First Day At Hogwarts

Coming from a fresh start of the day, Jakjak had been in a jolly good mood since morning. He did not want to go to the Harry Potter : The Exhibition when it first came out because he said he was scared (admittedly, the Deathly Hallows wasn't the best movie to take a 6 yo kid to). However, he seemed to be in a very good mood and immediately said "yes" when we told him that we wanted to go to the Harry Potter exhibit.

Unlike mum and dad though, he only had rudimentary knowledge of the HP universe, that is from the few movies that he has seen. Mum and dad had read all seven books (and then some) and have been fans of the series. The books had always has a special place in our hearts, and we are waiting for Jakjak to grow up old enough for reading the Harry Potter books (right now, he has graduated from Dr. Seuss to Geronimo Stilton books).

While he was being sorted though, he had already fallen into the HP trance. He was talking and telling stories to the host about what he knows in the HP world. Most notably, the dragon from year 4 (The Goblet of Fire) and how he used his broomstick to outwit the Hungarian Horntailed Dragon (which was inside the exhibit as well). 

"Better be, Gryffindor!"

That was how our journey began. Of course, it wouldn't be complete without seeing the Hogwarts Express in all it's glory. The portraits adorning the Gryffindor House were also there and you can't really miss the singing lady. Bits and pieces of every character were scattered across the room. It was arranged in a not-so-chronological order with odd pieces showing up with groups from a different book, but you really wouldn't mind. Hagrid's hut is a place that invites you into the world beyond the castle, and it feels as though you are there, with Hagrid's massive costume looking down on you. Let's not forget about wands and broomsticks. The Nimbus 2000 and 2001 make their appearances. The Elder wand loomed ominously in one corner as well as dragon eggs, imps, elves and dragons (well, dragon heads anyway). You also have giant Acromantula spiders, Centaurs and the Hippogriff Buckbeak that made it's appearance in The Prisoner Of Azkaban.

Props and artifacts were there. Jakjak immediately recognized the Golden Snitch and the Nimbus 2000. The Elf, Dobby was also there hanging around with the costumes used by the actors in the movie. The wardrobe, the feast in the great hall and a Dementor even showed up (which of course sent Jakjak under my arm being "scared" of it). 

The tour ended with the shop. And what a wonderful shop it was. It felt like Diagon Alley. You can buy wands, and scarves, and beanies from all the house colors. There are chocolate frogs complete with collectible Wizard cards and of course, every-flavored beans. There are tons of memorabilia available. Some with sky-high prices (that is to be expected) and some that are reasonable enough. This is the reason why, we ended up with a Nimbus 2000 for Jakjak. 

The Titanic Obsession

Yes, it is in fact true. We went back to the ArtScience Museum to bring Jakjak to the Titanic exhibition. We did this right after watching Wicked, but in his mind, it was the Titanic that he was thinking about. In fact, when he saw the white lotus shaped building, he immediately started shouting "Titanic! Titanic!".

Ever since the first time we went to see it, Jakjak has been obsessed with the ship. We thought that the second time he saw it, he would finally be content and it would die out. I guess not. He sees pieces of the Titanic in everyday things. Even the small things like how a hallway looks and how a seat or a lamp looks like the one on the Titanic. All his toys now have to be broken in half to simulate the separation of the Titanic's bow from it's stern.

We have almost completed a project together which is a paper mache model of the Titanic. Initially, it was going to be a static model, but now it is one where the funnels break off from the ship. Thankfully, what we built seems to be strong enough to take the abuse. All that's left is to put in little details and then it sets sail.

He also has a copy of National Geographic's Titanic centennial edition. He has watched every Titanic related show on History channel and Nat Geo. He even watched, and finished, the James Cameron movie of Titanic (which runs slightly above 2 hours!). Every now and then he mentions the ship, the artifacts he saw, the stories he has heard, the video clips that he has seen. This, I believe, is obsession.

UPDATE: The Titanic paper mache we have been building is completed halfway except for the four funnels, which, apparently always gets "misplaced". We now also have a 3D puzzle version of the Titanic which we recently got from BHG.

*Jakjak himself took this picture complete with backdrop. :)

Remembering The Titanic | 2012

The Singapore ArtScience Museum is holding a Titanic Artifact Exhibit. This will run until the 29th of April 2012. More information here: http://titanic.sg/.

We took Jakjak to the exhibit while we were there at Marina Bay Sands. It was a spontaneous thing as we didn't actually have any plans at all that Saturday. It just so happened that the trip to MBS now has become more convenient for us thanks to the Circle Line. The reason we went to MBS was to give Jakjak a gondola ride at the river floor. A ride we missed the week we were there for the iLight Marina Bay light exhibits. It was just for us to let of some steam and Jakjak certainly enjoyed the short roundabout trip on the gondola. 

As we were roaming around the bay area, taking in the cool breeze, taking photo breaks while Jakjak was running around, we came to the ArtScience Museum. We saw the posters of the Titanic exhibition and the model ship displayed at The Shoppes, but we weren't really paying that much attention. We figured, if it's free, why not go in and explore? Well, it wasn't free. But my wife bought the three of us tickets to go in anyway. Unfortunately, photography is strictly prohibited inside the hall. Not that it would have been very easy to do it in the dark anyway, but it would have been nice to get some souvenirs.

We were given our boarding passes as we entered the RMS Titanic. There were rusty remnants of what was salvaged off the great ship. Some of them as big as furniture for your home (It was the darkness in the hall that was eerie though). You walk through the re-made halls and rooms, areas that were created to mimic the real ship. And those small areas of the exhibit did make you feel like you were on board the RMS Titanic. Even the grand staircase was replicated and you were allowed to have your picture taken there, officially with the exhibit's photographer of course, which we did not go for. As you sift through the artifacts recovered from first class, you are then whisked away into third class where the difference between bunks and rooms are like night and day. And again you get to see artifacts recovered from the ship. You get to see parts of the ship that were torn off, the passenger's belongings that were found in their suitcases and cabins, the cargo that the ship was carrying as it made it's way to New York and other bits and pieces. The eeriest part was the deck of the ship where there is nothing but dark starlit sky outside. It was a great display and it really gave me goosebumps. It was like the exhibit brought with it the spirit of the Titanic, and it was the sadness of the tragedy that you feel through.

At the end, there was an iceberg which explained how most people died from hypothermia rather than drowning. And the passenger list where you can try finding the person that was on the boarding pass that was given to you at the start of the exhibit. In the passenger manifesto, mum's boarding pass holder survived, and those that were with me and Jakjak died. Ironically, the one that survived was in first class. And this is what Jakjak wrote on the journal: "My dad and I died! But my mom survived". 

The aftermath of it all was intense. Ever since that day, Jakjak has been obsessed with information about the Titanic. He has been through dozens of YouTube videos from National Geographic and Discovery Channel and even the film and parodies of the movie Titanic (you know, the one with Leo Dicaprio and Kate Winselt?). He now even talks about the RMS Titanic's sister ship, the Britannic. Day in and day out, one (or more) of his conversations will include facts and questions about the Titanic. He has been asking us to bring him back to the exhibit, and we just might. To get him answers and maybe he would finally let the Titanic rest in peace. And maybe so that he would stop singing Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" (The Titanic movie's them song).