Big Move Ahead for Wonders!

Apologies for the unforeseen absence, but I have spectacular news with respect to the fate of the Wonders of Life pavilion... there is no official word on what's happening, but someone sent me news on the big move, in which I have happily pictorialised below:



Which begs me the question, which countries are interested in having the Wonders of Life pavilion as their new home? I wonder if cities such as Melbourne and Hannover are interested. And even wackier, how in the hypothalamus are we going to acquire fifty military helicopters to do the heavy lifting? The drop will probably be painful, too.

Feel free to discuss matters on this blog. You can also spark a discussion over on Twitter with the tag #WoLCopter. And be sure to check the new mirror of the informational site, WOL4EVA on uHostAll if you would like more information!

Keep an eye on the blog for further updates as it appears.


UPDATE: Wait, it seems that I have received another message pertaining to the massive relocation program, and it turns out that I misread it dramatically. It turns out that the news was meant to say the following: Due to its weight and absolute support on Epcot property, it is not possible to relocate the Wonders of Life pavilion primarily by helicopter alone. As the news was meant to be announced on April Fools day to boost morale, misreading the news just makes it a lot more humiliating.

But all in all, there is still hope in having the pavilion live on, worldwide, without having to lug it around the continent on helicopter (in which it would find it very heavy!) on a non-stop basis. Blogs and websites dedicated to keeping the pavilion's memories alive, even on social media, help to share the memory and discuss possibilities.

Possibilities, in which I will happily revive and keep running the blog, for the purpose of not only keeping the pavilion alive, but also share a little fun every once in a while.

I hope you had a safe and joyful April Fool's season!

Soap Box: Epidemic in the Freezer

Greetings again, from the blog currently in the freezer due to unforeseen priorities, but a lot has happened while Wonders of Life Eterna last posted during the holiday season. Some of us have heard of the day when the measles epidemic was first reported in Disneyland (Anaheim, California), and due to a surplus population of the unvaccinated, an epidemic is projected to be dramatically high.

And the debate is ever so high. Debates along the lines of vaccines being the root of debilitating diseases through to conditions (the autism-vaccine link has yet been destroyed thanks to safer vaccine developments), through to parents being overprotective of their children for the above reasons, and through to religious reasons. And with all this hitting the fan, as well as the world well fighting the war on Ebola (which has since ravaged, but remains contained in West Africa), this leaves Wonders of Life Eterna wondering...

How on planet Earth will Wonders of Life ever spread the message of vaccination? In this case, it would be a good idea to backtrack to the glory days of how Disney educated the masses on how to keep clear of infectious diseases, in the quest for better health. In this case, I might embed a few videos as cases in point.


Earlier (if my memory serves correctly), I have made mention of the early film "How to Catch a Cold", which focused on two characters - the Common Man, who is infected with the common cold, and Common Sense, the human conscience equivalent of none other than Jiminy Cricket, who educates Common Man on many aspects on the common cold - how a worn out body means someone is susceptible to catching a cold, through to how a cold can infect a neighbourhood in minutes, and how the body can fight off the cold, provided it is able to rest. Up in the 80s, the film was remade, this time with Goofy being the primary conscience for the young boy seen battling the common cold. Although campy by today's standards, I believe that the message remains the same... we are no match to common colds... or worse.

With regards to what would Wonders of Life would do on the subject of immunity, as well as the ongoing fight against disease, the more fitting question would be... what would B229 do? Body Wars could have expanded from being just a thrill ride to a whole-scale institutional exhibition on body systems and biomedical technologies (even though we have Frontiers in Medicine) to help open up the message to everyone. Also the premise of watching the immune system at work could be a great backstory for Body Wars as well; if the white blood cells dissolving a splinter on the ride were a sight to see, wait till we start watching them eat, attack and eventually build up resistance against attenuated (weak and useless to cause harm) viruses and pathogens from an effective vaccine treatment. Now that would be a thrill ride worth boarding (and being sick all over again). Even Captain Buzzy would be welcome to introduce us to the immunity crew as part of an open day exhibit, what do you think?

If you have any more ideas that would give Wonders of Life the immune boost it needs, you are welcome to leave a comment below. But since the vaccination debate is already heated up as it is, please be nice.

Merry Christmas - Advent Badges

A very happy Christmas season to everyone involved, but not with a few hiccups. Since the informational website has currently gone down, I am very happy to announce that I still have some of the badges saved direct to hard drive (backups work!) So, for anyone who has missed them, here are some of the advent badges used in the advent calendar. Not any of them have the captions attached, but feel free to have a look at your festive leisure!

