Secrets of Hogwarts Revealed (Harry Potter Studio Tour, London)

December 10, 2012 Leave a comment

My friend Agnes is right. Recently, she went to London and she blogged an amazing post about the Harry Potter Studio. We decided to put this as our 1st stop in our 3-day London trip. What an amazing we had!

Opened on 31st March 2012, the 150,000-sqft Harry Potter Studio just welcomed its 1st Millionth Visitor today! (Damn, we just missed hitting the jackpot!).  Just like what Warner Bros Studio promises – Secrets will be revealed. For the first time, fans of Harry Potter have the chance to go behind-the-scenes and be on the sets. This is the same studio where the sets were built and shot. These are the REAL STUFFS – real props, real costumes and real settings! I find it very fascinating to be in the same space where they shot all the movie scenes. It is enchanting!

What’s amazing is the personal digital tour guide. For a rental fee of £5, each of us were given an iPod Touch device. It is more than just an audio guide. It has lots of rich media content such as video and interactive maps for the user to navigate and interact. Very interesting and user-friendly indeed.

Be prepared to spend more than 3-4 hours exploring every space, the studio is big! The tour is free and easy – you can explore around at your own pace. There are lots of details here to be discovered. Look out for the superb craftsmanship and efforts behind the making. You find yourself immersed in many familiar sets and iconic props. And for as low as £12, you can ride “digitally” like Harry on a magical broom (in front of a green screen of course – with wind blowing in your hair to enhance the flying experience!). It is something we can’t resist!

The souvenir shop is just as amazing. There are so many movie-replicas that you can purchase – Wands, broomsticks, swords, sweaters, hats, chocolate frogs, accessories and even the horcrux which Harry destroyed in the movie.

For the sake of many others who are planning to visit the studio – I shall not disclose too much here to avoid spoiling the key surprises which the studio intended for its visitors. No photograph or word in this blog can replace the real experience. It is best to discover them for yourself. It is 100% worth the visit if you holidaying in London (and you are a Harry Potter fan). It is simply magical! (Note: Tickets must be booked in advance at http://www.wbstudiotour.co.uk. Adult: £28, Children: £21)

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Travel

Bang! And we arrived in Europe!

December 6, 2012 Leave a comment

Surprise to many, this is the first Christmas vacation without the traditional companionship of our extended “family” – Tracy, Harshad, Kalinda or Lionnel. Due to our little disagreement in this year’s travel destination, we decided to go our own separate ways.  Felicia, Elkan and I head out to Europe while Harshad, Tracy and Kelly head for Bhutan (earth’s happiest kingdom). Europe has always been one of my top travel destinations since 2007. I am so glad that we finally made it this year. (At least, if the world really did end in Dec 2012, there will be one less regret to ponder about.)

We took red-eye to Rome and Tracy was very kind to escort us to our gate! I was very touched by her gesture and company! While waiting for our flight, I managed to take a photo with the work I created on the last day of its promotion. (Hahah…I am so proud to pose in front of the concourse shop! The security guard thought I was a weird tourist posing with the bottles.)

It took us a total of 22 hours and a few heart-attack moments to fly from Hong Kong to Rome and to London. We suffered 2 very unpleasant flights. Our flight to Rome was a terrifying one. 15 minutes before landing, there was a bright blinding orange spark inside the cabin, followed by a loud bang. The spark came from the wing. Passengers on board were whispering “what was that?”. Seconds later, a big lightning strike near the plane. I feared for the worst. Thankfully, we landed safe and sound  – this goes down as my worst flight ever.

Blame it on my kiasuism, I booked our next flight to London with a 5-hour gap. We parked ourselves at a cafe – no wifi, 3G. We were restless and bored. I went to the post office to send out a couple of postcards to my dear pals in Hong Kong. (It was more expensive to send postcards (€12) versus signing up for a 1-day €10 wifi package! No wonder not many write postcard these days.)

Our next flight to London was just as bad as the first one. It was a small plane and there were a lot roller-coaster moments due to the severe turbulence. The worst was the landing. The pilot failed the first landing and we had to attempt a second one. We were heading down too fast and the pilot made a steep climb. When flying over the Alps, Felicia took this stunning photo (below). At least, there is one beautiful moment on board.

The good news for me is there will be no more air travel from now till 17th Dec. For the next 10 days, we will be on the road (taxi, foot and rail) from London to Paris to Venice and to Rome. This will be one very exciting Europe trip for my wife and kid and I can’t wait to share more photos and stories here with my family and friends back home!

Filed under Family, Life in Hong Kong, Travel

Thanksgiving Weekend with Dad

December 2, 2012 Leave a comment

2012 has been a long and hectic (and very rewarding) year for me. I am so glad things are finally slowing down and I got a couple of free days to spend with my loved ones. The cold spell arrived earlier this year. Dad’s visit certainly warm up our days.

Dad and his buddy Uncle Bok (my 142nd HK Visitor!) arrived on Thanksgiving Day. We spent a relaxing weekend at Shenzhen. It is always a great joy to be with the old folks. Time is never enough for us. Most of the time, we were chilling out at the cafes, spas and bars. There were so much to catch up. While they were sharing the latest news from Singapore, I was encouraging them to retire in China. We spent 2 days gadget hunting at the IT districts,  the old duo bought many unusual stuffs – bluetooth speakers, iphone battery packs, laser bulbs, CCTV recorder etc. It was so fun to watch them bargaining prices with the retailers. I also showed and taught them about the latest mobile apps. The most exciting part of the trip was when Dad dropped his handphone and we managed to trace back our steps to recover his lost phone.

On their last day, they visited my wife and boy in Hong Kong. We had a small farewell dinner at Lee Garden, Causeway Bay. Elkan was very happy and excited to see his grandpa. At the restaurant, he wanted to share a mug of beer with the old boys. From Elkan’s expression (see photo below), he wasn’t quite man enough for the strong brew. He gave us a good laugh for the night.

Early Tuesday morning, Dad and Uncle Bok flew back to Singapore. I took a long 12-hour sleep to recover my sleepless nights with the old boys. Throughout their 5-day stay, Dad and Uncle Bok slept late (3am) and woke up early (6am) every day. I couldn’t keep up with their stamina. I was wrong about old people – their batteries are more lasting than mine. Like what they said to me, life is so short – make every second counts. Thanks for the wonderful time (and all the fatherly advises)! And I hope to see you guys next year, same time, same cities.


Filed under Family, Life in Hong Kong

Newer posts →