View allAll Photos Tagged Expectation
Please learn more about how and why I made this piece palumbojewelry.blogspot.com/2010/11/expectations-and-fulf...
The magnificent Retablo da Expectación da Santa Virxe (Altar of the Expectation of the Blessed Virgin) is a masterpiece of Galician Baroque art and one of the most outstanding artifacts in the cathedral. It is located in the Capela de San Pedro on the western side of the transept. It was created in 1722 by the master Antonio del Villar from Redondela.
The Virgin is represented pregnant, her hand resting over her womb. The statue of the Virgin dates back to around 1600. The ensemble is flanked by niches with hagiographic representations and medallions with scenes from the history of Salvation, constituting a visual delight for the senses full of historical and symbolic significance.
Whatever you expect, will happen. Learn to harness the power of expectation with bit.ly/ExpectationBook
Bonjour! J'ai enfin fini mes examens et repris ma vie normal! Maintenant on va tout donner pour le sport! 🎉 #healthy#breakfast#sun#cuttingseason#gymlife#fitspo#eatforabs#eatclean#gymaddict#allnatural #expectation#fitness#lifestyle
21 Likes on Instagram
EXPLORE February 25, 2009 #374
Esperant l'inici del concert de música medieval a la Fira de l'Aixada, a Manresa.
----------------
Waiting for the start of the medieval music concert in Fira de l'Aixada, in Manresa (Catalonia).
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
60/365
what could be worse than expected?
our whole life waiting for something.
Now I'm waiting for just the summer.
and in old age will be waiting for death
__
excuse for so long nothing was.
I have no time, I'm sorry
Forgive Flickr
Wednesday 17th June. There was widespread expectation First Minister Nicola Sturgeon would announce a move to phase two of lockdown on Thursday 18th June and give indicative dates for further easing of lockdown.
In phase two the virus is controlled but remains; R is consistently below 1 and WHO conditions are met. Physical distancing would still be required.
Phase two includes: People meeting in larger groups; workers being allowed to return to construction sites; opening playgrounds; small shops selling non-essential goods reopening (but not shopping malls); outdoor beer gardens but not indoor areas of pubs.
"Ms Sturgeon has previously stressed that not all of the changes will happen overnight, and it might not be until "the coming weeks" that some are in place."
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-53083995
This image was taken during the Covid-19 pandemic and phase one of moving out of lockdown in Scotland.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
tomorrowland
rubbish bins garba
rubbish bins garbage can dust cans bin litter
A "saved" shot from last week's misty sunrise camera wetting experience...
Cropped for watermarks, edited in Lightroom 4 and CS6 Beta.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
rubbish bins garba
rubbish bins garbage can dust cans bin litter
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
advent
“Appreciate and rejoice, without any expectation.
It doesn’t matter if people are unkind to you, it doesn’t matter if people betray you, it doesn’t matter if people don’t even say ‘thank you’ to you; by appreciating everything around you, from happy experiences to sad, your life will become meaningful, full of understanding, joy, strength and fearlessness.”
(Jigme Pema Wangchen, The Twelfth Gyalwang Drukpa, B.1963)
This is a view from Stok palace, the current residence of the royal family of Ladakh with an amazing Hiamalyan landscape which is a poetry of nature following the Indus river through stony hills.
This picture is an opportunity to wish everyone and especially my Tibetan and Ladakhi friends “Tashi Delek, Happy Losar & Happy New Year on the occasion of the upcoming Female Water Snake Year 2140...
(Tashi means auspicious and Delek means fine or well and it could be translated by "Blessings and good luck" or "May all auspicious signs come to this environment".
The phrase is also used in Nepal, Bhutan and Sikkim.
Losar is the Tibetan word for "new year" which is the most important holiday in Tibet and Bhutan, it is a three-day festival that mixes sacred and secular practices (prayers, ceremonies, hanging prayer flags, sacred and folk dancing, partying).
It occurs near or on the same day as the Chinese New Year and the Mongolian New Year, but the traditions of Losar are unique to Tibet andpredates Buddhism or Indian and Chinese influences).
