Tokyo Disneysea: A Nautical Experience

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After 5 years hiatus from theme park, yes I got the chanceto get back to Disney again. This time I managed to hit Tokyo Disneysea (æ�±äº¬ãƒ‡ã‚£ã‚ºãƒ‹ãƒ¼ã‚·ãƒ¼).　TokyoDisneysea is located beside Tokyo Disneyland. Surprisingly,I have just found out that Tokyo DisneySea and Tokyo Disneyland are theonly Disney parks in the world not owned by The Walt Disney Company.

The themein Tokyo DisneySea has an overall nautical exploration theme to it. The overallintention was to create a more adult-themed park, including faster, scarierrides and shows designed more for an older audience. In 2002 Tokyo DisneySeawon a Thea Award from the Themed Entertainment Association forthe concept, design, and construction of the theme park. The park consists ofseveral interesting sections such as the Mediterranean Harbor, MysteriousIsland, Mermaid Lagoon, Arabian Coast, Lost River Delta, American Waterfront.

The Famous Mediterranean Harbor of Tokyo Disneysea with the fictional Mount Prometheus at the left background

As long as I remember, 5 years ago, we do not need to take another extra ride to Tokyo Disneyland or Disneysea but this time we had to pay extra for the train tickets

That's the ticketing entrance to Tokyo Disneysea. Do not be tricked by the short queue, actually this is considered quite long and we had to wait for about 15 minutes

as soon as you enter, you will be greeted by the Aquasphere and Mickey Mouse in Wizard's Costume

And also take a ride on the Disneysea Electric Train

At the entrance, one of the hotel in Disneysea, I think it's Hotel Miracosta, one of my dream to stay in Disney's Hotel

Be sure to visit the Twilight Zone of Tower Terror with a super vertical thrill ride although I did not have the chance to take a ride on this one at all

Journal to the Center of The Earth by Jules Verne: One of the magnificent laboratory while waiting for 2 hours to get the ride

Another great exhibition room showcasing the fictional movie

 Be very very sure to enter early and get the fast past for these two rides or you are going to need to wait for hours (YES!! HOURS) 

That's a mini Nautilus at the 20000 Leagues Under the Sea ride

That's me in the ride

 On the left, the elusive villain of Aladdin, Jafar holding his Cobra Snake SceptreOn the right, the magical dome at Arabian Coast
One of the most thrilling ride, The Raging Spirits whereby the roller coaster will spin at 360 degrees too bad, the ride lasted only about 5 minutes

Raging Spirits Roller Coaster Ride at Tokyo Disneysea

Up next is the Little Mermaid Lagoon

The Facade is made to look like the Palace of King Triton and features plenty of seashell themed architecture

Enjoy Broadway Musical (You need to take a long queue as well)

or take a stroll along the American Waterfront

or instead you can take a ride on the vintage car

Along the American Waterfront, you will be able to meet Donald Duck performing Stomp Musical!!  

Donald Duck leading the way~~

One of the performer showing off his skills to the audience

The Legend of Mythica, a twenty-five minute show located onthe harbor is a must to see. 

Floats and Boats entering the scene

As usual, the official mascot of Disney, Mickey Mouse makes its Grand Entrance!

While leading the grand performance

Colorful, beautiful and MAGICAL!

 While there is plenty of other rides and performances, 1 single day is not enough. As usual at the end of the day, there will be closing performance with spectacular fireworks as well

Beautiful night illumination of the American Harbor with a Titanic Ship overlooking by the Tower of Terror!

The Fort A Famosa: Malacca's Pride

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A Famosa, the famous name for one of the oldest surviving European fort in Asia situated in Melaka (Malacca). From what I have studied in the history class, the A Famosa was built by the famous Portuguese admiral Alfonso de Albuquerque after they defeated the Malacca Sultanate in the year 1511. Unknown to me until now, A Famosa actually means ‘The Famous’ in Portuguese. The fort changed hands in the year 1641 when the Dutch defeated the Portuguese. The gate was renovated in the year 1670 with a logo ANNO 1670 on the gate’s arch which represents the Dutch East India Company.
In the 19^th century, the fort changed hands againwhen the Dutch handed it over to the British to prevent it from falling intothe hands of Napoleon? Hmm interesting facts although I have never learnedabout it in the history class. Since the maintenance of the fort was quite costly, thedestruction of the fortress was carried out in the year 1806. Fortunately,during the demolition period, Sir Stamford Raffles, who is the founder of theSingapore intervened it because of his passion for history. Thanks to him, thecurrent gate, Portade Santiago is what part of the remaining A Famosa.

The pride of Malacca, The Porta de Santiago of Fort A Famosa

More close up shot of the Porta de Santiago

The back view of the gate of A Famosa from the rear

The logo of the Dutch East India Company

A close-up shot of the wall of A Famosa, consumed by time~

                    

The old inside view of the A Famosa, 

And that's me with the left cannon of the A Famosa

Erawan Museum: Thailand's Gargantuan Three Headed Elephant

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Since I am heading to Bangkok by tomorrow morning, I guess I should write a post on Thailand first. This time it's about the not so known place in Bangkok.
Erawan Museum, even when the name is mentioned..I guess not many have heard about this cool museum. Unknown to many Bangkok visitors, this gargantuan three headed Elephant museum is situated at Samut Prakan Province which is part of the Bangkok Metropolitan City. Weighing 250 tonnes, towering 29 meters high, and 39 meters long, this pure cast copper statue took ten years to be constructed. Inside the towering museum consists of three levels according to Buddhist cosmology. Let's take a look what's inside. Mind that the photos were all captured in the year 2008 by my old faithful Sony DSC H-1.

