366 Days Project: Day 112 - Pink Bear Straight to the Heart

Today I ventured into Toys R Us for the first time in probably 5 years to buy a teddy bear to give to my prom date. I felt like a weirdo taking this pink bear up to the cash register, but I think the lady understood my situation. Teddy bear checked, just need to get some flowers :-)

366 Days Project: Day 111 - Dragon Energy Drink

My latest project in my Media Arts class is to design an energy drink can. Being the Dragon Ball Z nerd I am, I tried to use the word dragon, although in the end it had absolutely nothing to do with Dragon Ball Z. This isn't the complete version, but it's pretty close to it. I think it's pretty good :-)

366 Days Project: Day 110 - Step One of a Cunning Plan

Details soon (hopefully), but a cunning plan is brewing...

366 Days Project: Day 109 - Biff Has the Phone Box

A couple days ago I received a new shirt in the mail from the wonderful website TeeFury, my fourth shirt from them. In the past they have done a lot of wonderful Doctor Who shirts, and this one is no different, beautifully crossing over Doctor Who and Back to the Future!

366 Days Project: Day 108 - Steak from Shanghai

While scrolling through Facebook, I came across a coupon for a free entree of the new Shanghai Angus Steak at Panda Express. Being the cheap family we are, we naturally took this offer up and had dinner there. Add a little bit of chow mein on the side, and voila! A wonderful meal. The steak was actually really nice. I'll definitely have it again!

366 Days Project: Day 107 - Cookie Sundae

Chick-fil-A added a few new deserts to the menu today. Most excitingly, we're now selling cookies! And they're pretty yummy too! Along with the cookies, we're now offering three kinds of sundaes: Cookie sundae, brownie sundae, and a mini-sundae. Sadly, I'm not much of a fan of sundaes, so I won't be trying those.

366 Days Project: Day 106 - Farewell to Test Track and ElecTRONica

Today marks the last day for two Disney park experiences, one on each coast...

Over at Walt Disney World, the original version of the fantastic Epcot attraction Test Track is closing to be refurbished into the new Chevrolet Design Center. It'll be the same type of ride, possibly even still called Test Track, but it will be an update for the 21st century. While the original version of the ride didn't open until late 1998, it was actually supposed to open a year and a half earlier. Design work had begun in the early 90s and World of Motion, the previous attraction in the General Motors pavilion, closed in January 1996. So while there was absolutely nothing wrong with the original version, it'll be nice to see how they can improve the attraction in 2012.

And back on my home coast, ElecTRONica at Disney California Adventure is finally ending its year and a half long run tonight. The popularity of the TRON themed dance party blew away Disney's expectations, and the run was extended again and again. Now while it's still very cool, I think it definitely has run its course. Disney does have a replacement lined up though: The Mad T Party. And from the looks of it, I think we'd be better off with more ElecTRONica...

366 Days Project: Day 105 - Racing on a T-Shirt

While at Disneyland on Tuesday, I came across the new set of Disney California Adventure attraction poster T-shirts for Radiator Springs Racers, Luigi's Flying Tires, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, and the Red Car Trolley. I just had to buy one, so I went with Radiator Springs Racers, as it's the main new attraction for the year.

366 Days Project: Day 104 - Countdown to Fun

Disney announced today that the fantastic Pixar Play Parade will finally be returning to Disney California Adventure on June 15th! It's been on hiatus at the park since January 4th, 2011 due to construction on Buena Vista Street and in Paradise Pier. So come June, the Pixar Pals from Monsters Inc., The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, A Bug's Life, Toy Story, and Cars will be back to "Countdown to Fun" in one of my favorite Disney parades ever!

366 Days Project: Day 103 - I Just Can't Get Enough

Today I had an eye doctor appointment at a Lenscrafters in my local mall. Afterwards, me and my family were hungry for some food. Inside this mall is a Chick-fil-A (it's actually right across the street from my location). While it was extremely tempting to eat there, I managed to fight the urge and get some Panda Express. But that didn't stop me from getting a drink (because Panda sells Pepsi and that's just gross) and an Ice Dream Cup from Chick-fil-A!

