From the time I was little, my parents had beaten into my head not to smoke. But it wasn't just them, all my teachers told me not too, and all my family members did as well. Thankfully, I haven't smoked in my fifteen-years on this planet, and I don't plan on smoking for another hundred years. But, in high school especially, there is a lot of temptation to smoke. However, since I am surrounded by a good group of friends who are totally against that scene, we don't smoke, drink, or do that type of non-Disney stuff.
My group and I hang out a lot, doing movie nights, bonfires, and most of all, photo shoots with a specific theme to them. The day that the first semester of high school ended, this past school year, my group and I did our first photo shoot. The theme was the 50' s. All dressed up in our retro outfits, we walked from my friend's house towards these cool tunnels and grassy area nearby. The walk was strange, people were staring at us like we had just gotten out of a time machine in the wrong era.
Walking to Wendy's first (because eating there is awesome) we had fake cigarettes with us to go along with our costumes. My friend, Anastasia got them from a nearby shop with her family, and thought that today would be a good time to use them! But, before we used them, we all decided that we would not post them on Instagram, Ask. FM, or any similar sites because people would twist the fake cigarettes and make them seem real.
From Wendy's, we walked down the sidewalk to the tunnels which were by a couple of skinny trees by a bunch of houses and a soccer field. Getting everything ready, we all took great photos. They looked professional. I really wanted to post them on Instagram (The struggle...) but the last thing I wanted was for people to think that the biggest Disney Pro of the school was smoking on the side. So, I kept the photos to myself.
After the photo shoot, we all walked back to our friend's house and got picked up. But, of course, pictures find themselves online. And someone in the group posted them on Instagram and Ask. FM... Not their best idea. Now, as you can imagine, people thought they were real, and soon we began receiving questions begging us not to change our images and smoke. It was not the happiest moment of my day.
To make matters worse, someone sent my good friend's mother a picture of her with the fake cigarettes, making it look real. Who sent the picture is a mystery, but I do know that my friend's mom freaked out (as she should), and had to talk to Anastasia's mom to understand that they were fake, and that Anastasia's mom knew for a fact that they were not real.
We finally got all of the photos deleted, and to this day I have them locked up, no one is going to touch them. The moral of the story though is to be careful of what you post online. It can be twisted, photoshopped, and go viral. We were lucky to get this all sorted out and tell people the truth. But some people are not so lucky, and have pictures that were worse. The scary thing about the cyberworld is that once it is out there, anyone can screenshot it, and keep it. Imagine if someone sent a private photo of yours to your boss, or college of your choice. It would be crazy. This is why I am happy to say the least that this was dealt with early on before it got out of hand.
And with that story out of the way, there's nothing left to say besides that this was a day in the life of a Disney Pro.
Saturday, July 19, 2014
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Lost in His Complications
Hey everyone,
So just to make sure that we are all on the same page, I just want to tell you that this blog isn't going to be all Disneyland related. Because after all, it is a day in the life of a Disney Pro. The day in the life of a Disney Pro include adventures of all kinds and reflections on various experiences of all kinds.
Latest poem to share:
Latest poem to share:
“Lost in His Complications ”
The girl so beautiful,
Her heart filled with gold.
Her dark black locks fell down her back,
Her emerald green eyes shined like Christmas lights.
The eyes were filled with hope,
Filled with happiness,
Filled with innocence.
As times change,
So do most people’s eyes if they are not handled with care.
Around her she kept herself covered with kids with the same bright
light.
With the same hope in their eyes.
One day,
She met a boy.
His eyes a murky shade of brown.
His slicked back black hair as dark as the moon.
His shoulder’s so heavy.
His soul so broken.
The innocent girl did all she could to bring back the light in his eyes.
To bring back the hope.
The happiness.
The innocence that were once stored in them,
Now lost in his .
As the two began talking more and more,
The friendship sparked into a fire.
Soon she found her eyes growing dark.
Her shoulders turning heavier.
Her smile turning forced.
Her skin turning hallow.
Her face looking haunted,
Because of the problems she took on herself that were his to own.
Making his problems her problems.
Her heart no longer gold,
Her emerald eyes no longer filled with light,
Hope,
Love,
Innocence,
She looked in her mirror, staring at the dark abyss in her
eyes,
Wanting for them to shine again.