This year the Tibetan government in Exile has appealed to Tibetans to pray instead of party at Losar, in solidarity with Tibetans who have self-immolated. bit.ly/YPiCEE
Join the photographer at www.facebook.com/laurent.goldstein.photography
© All photographs are copyrighted and all rights reserved.
Please do not use any photographs without permission (even for private use).
The use of any work without consent of the artist is PROHIBITED and will lead automatically to consequences.
I went to southern Turkey with the expectation that I would most likely make very few images of my own. I wasn't going to make my own pictures after all, I was going to be a photographer (and more) in other ways. And in that regard I was fairly accurate in my prediction. I did not make too many photos. The days were long, hot, chaotic, stressful and busy. When I wasn't teaching, I was making cameras, loading cameras, or prepping my makeshift bathroom darkroom. When I wasn't doing one of those things I was sitting in the shade recovering, or I was standing at the edge of other classes watching and experiencing, or I was getting to know the 33 other mentors who had made the trip to southern Turkey as I had to also offer what they could for these children.
They were an eclectic group: athletes, artists, dentists for the most part. But you had a basketball coach from Denver, an architect from Chicago, a therapist from Brazil, boxers from London, Syrian dentists, a game-maker from Ireland, a songwriter married to a Syrian from ... somewhere on the east coast of the U.S. We even had Syrian translators who smuggled themselves across the border and risked their lives to come help at the school. (They sat for a portrait but asked me not to put it up on the Internet for fear the Syrian government may happen across it).
This group of individuals though was as amazing as it was diverse. I have a hard time really expressing what it is like to share such an experience with such a group of passionate, dedicated and hopeful people. Perhaps I knew this even at the time, that I would have trouble explaining to people back home this aspect of my experience, so I made a point to honor these people as best as I could in the way I knew how to do: make portraits of them. I missed getting everyone, much to my regret. But I did what I could in the four days I had, in the spare minutes I could grab, exhausted and hot, just as they were, in the thick of it alongside them. I photographed them doing what they did.
And to start with, Julian and Jamol, the boxers from London. They came to Turkey to teach boxercise, to give the kids a safe outlet for their fear and anger and frustration. Their classes originally omitted the older girls. The organizers of Zeitouna weren't sure if the women would like to participate given the conservative nature of life there. Within a day or two though the 12th grade girls had petitioned to have lessons of their own, so popular were these classes with the kids.
Hosianna Davids Sohn
1. Hosianna! Davids Sohn
Kommt in Zion eingezogen.
Auf, bereitet ihm den Thron,
setzt ihm tausend Ehrenbogen,
Streuet Palmen, machet Bahn,
Dass er Einzug halten kann.
2. Hosianna! Sei gegrüßt!
Komm, wir gehen dir entgegen.
Unser Herz ist schon bereit,
Will sich dir zu Füßen legen.
Zeuch' (1) zu unsern Toren ein;
Du sollst uns willkommen sein.
3. Hosianna, Friedensfürst,
Ehrenkönig, Held im Streite,
Alles, was du schaffen wirst,
Das ist unsere Siegesbeute.
Deine Rechte bleibt erhöht,
Und dein Reich allein besteht.
4. Hosianna! lieber Gast,
Wir sind deine Reichsgenossen,
Die du dir erwählet hast.
Ach, so lass uns unverdrossen
Deinem Szepter dienstbar sein;
Herrsche du in uns allein.
5. Hosianna, komme bald,
Lass uns deine Sanftmut küssen.
Wollte gleich die Knechtsgestalt
Deine Majestät verschließen.
Ei, so kennet Zion schon
Gottes und auch Davids Sohn.
6. Hosianna! Steh uns bei;
O Herr, hilf, lass wohlgelingen,
Dass wir ohne Heuchelei
Dir das Herz zum Opfer bringen.
Du nimmst keinen Jünger an,
Der dir nicht gehorchen kann.
7. Hosianna, lass uns hier
An den Ölberg dich begleiten.
Bis wir einstens für und für
Dir ein Psalmenlied bereiten.
Dort ist unser Bethphage (2):
Hosianna in der Höh!
8. Hosianna nah und fern!
Eile, bei uns einzugehen.