366 Days Project: Day 102 - A Supercut

Today I got my haircut professionally (which I only do on rare circumstances). Snazzy ay?

366 Days Project: Day 101 - My Triumphant Return to Disneyland!

Since I started working back in January, I've actually only been to Disneyland once... Until today! Finally after a few unfortunate delays, I at last made it back to the Happiest Place on Earth. As my mom has broken her arm, we got a wheelchair for her and I pushed her around for most of the day. It was an odd experience for my whole family, but in a way it was actually quite fun!

We rode some rides, we ate some food, strolled around and enjoyed ourselves. All in all, another day in paradise!

366 Days Project: Day 100 - Miracle Day

Being a huge fan of Doctor Who, I am naturally also a fan of Torchwood. My brother and I started watching the latest installment; Miracle Day, around Christmas. Recently however, we have gotten so sidetracked by our Dragon Ball Z binge and we haven't seen an episode in probably a month. We remedied that today and watched episode 8. Sadly, only two more to go... :-(

366 Days Project: Day 99 - It's Time to Play The Music

I purchased The Muppets on Blu-ray the day it came out last month. Sadly, I hadn't gotten around to watching it, until today. Let me just say that this isn't a movie that diminishes in satisfaction over repeat viewings. The comedy, the music, the heartwarming moments all hit me the same as the first time. And that's the key to a good movie.

366 Days Project: Day 98 - Amy Pond for April

We're now a week into April, and my Doctor Who calendar has been flipped over. Amy Pond, dressed sort of like a pirate from the episode "The Curse of the Black Spot" adorns this month. Once Series 7 of Doctor Who starts this fall, we'll only have 5 episodes left with Amy and her husband Rory. It's a real shame, as they're close to my two favorite companions ever! Hopefully the new girl is good...

366 Days Project: Day 97 - 23 for the 4th Time

Three years ago, Disney finally answered the question "Are you 23?" Turns out it stood for D23, the new official Disney fan club. I signed up for D23 on the first day you could, making me a charter member. My first year with the club was great, I went to a few events, including the amazing D23 Expo, and got the great Disney twenty-three publication. The second year didn't end up so good however. The events suddenly got very expensive, there was no D23 Expo, and I lost the time and interest in the magazine. So for my second renewal last year, I switched from the Gold level to the Silver level (only difference is no magazine for Silver). While I didn't go to many individual events last year, the perks of being a charter member at the D23 Expo are great enough for me to want to keep being one.

And so coming to the point of this post, today I received my 3rd D23 renewal packet. Included was my new member card and a 23-month calendar called "From Concept to Classic", featuring concept art from all the Disney animated films in celebration of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' 75th anniversary.

366 Days Project: Day 96 - Sculpture Party

Today was my Sculpture teacher's last day before she goes on maternity leave. To celebrate, we had a party. I brought in sodas for my table. We were going to get pizza, but unknown to us beforehand was the local pizza place didn't open until 11:00, and our party started at 10:00. But we got donuts instead. I was disappointed, but all was made happy when my parents got us pizza at home tonight :-)

366 Days Project: Day 95 - Super Saiyan Colored

Last Friday I posted the drawing of Super Saiyan 3 Goku from Dragon Ball Z that I traced for my Media Arts class. Well today I scanned the image into my class computer and edited the lines and added color. I think it looks really cool! I feel like I've actually made an awesome drawing, even though I traced it...

366 Days Project: Day 94 - Cramped in the Playroom

Today at work, I was told to clean the playroom by my lead. A seemingly normal task made confusing by my friend saying I need to clean the whole thing, even the actual play area. This other guy was sent to clean it at as well. So we had the two tallest dudes in the restaurant cleaning the cramped play area. Maybe not the best idea, but it made for a funny picture!

366 Days Project: Day 93 - Dancing with the Dinosaur

A while ago, I posted about my clay whistle project in my Sculpture class. It has since been fired in the kiln, painted, and pretty much completed. The final product can be seen bellow. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. Too bad the whistle doesn't work anymore...