But it was too late.
And nothing she could do would turn back on that bulb.
Now stuck in a dark reality,
She found her friends with the same light gone,
And found herself with people with the same eyes as hers,
A shade too dark…
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Flash Mountain
Splash Mountain-an epic attraction at Disneyland, California that is found in Critter Country. Having several small drops leading up to an exhilarating, jaw-dropping, and heart pounding drop, this ride is not meant for people with anxiety, a fear of heights, or high blood pressure.
Can you tell that one of my favorite rides in Disneyland is Splash Mountain? It's most likely my favorite because it usually has the shortest line out of all of the "Big Kid" rides in Disneyland. Plus, I have to admit that I enjoy the catchy song, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," even though I can't get it out of my head for the next few weeks after hearing it.
The ride has acquired the nickname of "Flash Mountain" due to the number of people who feel the need to flash the camera found at the exhilarating, jaw-dropping, and heart pounding drop. This camera sends the pictures to a television screen at the exit of the ride, and if you wish to, then you can buy the picture (Who would want a printed picture of them flashing a camera?). Witnessing the horror of people flashing the camera at the Happiest Place on Earth, Disney censors most of the...unflattering photographs of park guests. Yet, some of these...unflattering pictures find themselves on the television screen.
My friend, Matthew (Yes, the one I wrote about pranking at Disneyland before) brought his friend, Ethan, along with him on his trip to Anaheim over winter break this past year. Knowing that Ethan and I would get along, I met him, and we quickly became friends. (May I add that Matthew's AWESOME dad brought along with him a brand new SURFACE PRO 2 for me that trip??) Going to Disneyland together that night, we had a blast, and decided to end the night on a high note, at Splash Mountain.
Not wanting to waste time, Matthew, Ryan, Ethan, and I raced through the practically empty park to Critter Country. Being one of the few people in the park at the time, the line was at 0 minutes. It was incredible!
Entering our log, Ethan (I have no idea why) went on a suicide mission by sitting in the front. Ryan, my little sister who was eight at the time, sat two seats behind him. Behind her was me, and behind me was Matthew (Who was NOT in the mood to be soaked at a quarter to twelve on an icy cold night).
Going on the ride about three times in a row without having to leave our log, or getting wet, I wanted to go on about ten more times. But, Matthew was still deathly afraid of getting touched by the water (Even though his hotel was literally two minutes away, #LOL) and the park was closing any minute. Deciding to make the last trip worthwhile, I planned on being a "Flasher". I had joined the dark side.. >:)
As the ride went on, we went down several little drops that we had gone on plenty of times, but going up the final hill, I felt butterflies in my stomach. I had a scary thought going through my mind that somehow my shirt would knock off my glasses while I was taking it off, and my glasses would go plummeting down the hill.
I put the thought behind me as our log climbed up the hill. Ahead of us was a pitch dark sky, and the Anaheim stars were nowhere to be seen over the layer of fog. Finally, the log came to a halt at the top of the hill. Usually the halt felt like a second, but this time it felt longer as I scrambled to yank off my shirt.
Yanking it off, I clutched onto it for dear life, the four of us plummeting downwards into the water below. Screaming at the top of my lungs, our log hit the water with such force that I was nearly thrown into the chair in front of me.
From there, the four of us rode through the last scene of the ride, seeing a picture on a screen of me flashing the camera. It was official...I was a flasher. *Sighs*
Leaving the logs, the four of us went to the exit room where yet another few screens were. On one screen there was a picture perfect photograph of the four of us making exotic faces. Laughing, I saw how soaked Ethan was, having been on the ride FOUR times in the FRONT seat. (#YOLO).
Snapping a picture of the picture, I put on my jacket, and we headed to the Plaza Inn where my mom and Matthew's dad waited for us. Walking over there through the almost empty Disneyland, I felt the magic of the park. It was peaceful, relaxing, and not how Disneyland usually was. Usually it was spilling with tourists wearing high shorts, carrying bulky backpacks, fighting over line spots, and trying to find a place to rest. This new side to Disneyland was a relief, and I will never forget that moment where the four of us walked side-by-side through the park, nearly by ourselves if it weren't for the cast members cleaning up around us.
