dwayne blogged

I got in line too early for tickets to "The Little Mermaid". I was determined for it to sell out and for standing room tickets to become available. It was cold! When the box office finally opened, I found out it wasn’t sold out, so I stood close by and celebrated in silence with each ticket sold for the day until I finally got my ticket. It was quite a game and I have to say that the ticketing people were opposite of the friendly reputation that Disney upholds. At least I got a discount from buying some merchandise because I’m much better friends with the team there.

Getting tickets to "Legally Blonde" was another whole adventure. I was 8th in line on a VERY cold morning, but by the time the box office opened, 2 hours later, I was 16th! The brats ahead of me were saving spots in line for their friends and argued that their friends had been there all along when I politely asked them to search their own conscience and do what’s right. The girl in the white jacket is one of those brats. This feature on my blog is probably her only shot at "fame" but it really is a call for all my fellow friends on Broadway or any stage for that matter, to freely spit and rain on her like there’s no tomorrow if they ever see her in the front row, which is likely because she buys student tickets. The best part was that my friend was in the show and I hope they saw me pointing them out to her when everyone was at the stage door waiting for autographs. That will teach them to mess with me!

I had a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day, had a green beer and even saw the parade. Speaking of Patrick, I’m currently staying at Patrick’s place (a friend) which is really close to Times Square but away enough from it not to be surrounded by the noise. I’m loving the city and my temporary home!

The green apple represents my return to New York City. (I was also amused by the Harry Potter scar it had). The experience would have been more pleasant had I not been sick the whole time so far, but I do believe the coughing fits are coming to an end. Nonetheless, I have filled my time quickly and easily by catching up with friends and visiting new and familiar places. Ground Zero was one of the first few places I revisited. Nearby, I discovered Century 21, which apparently is New York’s No. 1 discount store.

I also took the chance to try the lottery for tickets to see the musical, Young Frankenstein. Surprisingly, I won! I was happy to see Roger Bart and Megan Mullally live. Some new experiences include going up to the Top of the Rock and dining atop the Mandarin Oriental (thank you Sharon and Linda!). Of course, I went to my favourite haunts like the World of Disney, The Strand and Chinatown. I love the fact that I pratically live at Times Square where almost everything is within walking distance! Even auditions!

And it was nice to stroll through Central Park twice! I made a point to stop by good ol’ Wollman Rink (where Singapore Day took place) and was amazed at how different it looked. It was a fully operational ice-skating rink. The most recent places I went to were new ones for me. The Sony Wonder Technology Lab and The Paley Center for Media. The lab was unfortunately under renovation so only a part of it was open. And I think it was meant for kids, but I didn’t mind it somehow. I also caught the show Altar Boyz which was fun! I should have more holiday stories to tell about the next two weeks, so until then, you might like to think about planning your own vacation! =)

First thing I saw when I got to Seattle this past February was the Space Needle. It was a great sunny day for a city that’s rumored to be always rainy. It reminded me of Melbourne; quirky, artsy and quaint. There was even a child care centre modelled after a space supply store and a building built to look like how Jimi Hendrix’s music would look like in physical form! I was glad I had my ex-classmate Elizabeth to take me around.

Of course, I had to visit the city’s Disney Store and take a picture. We also had delicious soup and sandwich by the lake area. The day before, I was visiting the nearby town of Puyallup (where Elizabeth is from). The choir I was travelling with performed at a church there which provided lovely homestays for all of us. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of homestays and how generous people can be.

All in all, Seattle is a wonderful place and if you have as little time as I did, I say explore more and sleep less!