	Up Comes the Tree The obligatory first day in the advent calendar would be to bring down the tree from storage. Or cutting a fresh one, wood, sap and all. You are faced with the brainstaking task of untangling the lights and counting all the baubles and ornaments that are still in shape from last season. Maybe you're staying traditional and consistent, with the same decorations year by year. Or maybe you're changing tree fashions year after year. But hey, it's your tree. Just don't forget to check that all the lights are working, and that they're plugged to the power supply. If Wonders of Life were still around...  The Tower of Life would have been decked with fairy lights. Obliviously a star would have to sit on the top of one of the top of the four strands.
	Counting Down The Days Counting down the days until the big day is one of the usual traditions during the holidays, and love them or loathe them, the advent calendar is commonplace at this time of year. They come in different shapes and makes, from the decorative ones with miniature cupboards counting down the dates, through to the interactive ones passed around on the social media. And for those wanting the sugary taste of endorphins, there are prepackaged ones with a chocolate a day. If Wonders of Life were still around...  There would have been a small calendar structure counting down the days until the holidays.
	Messages of Good Cheer Communication is key during the holidays. The holidays are great times for people to show up on family doorsteps for the festivities, whether next door or halfway around the world. Others who meet through the superinfo highway are happy enough to send an email message, or at least a social networking wall post. But amongst all these, nobody can go past a handwritten message of hope and well wishes in a holiday card. If Wonders of Life were still around...  Cards would have been offered along with gift shop purchases, and also as a token of thanks on every ride.
	Lighting Up Joy Fairy lights are just one of many glimmering wonders the holiday season has to offer. Every neighborhood home uses this to their advantage to showcase their illuminating image (a little too bright) to their street, while streets and shop windows attract customers and bystanders on their magical displays. As far as some of us can recall, even Disney World takes advantage of such wonderful lighting magic indeed (which I wonder, if anyone still remembers the Osborne Lights Spectacular.) If Wonders of Life were still around... Either the Tower of Life monument, or the dome would have a fairy light decoration around it. It could be purely from aesthetic holiday patterns, through to messages of goodwill.
	Snowflakes - Sight for Sore Eyes Love or hate the cold weather, snowflakes are an astonishing sight to watch. Their minuscule size and unique pattern for each one makes snowflakes the most beautiful icon for the holidays. Of course, even in places where snowfall isn't commonplace, icons of the snowflake garnish places everywhere. If Wonders of Life were still around...  The snowflake icons would be hung on the main pavilion mobile, able to glimmer and glow in a shining light direction.

So far, my hairbrained composure was too frazzled to backup the rest of the quotes for the rest of the advent, but I will hopefully be able to keep an open eye on the rest of the quotes, however they may arrive. Here's to  happy holiday season, and a healthy one too, love WOL4EVA!

Soapbox - Brainy Connections

Welcome back readers, and yet some sincere apologies as I have literally been brain drained due to external influences, that have gotten in the way of maintaining the blog.

( - "Melbourne?")

DRAT!

It's not being easy when reporting from a city as interesting and ever changing every year. But as this is a Wonders of Life centric blog, I'll try to refocus my mind back onto the things that literally matter, so let's consider this as a "welcome back", and just in time for the holiday season. So for anyone demanding an apology for the delay, then in this case, I'm sorry, and will hopefully try to regain some energy into the project. Actually, in the event that I too run into another blank, ring me up again in the comments or on social media.

On a better note, let's keep on dusting the blankets of dust that has covered the blog since the mid year, to reduce any chance of sneezing. And for this reason, there is some mind boggling news of interest for this blog, but it'll take forever for me to compact it into a nutshell, so hence this is how I'm going to summarise it...

Soap Box - There's a Storm Coming

To the readers worrying about me and other WoL related ideas currently gathering dust, do not worry, and do not fret. Okay, some of you may be fretting for different reasons, but I'll explain two sides of the story, and chances are you are really familiar with them. One is happening globally and at home, and the other a significant blow to Epcot, depending on how you interact with it.

So let's start with the lesser significant blow to Epcot. Many visitors from mid-1988 recall the World Showcase thrill ride Maelstrom - a tale of Norwegian trolls and spooks, along a whirlwind tour of what makes Norway, well, Norway, with mystical awe. For some reason, Wonders of Life would be home to Body Wars, the second thrill ride in Epcot (but the first ever in Future World), but in comparison, Maelstrom outlasted Body Wars, 25 odd years to 17 respectively. After the confirmation of the Kingdom of Ariendelle given full reign to represent and take care of the Norway pavilion, the ride now said farewell and attracted scores of people, to be the last to pass through this adventure. Never mind the scores of people looking forward to new developments from the beloved ice-princess sisterly duo, bigger circles had the opportunity to deliver an emotional farewell to an Epcot classic, where Wonders of Life sadly never did.

And now, to sadder, distraught and frightened news on a disease outbreak. Yes, outbreak, one topic which could have been brought further to attention by Wonders of Life. Since around August and September, the infamous Ebola outbreak has held Central and West Africa in crisis, with hundreds facing infection, and tragically dying so soon. Even now, there is word that after volunteering to care for the infected and assisting in healthcare matters, little by little, some volunteers managed to get infected too. I know some of you readers are frightened by the news of another outbreak setting foot in your country, but specialised disease control procedures will hopefully be effective enough to isolate the disease.

Which brings me to some thoughts... had the Miniaturised Exploration Technologies lab been around to see the outbreak, chances are Dr. Cynthia Lair would have broadcast a speech mourning the tragic losses and championing those who are risking their lives in fighting the disease. In the worst cases, Body Wars would have closed out of respect (but sadly meaning that even MET is not even immune to such infectious diseases either), and probably in memoriam to those suffering and far gone.

Our soul.

But there is another bright light, especially with word of a vaccine and prevention plan to curb the spread of Ebola, and if feasible, even eradicate it. Had Frontiers remained open along with the pavilion, that would mean a greater insight in isolating, weakening and eradicating infectious diseases before they strongly wreak havoc around this planet.

It is a somber realisation in the coming wake of the Wonders of Life memorial anniversary of 25 years, but that doesn't mean the blog has reached its end. Not with loose ends and unfinished chapters and so little bubbles of discussion willing to expand and spread the word. No, Wonders of Life Eterna is not nearing its end in the wake of the storm, but will forever salute those who are weathering it, and urging others to stay safe, and study, gather, learn a lot. A lot.

And don't forget, Halloween is not very far away, but only time will tell how WOL4EVA could try to mark the occasion.

At ease, readers. If you have any words or thoughts, please discuss and I'll catch up shortly.