I was stressed out over preparing my students for their exams, especially those sitting for major exams. I had also carried some negative feelings pertaining to certain situations within me. Thus my parents suggested a holiday for me.
We went to USA for 2 weeks. We went along the West Coast, consisting of LA, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Sausalito and Muir Woods. Our tour group was 20 people big, an ideal size for me. However, since it was a conducted tour, we had to adhere to the schedule and we had to wake up at 6am on the average for most of the days.
We went to Universal Studios to see how films are made. It was a great place. We watched Shrek on 4-D, Honey I Shrunk The Kids and A Bug's Life on 3-D, my favourite shows. We also went to a museum on Lucille Ball and I was glad to be there. It was a nostalgic experience as I had enjoyed watching I Love Lucy when younger. We also took the tram around the various movie sets and got to experience an "earthquake" in the process, as well as coming face to face with the plane crash in War of the Worlds and Jaws the maneater!
Spongebob Squarepants was around to say hi to us and we saw apples coated in peanuts, chocolate, icing, fudge and caramel in the window display of a store. The scariest ride there is Back to the Future, for a timid soul like me. We were jolted abruptly and thrown forward without warning in the dark! I confronted my phobias of height and darkness as a result. I was so scared at travelling so quickly and "plunging down into the abyss of hell" that I kept praying that I woudn't die! My parents' lives were also on my mind but we came out all right. Phew! Unfortunately, we left our bag inside and had to wait for the staff to retrieve it for us.
Then it was Disneyland and a new park, California Adventure directly opposite it, the next day. We could eat only fast food such as hot dogs, burgers, fries and ribs there. It was only our second day but I was getting sick of that type of diet. We took scary rides again, like Indiana Jones. I felt the same way as when I took Back to the Future. I didn't have a choice because our tour guide recommended them and she said they weren't scary! Of course, I learnt slowly that we could opt out of those rides. So I didn't take the Mummy, Jurassic Park and Space Mountain.
There are slower and more enjoyable rides like Pirates of the Carribean and It's a Small World. They are smoother and not so scary. The surroundings are very pleasant to behold too. The former is on the way pirates lived, drooling over the treasures they had found and over the women they saw in the pubs. The figurines are cute to look at but the ride ends all too soon. It is the same for the latter, which showcases the different cultures of the world. However, the additional dimension is the different ways in which Christmas is celebrated in the world. The surroundings are beautiful to gaze in awe at but there is barely enough time to do so. Of course, the latter is accompanied by the song It's a Small World. There's also Haunted Mansion, where Halloween and Christmas meet.
We had a chance to behold the Fantasy and Christmas parades. It was majestic and beyond words man! There are the Disney characters and princesses in the former and characters like snowmen, toy soldiers and the Clauses in the latter. It was so colourful and I snapped many photographs. I felt like a child again. I also got to know this American family and we enjoyed the spectacle together. It was cold though and we were shivering. We then waited for the fireworks display which my friend had recommended. It was cancelled after a long time of teeth-chattering though due to bad wind conditions. :(
I did lots of shopping there as there is a huge emporium selling Disney products of a wide range. I was so overwhelmed with excitement in the megastore! We went back to the hotel after a long, tiring and awesome day at the Happiest Place on Earth. However, I realised that this is just an accolade really. Happiness's not being in a place or setting but created within yourself and with people around you, as a decision.
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