366 Days Project: Day 92 - The Habit

Recently, a new In-N-Out Burger opened up near me. Now there was already another nearby, but we decided to give the new one a shot today. When we got there, the line was out the door, so we gave up on it. In-N-Out is good, but not that good. So we ended up at this nearby burger chain called The Habit instead, and boy was that a good decision. The burgers are just as good as In-N-Out's, plus there's more variety, and the fries are way better!

366 Days Project: Day 91 - The Great Saiyaman!

The Dragon Ball Z adventures continue! Peace has finally returned to Earth, as the evil Cell has been defeated. Gohan is now a teenager, and he's embarked on the biggest adventure of his life: high school. But even in times of peace, a hero is still needed here and there. And so Gohan takes disguise as the Great Saiyaman!

366 Days Project: Day 90 - Super Saiyan Traced

In my Media Arts class, we're doing a project called live trace. We print out an image and trace it out, and then later we're going to scan the trace into the computer and colorize it. For my image, I decided I'd be a nerd and trace Super Saiyan 3 Goku. It took a lot of tracing, but I'm quite proud of the finished result!

366 Days Project: Day 89 - Get Me Some Starbucks!

One of my most interesting school experiences ever occurred today. I was walking with my friend, on my way to my 6th period, and I happened to see my teacher (who I am an assitant to that period... easy class!) She's a little sick and really wanted a coffee from Starbucks (which is across the street from my school). I said I'd be perfectly willing to go get one for her. Now, this being a school and all, students are technically not allowed to leave during class time to go anywhere like that. But against all that, she sent me, and gave me money to get my own coffee as well! While it was an incredibly nice and fun gesture, I did finally make my mind up that Starbucks is pretty freaking gross...

366 Days Project: Day 88 - Waiting for the Red Car Trolley!

Disney posted an awesome photo today of the upcoming Red Car Trolley making its way past the Tower of Terror in Disney California Adventure. I really can't wait to ride this thing! It opens June 15th, along with the rest of Buena Vista Street, Cars Land, and the Mad T Party.

Check out a few more photos of the Red Car Trolley on the Disney Parks Blog.

366 Days Project: Day 87 - Banana Pudding Milkshake

Yesterday, we introduced a new seasonal milkshake at Chick-fil-A: Banana Pudding. Obviously, it has a banana taste, along with some vanilla wafers. I don't normally like banana tasting things, but this milkshake is absolutely delicious. Second only to Cookies 'n Creme in my opinion. Definitely get one if you have a Chick-fil-A near you. They're available through June.

366 Days Project: Day 86 - Eat Fresh

My favorite part of school-day Mondays is grabbing lunch with one of my best friends during our free 5th period. We have a McDonalds, Panda Express, and Subway near school, so we usually go to one of those three. This week we picked Subway. While it's very tasty, it's also very expensive! $8.00 for a 6" sub, three cookies, and a drink!

This might just be the thing I'll miss most about school. It's the little things...

366 Days Project: Day 85 - My First Time Driving!

The events of today were 17 and a half years in the making. For today was the day I finally got to drive a car for the first time! My dad took me to the large, mostly empty parking lot of Northrop Grumman, taught me the basics, and let me have a go at moving the car forward, breaking, and making turns. I spent a good half an hour maneuvering around the parking lot. My dad only had to grab ahold of the steering wheel once, and it wasn't for anything huge.

I feel like I did a good job, and I really wasn't nervous at all. My dad thought I handled it very well and got the hang of things quickly. Add the fact that it was raining, and it calls for a Luke with a very big ego. Can't wait to get back behind the wheel again!

366 Days Project: Day 84 - Zack and Miri Make a Porno After an 8 Hour Shift

Today I worked an 8 hour shift that I wasn't actually scheduled for. A co-worker had asked me to cover his 2pm-close shift (so like 12am), and I had said I only would do some of it. But the guy went and told our manager that I could do the whole thing! Luckily my manager was nice enough to not make me do the closing part.

