Pyromusical 2013 | United Kingdom vs South Korea

It's the time of the year once again where every fireworks fanatic head to the Mall of Asia. Of course, I'm one of the spectators who watched the magical pyrotechnic display in the skies.

I bought discounted vouchers in Ensogo. It's P179 for a Gold Ticket. I thought it's a good deal. Wrong! Buy 1 Take 1 din ang Gold Center tickets in MoA. Sus, nag-Ensogo pa ko. No need pala. Toinks! 0_o

Eto pa: the Gold tickets sold in group buying sites pala are just Gold Center. Iba pala ang Gold Center sa Gold Seaside. I hate that location. Walang kwenta for taking shots. Pa-upgrade daw to a Gold Seaside ticket is P150. Hhmm. I asked if pwede magpadowngrade instead. May Silver Seaside kasi, for just P100 lang. The bouncers agreed na pwede magdowngrade. Yun na. Silver Seaside it is!

I liked United Kingdom's performance more than South Korea's. The fireworks rotated and it served everyone a good view, kahit san ka pa nakapwesto. Actually, all technique's are not new to me. I've been watching this Pyromusical Competition since 2011. Nevertheless, every single firework delighted the audience, including me.

behind the scene 
seaside area

Silver Seaside location is good enough, specially we had a good location to take photos. The downside is the music is poor at this side.

pyromusical map

Anyway, for those who want a comfortable & decent spot + food, you may avail the restaurants with best views of the pyromusical competition.

Veranda / Bay Restaurants in MoA with view of the Fireworks
Rate varies from P400-P1,200 per person

Ground Floor: Bo's Coffee,Avenetto, Seattle's Best, Cafe Breton, Bed Scene, La Mesa Grill, Marina, Gweilos, David's Tea House, Gerry's Grill, Don Henrico's, TGIFriday's, Fish & Co., The Creamery, Racks, Yakimix, Mongolian Rice Bowls, Coffee Bean, Ebun, Cafe Mediterranean

Second Floor: Abe, Red Mango, Tajimaya, Cafe Adriatico, Gumbo, Hongkong Emperor, Jatujak, Pepper Lunch, Tanabe, Healthy Shabu-Shabu, Italliani's

Bay Area: Starbucks, Giligan's, Padi's Point, Vikings, Buffet 101, Icebergs, Dampa

Pyromusical 2012 | Finland and Portugal

This year's much awaited Pyromusical Competition already started 3 weeks ago, but it's only last weekend that I've got the time to watch the spectacular fireworks display at SM Mall of Asia. I know Finland and Portugal performances never got raves as of last year- pero deadma na! Last weekend lang talaga ako free manood.

For the record, I purchased Gold Tickets worth P150, thanks to Ensogo the original price is slashed into half. And since I wanted to have a good spot in the breakwater area, Penggay and I where already queuing as early as 4pm.

walang S kasi isa lang siya ^_^

Anyway, for those who wants a comfortable & decent spot + food, you may avail the restaurants with best views of the pyromusical competition.

Veranda / Bay Restaurants in MoA with view of the Fireworks
Rate varies from P400-P1,200 per person

Ground Floor: Bo's Coffee,Avenetto, Seattle's Best, Cafe Breton, Bed Scene, La Mesa Grill, Marina, Gweilos, David's Tea House, Gerry's Grill, Don Henrico's, TGIFriday's, Fish & Co., The Creamery, Racks, Yakimix, Mongolian Rice Bowls, Coffee Bean, Ebun, Cafe Mediterranean

Second Floor: Abe, Red Mango, Tajimaya, Cafe Adriatico, Gumbo, Hongkong Emperor, Jatujak, Pepper Lunch, Tanabe, Healthy Shabu-Shabu, Italliani's

Bay Area: Starbucks, Giligan's, Padi's Point, Vikings, Buffet 101, Icebergs

but for photo-enthusiasts, the best spot to shoot is still the breakwater area
an unobstructed part

So much for the tips, here are my not-so-good fireworks shots. I wish I have an UWA lens to capture a wider range.













Both Finland's and Portugal's performances were average. I've seen most of those techniques last year. Finland's music didn't really connect to the Pinoy audience, but the performance is good enough. I was just expecting a grand finale. Like last year, Portugal fired a lot. Hindi lang sync sa music. ^_^ Also, Portugal's music transition is so amateur! Sayang kasi ang lively pa naman and the crowd was enjoying the retro songs like Great Balls of Fire and Let's Twist Again.

Nevertheless, fireworks are one of my simplest pleasures. Needless to say, Im happy I came to witness it and be part of the thousands of spectators in MoA.

Pyromusical 2012 Schedule

click the image to enlarge

Ticket Prices and Seat Plan

click the image to enlarge

For the record, you can watch the pyromusical for free. No one will prohibit you to look up in the sky. But dear readers, this is a pyromusical competition. You need to hear the music to appreciate the performance.

