USH: Spring/Summer Part 2

So I read in wiki that Singapore would have its very Universal Studios in early 2010? That's cool. I would love to visit theirs one there just to see the difference :D Anyway, here is part 2 as promised :) Part 1 is here.

So you're all probably sick of USH now teehee but you'll thank me one day for my comprehensive and time-saving guide when you do visit this place *smirks

Our next ride would be Terminator 2: 3D. I recommend this ride too cuz its slightly different from the Simpson's Ride and Shrek. The seating plan is like Shrek's where everyone is ushered into one huge auditorium, only here the chairs are immobile except during the very last part which you can just experience for yourself :)

There are giant models of Terminators on both sides of you which would go haywire and Arnold and that kid boy (whose name I forgot) impersonators acting against a backdrop of a 3D movie. Halfway through, they would disappear and you'll be shown a movie clip of Arnold and said boy fighting 3D robots. Damn weird ok to see your current state governor shooting at robots are wteff. Anyway, during the entire show, impersonators and movie Arnold+boy would switch screen-time every now and then to kick it up a notch and the stage effects like smoke and gunpowder smell just makes the whole action-packed ride all the more mesmerizing and exciting!

So yes, this is one of the must see rides on your list :)

Next up, the Revenge of the Mummy psychological thrill ride. Take as many pics as you like with this attraction cuz its the only nice thing about it :\ Its an indoor roller coaster, only suckier cuz its entirely in the dark.

I am not kidding. The only interesting part about the ride was the first 10 seconds where you get to see fancy mummy movie set props and that Imhotep guy dooming you to a ride to death before the carriage you're in suddenly speeds up like no tomorrow (only realized it was a roller coaster then wteff) and plunging you into the darkest ride of your life and I mean that literally cuz you see NOTHING at all. Ok so I had my eyes shut the whole time because crazy fast rides does that to me but the times I did managed to force my eyes open it was inky blackness still.

Then midway through the ride your carriage just comes to a sudden halt, and you're surrounded by this flashing screen of mummies and those creepy black beetles would appear all over it and pressured air blasted in your face to imitate the feel of them on your skin before you're taken BACKWARDS (yes, your ride moves backwards) this time to right where you started with the attendants clapping boredly at you for surviving hell.

Looked like crap here. Stupid BB cream.

Obviously, this is a damn fast ride so don't wear anything in your hair or stuff you can lose easily and be sure to place all your belongings in the free lockers provided. Damn cool one ok the lockers all use fingerprints to work! Feels so like some James Bond agent like that ah :D

All wet from the Jurassic Park Adventure Ride :D

Anyway, my point is: this ride is a waste of time. Don't listen to those people who kept harping about how amazing it is cuz its really not. Its totally in the dark ok might as well just close your eyes while on a bike before asking your little sister to push you off a hill. No difference what. If you love roller coasters and stuff, save it for Six Flags or Knott's Berry Farm where both specializes in thrill rides like these. The Mummy ride is really not worth spending your precious USH time on unless you're a Californian like me with an annual pass or have extra time leftover cuz its not like other rides where you know you can't experience elsewhere except for here. If you like, you can just watch the ride here on youtube.

Next up is Waterworld. Unlike the rest, this one is a show and not a ride. There are a few other shows too like the animals one and the Blue Brothers which I missed on all 3 occasions -_- For this summer, there is another special musical entitled 'The Creature from Black Lagoon' which I also missed (wteff) so hopefully I'll finish all 3 shows the next time I go back. Yeah, I will. What's the point of an annual pass if not to use it to death? :P

So anyway, tadah! The set. If you hate getting wet, sit as high up as you can because every now and then the workers would grab their hoses and spray you with copious amounts of water.

Don't bother screaming or squirming cuz the moment they see that you dislike it, they would only continue to spray even more amounts of water at you with GLEE. *&^#@*&@^@%#!!!

Sitting in the 'Soak Zone' is giving them permission to drench you completely. Besides those annoying cheeky workers, passing speedboats and crashing planes would send waves of water crashing on those in the zone.

Say hello to the bad guys and his hilariously stupid henchmen :D The plot goes like this: Earth is now covered entirely with water and dry land is impossible to find. Our protagonists however managed to find a piece of dry land and now the villains want to kill them and take over the land. Cue fighting la dee da.

Said hero who I think is half man half fish and 100% freak in the words of Mr. Bad Guy. I cannot see how his legs look like so I have no idea. Correct me if I'm wrong cuz sometimes my hearing cannot be trusted.

His girlfriend. And why do all the bad guys ALWAYS want to rape or marry the good guy's girlfriend? So cliche. Didn't liked that part. The part where he wanted to rape her I mean. Or force marry her. Whichever. Girl's not even some foxy siren or anything.

So there are gunfire and explosions which you shall see later cuz apparently I took like A TON of pics and so I shall just dump them here.

