it's movie time already

at the Madagascar zone

Our team of 8

"Are we there yet?"

I'm such a sucker for crown and palace <3 br="" queenatheart="">

waiting for the 4-D Adventure to let us to the dungeon

finishing the Puss In Boots ride be like

Entering the first gate we followed the path to go to Madagascar area, where we hopped on the opening ride, "A Crate Adventure", which was a very cute shortcut/reminder to the movie.

Puss In Boots ride

Then we entered the Far Far Away zone (from movie Shrek), where we went for Shrek 4D Adventure (if I'm not mistaken this was my first 4D movie experience) and Puss In Boots' Giant Journey jet coaster (which was our first adrenaline rush that day).

sayin' goodbye to Far Far Away (yes it's time to move on)

.. and entering the WaterWorld on the time where stunts were giving the instruction

we didn't wanna get soaked so we sat at the back

the set of WaterWorld

Jurassic Park area

the "dinosaurs facility" decoration

our lunch menu

It was almost 2 p.m. and we were starving. We headed to the Discovery Food Court which was decorated as Jurassic Park's dinosaur facility. We had chicken rice and chicken pop for lunch and after a while we were good again to go.

the S$4.00 raincoats

full gang

After lunch we went for the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure and bought a S$4.00 transparent Universal Studios' raincoat to keep us dry. It was like a rafting ride with a lot of splish-splash and I strongly recommend you to bring a rubber flip-flop to wear here because your shoes will definitely get soaked. Or, remove your shoes and place it on your lap under the raincoat. That'll do.

(Oh. We also had to rent a locker to keep our stuffs and charged per hour but I forgot the price)

Leaving the Lost World zone, we entered the Ancient Egypt. Smaller kids didn't want to go for the ride so only the four of us young girls went to the Revenge of the Mummy. It was a total dark high-speed jet coaster ride and I must say one of the most fun, memorable ride I'd ever had.

dunno what this rental/repair booth is for actually, but we sat in front of it to rest for a bit

Afen, me, and Clemy

It was raining really hard when we finished the ride. Andre came to bring us raincoats and we went on to the Sci-Fi City which had canopy on the streets, which was--luckily--close by. We went to the Transformer's The Ultimate 3D Battle. It's the mix of jet coaster ride and 3D animation so we enjoyed it to the max.

the streets have canopy here so we can walk around freely tho it's raining

do you wish to speak directly with Optimus Prime?

when the rain stopped, we went back for that red track!

The rain subsided so we went back to the Sci-Fi City to get on Human Battlestar Galactica (the red track). The pair (of Human and Cylon) was the craziest roller coasters in the USS so we just gotta ride 'em although at first I thought I wouldn't be able to handle it. Turned out, I enjoyed it so much. We couldn't get on the Cylon because it was closed due to rain (again) so we hopped on the Accelerator just to find some console. Then, we carried on to New York zone.

and by this subway, I thought of Newt, Porpentina, Queenie and Jacob on their farewell rain..

... and yep, this building next to it also reminded me of that Fantastic Beast movie, right?

just another detail on the shops--to bad they're mostly closed

one of the art-deco stores we love

the bus I'd ride if I could.. LOL

I just love all of the New York-style details here

me want cookies too (but I didn't buy anything from here)

The New York got the Sesame Street Spaghetti Space Chase and of course we went in! As the closing ride, this space chase is a relaxing ride that simply brought us back memories to that one street with lots of animal puppets talking. And I still love that program until today that I'm almost 33. Do you remember them too?

the final ride

they finally got the spaghetti! yippie!

We finished the tour by entering Hollywood area, and the gang went back to hotel without us. Meanwhile for me and my sister, it was another round of tour around the studios! We headed back to Sci-Fi City and because the rain was stopped, we hopped on the Cylon and never regretted it. I mean, seriously, it was just the best roller coaster ever (in that complex). I was glad I didn't say no.

(we had to store our bags in the locker again, but this one's for free under 45 minutes)

Shrek waffles with Ben & Jerry ice cream... Yumms!

see how waffles can also be cute like us?

I thought I'd find some potion bottles sold here.. but well--I'd gone crazy!

And we got a little hungry so we stopped at Goldilocks for our Shrek waffles and Ben & Jerry ice cream afternoon meal before our merchandise hunting. My fave stuff goes to The Mummy because they're elegant with gold plating, and the Sesame Street--of course.

checking out if the ogre's home..

 
My list for the souvenir shops from the best:

• Carter's Curiosities (The Mummy),
• Supply Vault (Transformers),
• The Brown Derby and Big Bird's Emporium (Sesame Street),
• Penguins Mercantile (Madagascar),
• Shrek (Fairy Godmother's Potion Shop),
• The Dino-Store and Jurassic Outfitters (Jurassic Park),
• Silver Screen (from other blockbuster movies),
• Galactica PX (Battlestar Galactica), and finally 
• Minion Mart (Despicable Me).

hunting for merchandises in this store? hey, don't limit me!

meet my gang here: Cookie Monster, Big Bird and Oscar

If you don't have so much time, you can visit only the Universal Studios Store and That's A Wrap for a quick pick. But shopping at the end of each ride, I must say, is definitely worth it because the two big stores don't have all the souvenir ranges and you must go to a specific store for the special items.

too bad we didn't have time to watch this.. next time perhaps..

Spend at least 5-10 minutes exploring the shops after each ride and just grab something there if you really like them to save you from going back to the stores later. If you wanna do it our way, we toured twice because we had time to focus on merchandise shopping on our second tour. But it would cost you time and perhaps sprain legs just like I got..  *grin*  Yet, I think it's all worth it (;

one of the iconic diner, Mel's Drive-In from the movie American Graffiti

the very lasts of our Hollywood tour

Then, we pursued our merchandise hunting, which is one of the most satisfying thing to do because it combines two types of guilty-pleasures at once: watching the characters from movie in 3D shape in our very hands, and having the chance for taking them home (a.k.a. shopping). How could we skip this?

all sweaty and tired.. but still happy!

check out the shopping bags! but don't be fooled, for most of them are just key chains.

My sis and I stopped at the food court at Vivo City for dinner, and went back to our hotel by MRT. It was terribly painful for I wore the "wrong shoes" but I didn't mind (read my tips here). We soaked our feet on the bathtub we filled with boiling hot water and it helped a bit. A hot shower before sleep also helped, tho my feet still hurt until the next day.

Anyway, read my experience on Day 1 here or carry on to Day 3. For more photos, check my Instagram.

well, good night!