Leaving the park, I waved goodbye to Disneyland like it was a person, and headed to the trams. From the trams, I don't remember anything, leaving the park for me is nearly always a blur.
And that is the end of the story, and the moral of the story is...well, there isn't a moral of the story actually... Umm...*Awkward silence* Yeah...And that's a day in the life of a Disney Pro.
Can you tell that one of my favorite rides in Disneyland is Splash Mountain? It's most likely my favorite because it usually has the shortest line out of all of the "Big Kid" rides in Disneyland. Plus, I have to admit that I enjoy the catchy song, "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah," even though I can't get it out of my head for the next few weeks after hearing it.
The ride has acquired the nickname of "Flash Mountain" due to the number of people who feel the need to flash the camera found at the exhilarating, jaw-dropping, and heart pounding drop. This camera sends the pictures to a television screen at the exit of the ride, and if you wish to, then you can buy the picture (Who would want a printed picture of them flashing a camera?). Witnessing the horror of people flashing the camera at the Happiest Place on Earth, Disney censors most of the...unflattering photographs of park guests. Yet, some of these...unflattering pictures find themselves on the television screen.
My friend, Matthew (Yes, the one I wrote about pranking at Disneyland before) brought his friend, Ethan, along with him on his trip to Anaheim over winter break this past year. Knowing that Ethan and I would get along, I met him, and we quickly became friends. (May I add that Matthew's AWESOME dad brought along with him a brand new SURFACE PRO 2 for me that trip??) Going to Disneyland together that night, we had a blast, and decided to end the night on a high note, at Splash Mountain.
Not wanting to waste time, Matthew, Ryan, Ethan, and I raced through the practically empty park to Critter Country. Being one of the few people in the park at the time, the line was at 0 minutes. It was incredible!
Entering our log, Ethan (I have no idea why) went on a suicide mission by sitting in the front. Ryan, my little sister who was eight at the time, sat two seats behind him. Behind her was me, and behind me was Matthew (Who was NOT in the mood to be soaked at a quarter to twelve on an icy cold night).
Going on the ride about three times in a row without having to leave our log, or getting wet, I wanted to go on about ten more times. But, Matthew was still deathly afraid of getting touched by the water (Even though his hotel was literally two minutes away, #LOL) and the park was closing any minute. Deciding to make the last trip worthwhile, I planned on being a "Flasher". I had joined the dark side.. >:)
As the ride went on, we went down several little drops that we had gone on plenty of times, but going up the final hill, I felt butterflies in my stomach. I had a scary thought going through my mind that somehow my shirt would knock off my glasses while I was taking it off, and my glasses would go plummeting down the hill.
I put the thought behind me as our log climbed up the hill. Ahead of us was a pitch dark sky, and the Anaheim stars were nowhere to be seen over the layer of fog. Finally, the log came to a halt at the top of the hill. Usually the halt felt like a second, but this time it felt longer as I scrambled to yank off my shirt.
Yanking it off, I clutched onto it for dear life, the four of us plummeting downwards into the water below. Screaming at the top of my lungs, our log hit the water with such force that I was nearly thrown into the chair in front of me.
From there, the four of us rode through the last scene of the ride, seeing a picture on a screen of me flashing the camera. It was official...I was a flasher. *Sighs*
Leaving the logs, the four of us went to the exit room where yet another few screens were. On one screen there was a picture perfect photograph of the four of us making exotic faces. Laughing, I saw how soaked Ethan was, having been on the ride FOUR times in the FRONT seat. (#YOLO).
Snapping a picture of the picture, I put on my jacket, and we headed to the Plaza Inn where my mom and Matthew's dad waited for us. Walking over there through the almost empty Disneyland, I felt the magic of the park. It was peaceful, relaxing, and not how Disneyland usually was. Usually it was spilling with tourists wearing high shorts, carrying bulky backpacks, fighting over line spots, and trying to find a place to rest. This new side to Disneyland was a relief, and I will never forget that moment where the four of us walked side-by-side through the park, nearly by ourselves if it weren't for the cast members cleaning up around us.
Leaving the park, I waved goodbye to Disneyland like it was a person, and headed to the trams. From the trams, I don't remember anything, leaving the park for me is nearly always a blur.
And that is the end of the story, and the moral of the story is...well, there isn't a moral of the story actually... Umm...*Awkward silence* Yeah...And that's a day in the life of a Disney Pro.
