Zombies Meet Shrek at the Universal Studios Singapore

---

We took an early morning flight from Manila to Singapore, and by early I mean a 6 am flight. That meant we are up and ready to go by 3 am. All 6 of us. Plus the 2 kids. And so that makes 8. Good thing we breezed through Singapore immigration, arriving at our hotel just before lunch. After checking in and freshening up a bit, the Zombies were ready. Soon after, we found ourselves at the gates of Universal Studios Singapore.


We did the "mandatory" visit of the famous theme park for the kids, or so we thought. Nothing beats being there WITH THE KIDS. Who cares if some of us got only 4 hours of sleep? Or none at all? I was smarter than most ..... got the kids sleeping by 8pm and joined them shortly after popping a pill. (Cheat ) The kids were good . They slept well, undisturbed, and woke up well for the early morning flight. They also slept almost all throughout the 3 1/2 hour flight from Manila to Singapore. I was seated right smack in the middle of the 2 sleeping "cretins" (forgive the french, they don't mind being teased as such), so I should know. Leg cramps for me, if you are asking.

Universal Studios Singapore

The Park lacks many of its American counterpart's features but the size is manageable for a 7 hour visit. Yes, 7 hours. From 12 noon to 7pm when the Park closed. First order of the day was a quick lunch of burgers, salads and fries. Then off to Waterworld. Some of us sat in the Splash Zone, hoping to get wet. Some water splashing would have given more excitement, but it was not to be. There was a long line for the Canopy Flier , so my niece Mayette and I missed that one ride. And no one in my family was keen to do the Jurassic Park ride. Instead,we headed straight for the Far, Far Away Land and visit the Castle to watch Shrek and the Donkey in 4D. I remember, the first time the kids watched this was in Los Angeles, USA when they were aged 2 and 5. They are now aged 10 and 13, and the younger one has been to this Park in Singapore only last September. But as I said, nothing beats being together to visit the Park and watch the shows altogether as a family. Even I, zombie-ish at that precise moment, laughed and excitedly screamed along with the others, kids and adults. No matter how many times you have watched this, it would always be a thrill to hear the kids' laughter and screams. I'm telling ya.


We also watched Monsters Rock, a musical showcasing the talents of some of the more famous beast characters like Dracula, Phantom of the Opera, Mummy, She-Wolf and Wolfman. Quite frankly, it didn't rock for me. But the kids liked it. So that's the more important vote. Who care what I think?

Too much Carbs In Their Diet?

From here, we strolled towards Hollywood to watch Steven Spielberg's Technical Effects. The hurricane production set is new to me, but I've got to say it did not excite me that much. Nor it did the others in my company. What I found more exciting was meeting Beetlejuice, Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin, Betty Boop and Fat and Thin (what do you call them again? Oliver and Hardy?) as well as the dancing Rockafellasand singing Daddy-O's. I love this present-day plump-ish Marilyn Monroe and Betty Boop. Even Charlie Chaplin is not as lean-looking. It must be all those laksa noodles , roti or fried rice they are eating.



The "production set" can be seen without riding a tram. Unlike the LA Park, one need only to stroll around to see all of these. The New York cabs, the Town Hall, etc. They even have this huge Christmas tree in front of this fake baobab tree. The animal characters were all around. Hard to tell what their nationalities are. We just know that many of the dancing Rockafellas are from the Philippines. Though Malaysians, Thai, Indonesians and Filipinos look so alike, we can tell these dancers are Filipinos as soon as they spot us and start calling us Tita (auntie) or Ate (older sister). My niece told me one of the singing Daddy-O's is also Filipino.



By the time the Park closed at 7 pm, we felt we had seen just enough. And we were all ready for dinner too. Martin has not forgotten the meals he had in Bakerzin the last time he went to Singapore with his dad and aunt. And Patricia is obviously a pizza and pasta girl. And so it was Bakerzin at Vivo City. We enjoyed our mushroom pasta, pizza margharita and chops and lingered over our dinner. Loved their macarons too. Of course, the kids ruled in this department. If they had their way, we would have gone back to Bakerzin for lunch on the day of our departure too!


It was nearly 10 pm when we reached our hotel. And nearly midnight when we hit the sack. The Zombies survived their first day.

---