MANILA, Philippines?Going to Disneyland, especially for the first time, gives people a certain special effect. For me, being in such a fantastic place made me feel like a kid again. How could it have been otherwise when I kept on bumping with Mickey, Donald and the rest of the gang every so often?

I went to Hong Kong Disneyland recently for the very first time. Divided into four sections?Main Street USA, Tomorrowland, Adventureland and Fantasyland?Hong Kong Disneyland offered visitors like me so many things to do in so little time. Just like a kid, I just did whatever whenever.

Despite being extremely afraid of rides and the dizziness they instantly would give me, I found myself agreeing to try a couple of them with my companions.

First up was Space Mountain, a roller-coaster ride inside a dark tunnel featuring a spectacular show of lights and sounds. I hate roller-coaster rides with a passion, but since I was in no regular theme park and I was with someone who shared my fear of rides, we all lined up for it.

Unfortunately for me, I somehow ended up riding it with pubescent Indian girls who mocked me every five seconds. I couldn?t blame them since I embarrassingly had my eyes closed and was shrieking like a banshee during the entire ride. When I got off the ride, I couldn?t walk straight. I was so shaken that once we all got out, I didn?t mind the Indian girls who were still laughing and pointing at me so that their mothers came to know who the biggest sissy was in that ride.

But after some caramel popcorn, soy milk and an ice cream bar, I felt so much better that I was ready for another ride. And so we went inside the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters attraction where one gets to shoot all sorts of space creatures.

I had a great time blasting aliens into bits (my secret was thinking they were the cruel Indian girls who bullied me earlier).

I could have actually gotten a higher score if I focused on shooting aliens with the gun instead of taking shots of myself using the digital camera.

Tired of rides after trying only two of them, I opted for less wild attractions next.

First, there was Stitch Encounter, where the lovable alien shown on a huge screen interacts with the audience. It not only asks for your name, it also begs you to sing, posts your picture for the rest of the audience to see, and even lets you help it escape from bad aliens.

After Stitch Encounter, which will leave you in stitches, I went to see The Golden Mickeys, a live musical presentation featuring several Disney characters and famous songs from different Disney movies such as ?Mulan,? ?Beauty and the Beast,? ?The Little Mermaid? and ?Toy Story.?

Amazing Pinoy talents

One amazing thing about the presentation is the abundance of Filipino talents performing on stage. In fact, talented Filipino performers aren?t just found in The Golden Mickeys but in the rest of the theme park?s other live performances as well.

For example, in the traveling live show called High School Musical: LIVE!, one of the lead performers is 21-year-old Filipina Kakki Teodoro, who plays Taylor McKenzie. According to the theater enthusiast, she didn?t think twice auditioning for the live show when it came to Manila because she already did ?High School Musical? shows in the past. She got the part, underwent additional vocal training and dance lessons, and now she performs in the High School Musical: LIVE! Show in Disneyland three times a day.

Featuring favorite tunes from both ?High School Musical? 1 and 2, the 30-minute musical extravaganza features a traveling stage that goes around the park so guests can interact with the performers in the singing, dancing and even shooting hoops.

Interaction is a highlight in Disneyland and another new attraction that directly goes to the guests is the Mobile Muppet Lab. It features the duo of Dr. Bunsen Honeydew and his assistant, Beaker. The attraction uses the latest in audio-animatronics technology?the Muppets roam around the park along Main Street USA in their two-wheel, egg-shape roving laboratory. They are armed with water sprayers, smoke and confetti cannons. Guests are sure to have a blast participating in the duo?s experiments.

The more memorable moments of my Disneyland experience would have to be those when I was just a quiet witness to the fantastic spectacles before me.

For example, I enjoyed sitting on the sidewalk along with everyone and watching the enormous floats carrying memorable characters from my childhood.

Then there were the ?Disney in the Stars? fireworks display that made my jaw drop and transported me to yesteryears. It was magical how I used to just see that scene in front of the TV. I couldn?t believe that I was actually there in front of the castle, admiring the actual pyrotechnics, breathing the same air that Mickey Mouse was breathing. That moment was pure magic for me.

E-mail the author at ninomarksablan@yahoo.com