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
Who Let the Kids Out?
For four years I lived in Las Vegas, Nevada. During that time I would frequently visit my Yiayia (Grandma in Greek) and Papou (Grandpa in Greek) in Southern California at their home.
My Yiayia and Papou are the funniest and most unique people you will ever meet, because they are Greek and opposites! My Papou loves to garden, workout, eat healthy, avoid crowds, and be in the sun and nature. In contrast, my Yiayia loves to watch scary movies, cook, eat chocolates, avoid the sun, and listen to old fashioned songs like, "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini". Nevertheless, opposites truly do attract in the situation, and they remain a happy Greek couple.
Everyday, my Papou works on his hill. The hill is filled with over 65 fruit trees. It takes time to tend to such a garden. Imagine all of the various trees filled with avocados, apples, oranges, tangerines, figs, and other amazing fruits. The vegetable patch is incredible too! The best part about his fruit is that it is all natural with no pesticides. He has a motto, "If the ants won't eat it then why should I?"
From the time I was little, I had a deathly fear of being down the hill alone. Mostly because of the coyotes which roamed down there at night. Though they rarely bite humans, I was paranoid that I would be eaten alive, or worse, given rabies and get shot like Old Yeller (I had an active imagination back then...Well...I still do, but not as wild as one). To cope with this hillophobia, I found myself walking down the hill with rocks in my pockets to protect myself from random aggressive creatures.
It didn't take long to meet friends in my grandparents neighborhood. I wanted to hang around kids my age, so I quickly became friends with a girl on my street named Desiree. To this day, somehow problems always start when we are together. This could possibly be due to the fact that we always meddle with things that shouldn't be meddled with. (I honestly should make a novel about my adventures with her)
One of our many adventures started on a sunny day during the summer after second grade, Desiree and I were roaming around the hill, constantly "seeing" coyotes and "hearing" rattlesnakes everywhere we went. (We were interesting children to say the least). On this particular adventure, the two of us continued to hear a dog barking, and believed that it was the bark of a coyote! It took us a while to catch up with reality, and understand that the bark came from a dog near my Papou's home.
We ventured to the gate that was wrapped around the backyard where the dog roamed. Hearing it cry, I remembered that my Papou had told me the night before that the dog had been howling the day before. Magnifying this simple conversation times 1,000, I suspected that the dog was being abused.
Saying to Desiree, in my little kid voice, "Desiway (I had a hard to saying "R's" when i was younger) I think that the dog is being abused."
Desiree gasped something along the lines of, "Oh, my, Gosh!" And felt really bad for it.
I asked her if she had ever read the novel Shiloh, a book about a boy that saved a dog from his abusive owner.
Nodding yes, it became clear to us that we had a chance to be the heroes and save the dog!
"Get it, this is like the book Shiloh!" I exclaimed. "Come on, Desiway, we need to save the dog!"
Being hesitant, she tried to convince me otherwise as I yelled,
"Come on, BREAK DOWN THE GATE!"
And without even hesitating, she kicked open the gate, literally, and the two of us dognapped "Shiloh", rushing him out of the premise.
To make this story crazier, the two of us held the large dog by its collar, trying with all of our might to not "let it go" as the dog charged forward, racing down the hill without any urge to stop, knocking us down.
Desiree and I looked at each other, we were both frozen in fear. We not only kidnapped the dog, but we lost it...We were no better than it's owners (Who may I add ended up not abusing the dog).
Joining the party, Desiree's brother, Daniel came along, being a few years older than us, he liked messing with me, believing that I had feelings for his little sister!
To make things worse, Desiree and I had lost track of where the dog was. Trying to explain the situation to Daniel urgently, the dog rejoined the chaos, leeping up on its hindlegs at Daniel, causing him to scream that the dog has rabies (Untrue, but Desiree and I believed him).
Panicking, the three of us tore off towards my Papou's house. However, for some reason, I don't remember where Daniel went, all I remember is that Desiree and I made it to the house, shaking and screaming bloody murder.
Of course, my dad was there too, and I knew that he would get mad if I confessed the the dognapping. So, I told a little...teeny..tiny...little lie to my Papou and Dad (About a year later I told them to truth, and I was shocked to see that they laughed).