Universal Studios Singapore + Songs of the Sea

Warning: Picture Heavy Post

Prior to the park visit, Dyanie and I already bought our Universal Studios tickets online. I read somewhere that there could be no available tickets on the day of your visit so it's best to purchase the tickets in advance. Luckily, MasterCard had a 20% off promotion. The ticket only costs S$52.80 that time.

Little India station to Tanjong Pagar

stone carvings in the subway

But before going to USS, Dyanie took me to Maxwell House (walkable from Tanjong Pagar MRT station). She said she'll have me try the best tasting Hainanese Chicken Rice.

Maxwell House
ang linis ng hawker stalls dito!

Tian Tian's Hainanese Chicken Rice

This stall has a long queue. I guess their hainanese chicken is really famous after Anthony Bourdain recommended it.

Hainanese Chicken Rice - S$3.00
it's so flavorful and tender! thanks Dyan for introducing this to me.

Char Kway Teow - S$3.00
2nd best to Jalan Alor's version in KL

After our meal, we headed to Sentosa Boardwalk. On the way there, we passed (and our feet dragged us) to Ben and Jerry's inside Vivo City Mall.

3 scoops for S$6.90
we got Ben and Jerry's Peanut Butter, Chocolate, and Coffee flavors.
the taste? nothing but outstanding!

At that point, we began to feel tired and sleepy. It was already past lunch and we havent reached USS yet.

Sentosa Boardwalk

walkalator makes our lives easy
but taking a bus could have make it easier!

..and finally Resorts World.

strolling here costs S$1

im not sure if guests can sail here

one step at a time

and finally, the most photograph icon..

thanks to remote control and tripod

It was almost 2:00pm so we hurriedly went inside.

welcome to universal studios

oh hai, Po!

Too bad, we really had no time to line up to have a picture beside him.
We just headed to the 1st attraction that we saw..

Madagascar
A fun boat ride that tells the story of these animals, based on the animated movie of course. The characters inside the tunnel moves and speaks. Well done effects.

this boat ride is fun, but my favorite cruise remains to be Disneyland's Small World

Next thing we saw was this castle.

so it's Shrek's and Fiona's castle

Shrek 4D Adventure
A visual story of Shrek's life, how he saves her Princess Fiona from the Evil Prince. With 4D effects, of course. Fun and entertaining. (photos not allowed inside the theater)

and I quote Dyan "san ba nakakabili ng potion na yan at bibili ako ng madami!"
me: "sa Cash Cash Pinoy!" ^_^

Waterworld
This broke our hearts. We arrived late for the last show.

lesson learned: always check the show schedule

Revenge of the Mummy
Dyan pushed me to try this scarifying ride. She stayed outside to watch for my things. Nothing can be brought inside. Since Im a solo-rider, I managed to be the 1st in line. It's like Disneyland's Space Mountain. A roller coaster in the dark. But Revenge of the Mummy is better. It has great effects, with unexpected turns and surprises. ^_^





Battlestar Gallactica
The tallest dueling roller coaster in the world. One half of the ride features an inverted roller coaster track in blue, and the other half features the traditional seated roller coaster track design in red.
This ride hurts my neck badly. The roller coaster seats dont have the head and neck support. Yes, thrilling. But Im not sure if I'll ride this again.



We didnt know that the park will close at 6:00pm, in preparation for the Grand Launch the next day. So that's it for our Universal Studios tour. Haggardness!

Grand Opening on the next day
we didnt regret it anyway, we knew there'll be a million guests too

Upon exit, we glimpsed to this Garret's Popcorn store. Since Ive read raves about this, Dyanie and I gave it a try.

Garrett's Popcorn for S$10

overpriced popcorn! hindi naman masarap!

In the park exit, we met ate Joyce. She's my blog reader who's based in SG. More than the dinner treat, Dyan and I truly appreciate her company. She guided and (long) walked us thru every SG's landmark.

thank you ate Joyce, we deeply appreciate your company

Songs of the Sea
Tickets cost S$10. Show shedule: 7:40pm and 8:40pm

wahaha! feeling talaga ng kids ay estatwa ako! LOL
brings me instant happiness ^_^

Songs of the Sea
Actors and actresses sing and dance to tell the story. It also showcased pyrotechnics, laser show, and dancing fountains.
Sounds fun? Not really. I was expecting to see more spectacular effects. Not really impressive. I was bored.

once upon a time, there's girl who's under the spell of an enchanted village

the sea creature friend

villain #1

villain #2

the goddess

..and finally, the girl was out of spell.

rejoice and celebrate!

But again, it didn't meet my expectations.

im a bit bored

Well, it was still a fun day 2 in the theme park.

that ends a very long and tiring day in Sentosa

○ prices in yellow texts
○ also see my previous entry: Singapore and its Mesmerizing Nightscape