Du Gesegneter des Herrn,
Warum willst Du draußen stehen?
Hosianna, bist du da?
Ja, du kommst. Halleluja!
(1) zieh
(2) Dorf auf dem Ölberg in der Nähe von Bethanien
gemeint ist hier wohl: Dort ist unser Lebensziel
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Text: Benjamin Schmolck
Melodie: Meinen Jesum lass' ich nicht
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
gefunden in:
Evangelisches Gesangbuch für Kirche und Haus
für Stralsund und Greifswald, 1887
Liednummer 47, Advent
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Benjamin Schmolck,geb. 1672 in Brauchitschdorf (Schlesien), Pfarrer in Schweidnitz, bekannt als Erbauungsschriftsteller, dichtete über 1000 Lieder, zuletzt gelähmt und erblindet; gest. 1737 in Schweidnitz.
¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º°´°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º°´°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸
Ein Adventskalender (in Österreich Adventkalender; auch Weihnachtskalender) zeigt die verbleibenden Tage bis Weihnachten.
Er findet sich in den Dezembertagen bei vielen Familien, in Kindergärten oder Schulen im deutschen Sprachraum.
Beispiel eines Adventskalenders
Kalender, die den ganzen Zeitraum des Advent – also vom ersten Adventssonntag bis Weihnachten – abdecken, haben die passende Anzahl von Türchen für das betreffende Jahr (oder vier zusätzlich für den längstmöglichen Advent: Sonntag 27. November bis Samstag 24. Dezember). Der Adventskalender ist heute meist ein „Dezemberkalender“ – das heißt, er beginnt nicht am ersten Adventssonntag, sondern am 1. Dezember.
¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º°´°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º°´°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸
An Advent calendar is a special calendar which is used to count or celebrate the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Some calendars are strictly religious, whereas others are secular in content.
Today, most advent calendars are made for children. Many take the form of a large rectangular card with many "windows", one of which is opened every day during Advent. In less elaborate calendars, each window opens to reveal an image, a poem, or part of a story such as the Nativity story itself. More elaborate Advent calendars have a small gift concealed in each window, such as a toy or a chocolate item.
¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º°´°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º°´°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸
Le calendrier de l'Avent est une tradition germanique née pour faire patienter les enfants jusqu'a Noël. À l'origine, on remettait une image pieuse chaque matin aux enfants, comportant une phrase de l'Évangile ou une incitation à faire une bonne action. Plus tard les biscuits puis les chocolats remplacèrent les images.
Le calendrier a souvent la forme d'une planche cartonnée dans laquelle sont prédécoupées 24 fenêtres qu'on ouvre progressivement, une par jour. On peut alors y lire la phrase de l'Évangile ou y prendre la confiserie qu'elle contient. Depuis quelques années, surtout en Allemagne, on y trouve des petits jouets. Certains calendriers, plus proches de l'idée originelle, n'ont pas systématiquement 24 jours, mais un nombre de jours variant entre 22 et 28 selon le jour où tombe Noël (dont dépend la durée de l'Avent).
¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º°´°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º°´°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸
Un calendario dell'avvento mostra i giorni rimanenti fino alla vigilia di Natale. Si tratta di un'usanza molto popolare nei paesi di lingua tedesca dedicata ai bambini per accompagnare il periodo di attesa della grande festa.
¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º°´°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º°´°º¤ø,¸¸,ø¤º°`°º¤ø,¸¸
I went more in hope than in expectation.
I knew there are out over the Channel, but had it been warm enough over here? Maybe if there was a sun trap, a sun-bathed glade that had a micro-climate, just maybe.
I walked up, and found nothing. However, where I had seen one last year, there was a sturdy spike about to open. About to.
I walk back down, the edges of the path are overgrown, maybe more than last year. I see two more Ophrys insectifera in the undergrowth, maybe a week from opening.
And then, a flash of colour catches my eye, and just above the vegetation is a single open Ophrys insectifera, caught in a beam of sunlight, possibly only opened today.
It was my lucky day: especially as I snapped this, A Greater Butterfly nearly open, a Brimstone Butterfly, my first blue of the year: a Green Hairstreak and a Comma.