The whole shift they had me taking orders on the drive-through headset. I really hope that never happens again. There's enough different things to do that I should never have to do the same thing for that long. But that's not even the annoying part. Part of the job of the headset crew is to clean trays for the dining room. So the two of us on headset were both cleaning trays non-stop for 8 hours! At least I was with a good friend the whole time...

So by the time I got home, I was really exhausted. But I did enjoy quite a funny movie when I got home: Zack and Miri Make a Porno. Check it out if you haven't already, it's pretty good!

366 Days Project: Day 83 - Crikey!

Well here's something I never expected to get in the mail: 20 New Zealand dollars. My nan was planning to send my mom some US dollars, but it seems she got it messed up with a friend/relative we apparently have in New Zealand. That's news to me...

366 Days Project: Day 82 - Dragon Boxes

Yesterday I completed my creative box project in my Sculpture class. Everything has been painted, and I added the circles that I intend to be Dragon Balls. I'm going to add the stars of the balls once I take the project home. Not my best work, but at least I finished it on time ;)

366 Days Project: Day 81 - The Doctor's New Companion

Today was a big day in the world of Doctor Who, for they announced the identity of the Doctor's new companion. She'll be played by Jenna-Louise Coleman, a relatively unknown actress at the moment, although that certainly won't last. She has however appeared in one blockbuster film, Captain America: The First Avenger. Must have been a small role, as I don't remember seeing her. No further details have been released about the character, but I sure am excited to see what she's like when she first appears in the show this Christmas!

366 Days Project: Day 80 - Life's a Happy Song

The Muppets was released on DVD and Blu-ray today! My dad was awesome enough to pick it up for me at Target. I got the three disc combo pack for only $2 more than the two disc version. The three disc version includes a Blu-ray, a DVD, a digital copy, the soundtrack, and if you buy it at Target, there's a bonus disc with six episodes of The Muppet Show! How awesome!

366 Days Project: Day 79 - I'll Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

Continuing in a theme of really nice co-workers, my good friend (and co-worker) heard about my mom's broken arm and decided to get her some flowers and a teddy bear (not pictured) as well! I love California; the people can be so nice!

366 Days Project: Day 78 - I'm Not All Here Myself

I spent about an hour and a half in the hospital today visiting my mom who broke her arm yesterday. I told a co-worker of mine the story at work yesterday, and the guy actually gave me $21 to get her a teddy. He practically forced it into my hand! It's amazing how nice some people are. So we took that money, added an extra $20 to it and got my mom a huge Cheshire Cat!

366 Days Project: Day 77 - A Dark, Gloomy Day

It's a dark, gloomy day for two different reasons today. Firstly, it is psychically dark and gloomy. I woke up to extremely strong rain and wind. Fortunately it has died off now, but it's supposed to keep raining all weekend long. Where'd you go SoCal?

And secondly, my mom fell over today and broke her arm. I was at home when it happened, and I haven't seen her yet. Luckily she's ok, but I doubt it's been a very pleasant experience for her...

366 Days Project: Day 76 - Hello Sweetie

For the month of March, my Doctor Who calendar features the illustrious River Song. In the last season of the show, we finally got some answers as to who she really is. We now know she is really Melody Pond, the daughter of Amy and Rory. But there's still more secrets to be revealed in series 7...

366 Days Project: Day 75 - The Most Successful Thursday Ever

Today might just have been the most successful Thursday ever (at least for a school day). Firstly we had shortened classes thanks to a dumb school rally. But my co-worker friend and I didn't go to the rally because she had to get to work and I really needed to get some lunch. So we enjoyed a nice meal together. Then I had an enjoyable shift at work, bagging food and doing drive-through headset. I then came home to watch the long awaited return of my favorite sitcom, Community. Following that I edited the enhanced show for this week's Disneyland Gazette Podcast. And as soon as I'm done with this post, it's time to watch my daily dose of Dragon Ball Z!