Incoming plane crash

The huge fuel tank is just begging to be ignited





And it does not disappoint

All in all, it was quite an exciting show and the only reason I felt pretty meh about it was because I had seen something similar to this in Thailand before. And as far as my memory serves me, I recalled it to be equally as good as this. In fact, all of Thailand attractions were pretty darn good. And the concession stand goodies waaaay cheaper. Oooh the fresh, sweet, cooling coconuts! *drools

So is this show worth it? idk. Maybe, maybe not. My judgment fails me here :C The best I can say is that if you wish to see at least one show, this is the one to watch. Oh wait, I have an even better idea! Watch this show after lunch which I think is the 1 or 2pm show cuz its serves as a nice break from all those exhausting morning rides and is just the right activity to relax as you burn off the lethargic stuffed feeling you normally get right after a large meal :D Perfect!

Curious George Playground

Curious George himself. Oooh why is he soooo cute!!! We accidentally ran in to him in the midst of our search for Spongebob lol. I honestly have no idea who he was then and took a pic simply cuz he was so adorable ♥

One day I will have my face painted. I will. When I am no longer living with my parents so I needn't hear them nag about what a waste of money it is etc. hmph. Then again, I might not cuz it really is quite expensive :\ Can buy a pair of chio boots with the money ok.

Another show you absolutely must see is the Special Effect Stages. Here there are 3 stages all together where you would be shown the many different movie effects used in their movie production. You'll be surprised to know how a simple strategic tilt of a camera angle can make a mini Pharaoh's head look like a MASSIVE temple statue on screen *__*

You'll also get to witness firsthand how a green screen works and see a volunteer getting fried to his death lol. What I liked most about this attraction are the MCs who totally deserves two thumbs up for their performance. Their jokes are hilarious XD However, I still liked the first 2 MCs when I first went with SoEun cuz they really knew how to make the lines work ♥ Yes, the jokes are all the same lol and I know this cuz it was exactly the same lines when I went for the 2nd time with my family only the MCs were different and slightly more 'amateur' compared to the previous.

A short super blurry clip of a woman trying to fend off a giant cat in front of a green screen.

The second stage focuses more on horror movies special effects. Here you'll get to see how they fake blood spurting from an arm after sawing through it and some clips from classic horror films to the present.

I didn't really get to take much pictures cuz its really dark in all the rooms and most of them came out blurry or dark beyond recognition :C

HAHA meet Fluffy. He is said to be the latest expensive toy that follows your movements once you put on that multi-color strappy thing lol. The MC kept assuring us that his feet are firmly embedded in the ground though so the little kid won't be able to terrorize us making him run after us.

Of course, I never believed that for one moment XD

The sound effects stage where they show you how they used to add sound effects into movies in the past and where later a few volunteers and us audience would participate in producing the various sounds for a number of films :D

A small clip from Backdraft. This is yet another attraction you can afford to miss out on because its really boring unless watching stuff explode and go up in flames for 3 minutes is your thing. Its located right beside the Special Effects Stages and is used mainly to show you how certain scenes are done in the fire-fighting movie Backdraft. Yeah, and all I could think about during this time was MASSU thanks to his RESCUE drama which was airing then in Japan. Massu is way more interesting than this attraction. And I don't really like that drama that much in the first place already. I watch only to oogle at his topless scenes machoness.

And now, the Universal Studio Tour, the first attraction you should and must see. I've already posted a number of pics back in Winter but a few pics were too dark to be seen clearly cuz we took the ride last and night has since fallen by that time :C So here are the clearer ones taken during Spring.

Full video of the entire 2 Fast 2 Furious car show. Last time I had the best view but hit the wrong button (picture mode instead of video) whereas this time I hit the right button but had a lousy view *grumbles* Just my luck.

Some small town areas/squares used in their films.

As seen in Bedtime Stories where Adam Sandler was riding a chariot as a gladiator.

Mr. Potato Head lol

Grinch Town. Ok, so I guess this is a Winter attraction only. Read here to see how it was like then with all the lights and snow and those Grinch like creatures dancing. I have no idea what they are called because I have never watched the movie which reminds me YES I SHALL GO ADD IT TO MY NETFLIX QUEUE NOW.

King Kong? Jaws? I forgot *sheepish





JAWS set

Video of Jason getting eaten up

Wisteria Lane of the hit TV series Desperate Housewives. Filming was going on that day so we couldn't pass through it :C

Guess who?





Yes its the infamous Bates Motel from the thriller movie Psycho.





And Norman himself. Carrying his latest victim.

I have only watched snippets of the movie to date and yet its enough to instill enough fear in me to never stay in motels. Ya, I will die broke at this rate wteff.

The vacation lodge used in uhm some old family movie or was it TV series uhm was it The Brady Bunch? Heck, I have no idea. Something along those lines. Well, if I don't know it, I doubt you would too so *waves hand airily

Ah, the Wars of the Worlds film set

A picture of props taken during the begining of the Curse of the Mummy's Tomb staged events where you are later sucked into a dizzy tunnel covered with eyes all over you feel a little sick...

Missed the Animal Actors show and was only in time to take a pic with this handsome doggy. Where is my KonKon rawr~

I love theme parks decorations sigh ♥

HAHAHA is it me or is the thing in hanging below the costume just wrong XD What is that supposed to be anyway? Do shrimps even have that? I don't remember seeing it ever....

Ok and this ends the post. Phew, finally. Fall classes start this Monday sigh so maybe the Las Vegas/Arizona (and omg all those beaches too!) pics would take slightly longer to be up. Going up to Thousand Pines (some mountain resort) for a retreat tomorrow. Le sigh.