Yay.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
I shot this portrait of my girlfriend as we sat on a platform, waiting for our train home. I rarely do these kinds of high-noise high-contrast monochromes, or even photos that diverge from the rule of thirds. As usual I'm not sure about the facial expression, but how about expectation? She does seem to be expecting something or someone to appear out of the black abyss.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Everyone loves to hate Hong Kong Disneyland. The media reviles the park and serves it up as tabloid fodder, reveling in an orgy of cruel delight with every single hiring misstep and every missed attendance goal. Local citizens, with whom my conversations have yielded much anecdotal evidence, also have voiced their displeasure, mostly over the park's size - too small - and its demographics - too many mainlanders. So it was with these pejorative impressions, this cacophony of complaints simmering in my imagination, that I passed warily through the gates of the Magic Kingdom, in cautious expectation of unfulfilled promises and inexorable bores. What I got, however, to my pleasant surprise and veritable enjoyment, was an afternoon and evening spent in the company of great friends amidst all sorts of amusements, an outing that easily summited any acclivity of entertainment previously established in my mind.
There were rides, lots of them, on which my friends and I spent much time frolicking like little children in whose hands are new toys. We actually spent more time on the rides than on the lines to board them, which surprised me, and added to the allure of the place. Every attraction, whether it was Space Mountain or Small World, whether it was the crazy tea cups or Pooh's dyslexic, whole-language reading adventure, was accessible without having to spend an inordinate amount of time waiting, and that's a good thing. We spent about one-minute in line for my favorite ride, Buzz Light Year's space voyage - a real-life first-person shooter. In general, I think can queue for ten minutes in order to go on a two-minute ride, any day, no problem.
Not only were the rides, and their queues impressive; the shows, too, were of such outstanding quality that our merry band contrived meticulously to attend them, twice even. Our friend lady B, whose initial plan we had followed to come to Disney and by whose handiwork we were granted free admittance, performed marvelously at the Golden Mickeys, a captivating drama involving physical feats of daring, risky dancing, plenty of singing and of course many of Walt's freaky, life-sized animals. From the audience, we cheered lustily for our friend and her fellow performers who went through a medley of Disney's greatest soundtracks and scenes. Other seated-performances that we attended, including the Stitch game and the 4D symphony orchestra, moreover delivered hilarity and sensory thrills. The High School Musical outdoor rally, my favorite, was an engrossing confluence of infectious beats, rhythmic dancing and filipino goodwill. Indeed, there was not a single misfire in all of the super live-action and animated spectacles we viewed. Engrossed audiences laughed, clapped and cheered wildly.
Who can forget the evening's main events, the night parade and the fireworks? So desperately did we desire prime seating that we scouted and camped our positions as though settlers rushing through a frontier, assiduously scanning and then demarcating our territory. We would not be denied a gorgeous view of the evening's entertainment. And when it came time for the performances, that the shows did touch the ethereal heights of our lofty expectations only added to ecstasy of being like a child, in awe and wonder, of the world around us. The Disney magic verily cast its spell on us, suspending our maturity for the welcomed digestion of a deep palette of colors set to slick choreography. Neither the Halloween parade (and the accompanying ghoulish, nighttime frights in Adventureland) nor the fireworks extravaganza should be missed.
Finally, as much as firsthand experience has proven its worth in debunking deplorable myths and conjectures about Hong Kong Disneyland (e.g. the park is too small; there are too many mainlanders), much of the myth-shattering and debunkment in my own received opinion came from eloquent discourse with past and present Disney cast members, from whom I learned about the pricing structure of Disney merchandise and foods - and why both seem to be presumptuously expensive - and whose words, combined with my own experience in the park, confirm the notion that Disney works hard to adjust its brand for cultural differences, though in the case of Hong Kong, the company still has much to demonstrate before a critical local audience.
Format: Postcard, photo mechanical print.
Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication.
Part Of: Powerhouse Museum Collection
General information about the Powerhouse Museum Collection is available at www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database
Persistent URL: www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=426981
Acquisition credit line: Gift of Elizabeth Bullard, 1967