Beautiful lotus pond surrounding the Erawan Museum

Inside the museum, you will be greeted by lots of carvings and arts according to Buddhist Cosmology

That is the carvings depicting the Demon King Mara. In Buddhism, Mara is the demon that tempted Gautama Buddha by trying to seduce him with the vision of beautiful women who are Mara's daughters. In Buddhist cosmology, Mara personifies unwholesome impulses, unskillfulness, the "death" of the spiritual life. He is a tempter, distracting humans from practicing the spiritual life by making the mundane alluring or the negative seem positive.

 On the left: Carving of Thai influenced Buddhist DeityOn the right: Jade Buddha Statue

That's me 4 years ago!

If you look up, you can see one huge beautiful and colorful glass art

The glass art is a mix of western and eastern design accompanied by Buddhist Cosmology theme

Beautiful carvings of Naga on Silver plate

Another interesting carvings I have accidentally stumbled upon is the silver carvings of Jesus Christ giving sermons to the people and also during his death on the cross. 

This is my favourite...very beautiful carvings of a giant fish especially its scales

One of the beautiful antiques being exhibited there

At the top, inside the belly of the Elephant is a place depicting one of the heavens in Buddhist Cosmology, the TrÄ�yastriṃśa  (Tavatimsa) heaven.
In this floor, there is a Buddha statue located here. Of course, the Lord Buddha does not dwell in this realm.
That's all for now. ! Enjoy!

Bangkok's Baiyoke Tower II

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Sawasdeekrub! This year 2012 mark my return to Bangkok, the land of smiles, my second home after 2 years ofhiatus. Full of nostalgic feelings however, there’s a place which I have notvisited for the past few years till now. Yes the Baiyoke Tower II, the tallest buildingin Thailand. The building is 304 m (997 ft) tall, or 328 m (1,076 ft) tall withthe antenna included. Situated at Ratchathewi district, the tower has85 floors with a public observatory on the 77th floor. To enter the top of thetower, you are required to purchase a ticket of 400 baht person (300 bahtbefore 6pm; free for hotel guest). The ticket price includes snacks andcocktail of your choice at the “Roof Top Bar & Music Lounge” on the 83rd floorand a 360 degrees revolving roof top deck which is situated on the 84th floor.The Baiyoke Tower II is also known as Sky Hotel which is the tallest hotel inSoutheast Asia and the fourth tallest in the world with 673 guest rooms.

 The photo of the tower taken from afar nearby the Central World Shopping Complex in the year 2008. On wall, the advertisement for "BMW: A Brand to look up to" still remains the same even now

Baiyoke Tower and Sky Hotel at night ~ tall feeling

showing off the tickets we have bought

at the 77th floor, there is a public exhibition hall about the history and construction of the tower. This is one of the concrete used to construct the Baiyoke Tower II

That's me 'flying' across the Baiyoke Tower II on a hot air balloon

 Up next, is the revolving observatory platform on the 84th floor on the Bangkok skyline view~~

My Favourite skyline shot colorful and balanced exposure..

The threading highway of Bangkok

My favorite method of aerial photography..45 degrees tilt to get the round Earth feeling...

cheers with some kind of green pineapple cocktail with some snacks

shots taken at a lower level of the tower at the hotel lobby

From another side of the hotel lobby from far you could see the huge poster of the revered Thai King Bhumibol on the Novotel Hotel.

QR Codes and Nutritional Information

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A very practical application involves the scanning of a QR codeto obtain nutritional information―McDonald’s is one such example. How many times have you wondered just how many calories are in somethingyou ordered at a restaurant or fast food restaurant? McDonald’s have answeredthat by putting QR codes on its packaging.  The initiative is a part of an ongoing effortto help customers lead a nutritious life and make informed choices. McDonald’swill continue the rollout in the majority of its restaurants by the end of2013. Read more about this at Mobile Marketer — McDonald’scontinues mobile reign with QR code push and at 2d code McDonald’s QR CodesRevisited

 Chris Lehan is a Director at Impressions Incorporated (a multi-color printer in St. Paul, MN specializing in the complete production ofcustomized printing and paperboard packaging). http://www.i-i.com/
Follow me on Twitter @chrislehan

QR Codes for Sports Stats

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Adding a QR code somewhere in the corner of the television screen could be used to extend the viewer's experience by providing additional player information.
  What ifsports networks were to include an (unobtrusive) QR code somewhere in thebottom corner of the television screen? Once scanned, the viewer would betransported to the specific landing page for that player. In this example,while Andrew McCutcheon is at bat, a QR code could be scanned to obtain hisstats on the user’s smartphone. Think of the many sports we watch and the possibilities… Chris Lehan is a Director at Impressions Incorporated (a multi-color printer in St. Paul, MN specializing in the complete production ofcustomized printing and paperboard packaging). http://www.i-i.com/Follow me on Twitter @chrislehan