Life is good :-)

366 Days Project: Day 74 - Storybook Circus

A few days ago, half of a new mini-land opened at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. That land is Storybook Circus. Located in the former home of Mickey's Toontown Fair, Storybook Circus buillds upon what was there and pluses it enormously! The Barnstormer is now beautifully detailed with awesome props in the queue. Half of Dumbo is open right next door in its new location, and the new spinner design with the waterfall lighting effects is just stunning. And the Walt Disney World Railroad Station is SO MUCH better now. It's an actual building, with beautiful detailing and nods to Walt Disney's love of trains.

Storybook Circus is officially awesome in my book, and only half of it is open! Add to that the rest of the Fantasyland expansion, I think we're in for an exciting couple of years at the Magic Kingdom...

366 Days Project: Day 73 - Construction Headaches

I've been going to Redondo Union High School for almost 4 years now, and all 4 years they've been doing some construction project or another. Today they sectioned off a huge grass area to build a new cafeteria, creating a narrow walkway next to it. Not only that, but they're doing construction during the day, making for some pleasant sounds in my 3rd period...

366 Days Project: Day 72 - The Untouchables

Part of editing The Disneyland Gazette Podcast every week requires making images for the enhanced show. On this week's episode, which should be out in a couple of days, we have a special one time segment called The Untouchables, talking about which Disneyland attractions we think will never be removed. The image is simple, yet effective. And that's always what I try to go for.

366 Days Project: Day 71 - Think Outside the Bun

A couple of weeks ago, a co-worker of mine took me to Taco Bell for the first time ever. It had always seemed like a place that would be far too adventurous for my tastes, and while that is for the most part true, there are a few, nice, plain options there for me. Today I went there with my family and got my plain options again: two plain soft tacos and some cinnamon twists. Boring, but yummy :-)

366 Days Project: Day 70 - Crisis Averted

As I posted on Thursday, my brother and I went to get the next Dragon Ball Z box set at a local DVD store, but they didn't have the one we were looking for, so I ordered it online. My confirmation email said we wouldn't receive the DVD until March 30th, so it was a big shock when it arrived in the mail the next day! Looks like we wont have to go on a Dragon Ball Z hiatus. Crisis averted!

366 Days Project: Day 69 - A Big Square of Nothing

Today I went to school, rode the bus and had a lovely chat with that same friend as last Friday, went to work, and slept. But I literally can't think of anything to post today, so here's a big square of nothing...

366 Days Project: Day 68 - Bardock and Trunks

My mom took my brother and I to a DVD store near us after school so we could pick up the next Dragon Ball Z box set for our collection. Unfortunately, they didn't have a cheap used copy of the box set we were looking for. So instead I bought a Dragon Ball Z movie double feature, featuring The History of Trunks and Bardock: The Father of Goku. Not bad for $3.99!

366 Days Project: Day 67 - The Countdown to Cars Land Begins

Disney announced today that Cars Land and Buena Vista Street will be opening on June 15th at Disney California Adventure! Along with the announcement of the date, they also showed off some videos and pictures of the three rides in Cars Land and the Red Car Trolley testing. The photo bellow particularly interested me because it is the first photo from inside the loading area of Radiator Springs Racers that I have seen.

Unfortunately, June 15th just happens to be the day I graduate from high school, so I won't be able to make it opening day. The following week I will be there though... I'll make sure of it!

366 Days Project: Day 66 - I Passed!

The day had finally arrived: the day I would take my drivers permit test. It was an extremely nerve wrecking experience. I had to wait in a few lines, take a vision test, and get my photo taken before I could even start to take the test. It was 46 questions long, and you could get no more than 8 wrong. I got 6 wrong, so that means I passed! I feel incredibly proud of myself for passing the first time, and I can't wait to get behind the wheel of a car for the first time!

366 Days Project: Day 65 - One Day 'Til Judgement Day

Tomorrow is the day I finally take my drivers permit test. Truth be told, I am extremely nervous about it. So today I have been preparing by reading the drivers handbook and taking tests on a Drivers Ed iPhone app. I just took two 45 question tests and scored with-in the passing range. Hopefully the same will be true when I take the real test tomorrow!