The two had to round up the dog, putting it back in the backyard. However....Going back down the hill, Desiree and I, to our horror, saw that the animal was back. The gate was old and didn't lock well, so, of course, we had to get the two men back to the scene of the crime to lock the wild animal back in its home.
Therefore, the moral of the story is to not read the novel Shiloh because all it will do is put back ideas in the heads of the youth. (Joking, that book is epic, and you should read it. Ha, ha, the life lesson is to not reenact a scene from a book).
With nothing else to say, its time to conclude that this was a day in the life of a Disney Pro.
My Yiayia and Papou are the funniest and most unique people you will ever meet, because they are Greek and opposites! My Papou loves to garden, workout, eat healthy, avoid crowds, and be in the sun and nature. In contrast, my Yiayia loves to watch scary movies, cook, eat chocolates, avoid the sun, and listen to old fashioned songs like, "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini". Nevertheless, opposites truly do attract in the situation, and they remain a happy Greek couple.
Everyday, my Papou works on his hill. The hill is filled with over 65 fruit trees. It takes time to tend to such a garden. Imagine all of the various trees filled with avocados, apples, oranges, tangerines, figs, and other amazing fruits. The vegetable patch is incredible too! The best part about his fruit is that it is all natural with no pesticides. He has a motto, "If the ants won't eat it then why should I?"
From the time I was little, I had a deathly fear of being down the hill alone. Mostly because of the coyotes which roamed down there at night. Though they rarely bite humans, I was paranoid that I would be eaten alive, or worse, given rabies and get shot like Old Yeller (I had an active imagination back then...Well...I still do, but not as wild as one). To cope with this hillophobia, I found myself walking down the hill with rocks in my pockets to protect myself from random aggressive creatures.
It didn't take long to meet friends in my grandparents neighborhood. I wanted to hang around kids my age, so I quickly became friends with a girl on my street named Desiree. To this day, somehow problems always start when we are together. This could possibly be due to the fact that we always meddle with things that shouldn't be meddled with. (I honestly should make a novel about my adventures with her)
One of our many adventures started on a sunny day during the summer after second grade, Desiree and I were roaming around the hill, constantly "seeing" coyotes and "hearing" rattlesnakes everywhere we went. (We were interesting children to say the least). On this particular adventure, the two of us continued to hear a dog barking, and believed that it was the bark of a coyote! It took us a while to catch up with reality, and understand that the bark came from a dog near my Papou's home.
We ventured to the gate that was wrapped around the backyard where the dog roamed. Hearing it cry, I remembered that my Papou had told me the night before that the dog had been howling the day before. Magnifying this simple conversation times 1,000, I suspected that the dog was being abused.
Saying to Desiree, in my little kid voice, "Desiway (I had a hard to saying "R's" when i was younger) I think that the dog is being abused."
Desiree gasped something along the lines of, "Oh, my, Gosh!" And felt really bad for it.
I asked her if she had ever read the novel Shiloh, a book about a boy that saved a dog from his abusive owner.
Nodding yes, it became clear to us that we had a chance to be the heroes and save the dog!
"Get it, this is like the book Shiloh!" I exclaimed. "Come on, Desiway, we need to save the dog!"
Being hesitant, she tried to convince me otherwise as I yelled,
"Come on, BREAK DOWN THE GATE!"
And without even hesitating, she kicked open the gate, literally, and the two of us dognapped "Shiloh", rushing him out of the premise.
To make this story crazier, the two of us held the large dog by its collar, trying with all of our might to not "let it go" as the dog charged forward, racing down the hill without any urge to stop, knocking us down.
Desiree and I looked at each other, we were both frozen in fear. We not only kidnapped the dog, but we lost it...We were no better than it's owners (Who may I add ended up not abusing the dog).
Joining the party, Desiree's brother, Daniel came along, being a few years older than us, he liked messing with me, believing that I had feelings for his little sister!
To make things worse, Desiree and I had lost track of where the dog was. Trying to explain the situation to Daniel urgently, the dog rejoined the chaos, leeping up on its hindlegs at Daniel, causing him to scream that the dog has rabies (Untrue, but Desiree and I believed him).
Panicking, the three of us tore off towards my Papou's house. However, for some reason, I don't remember where Daniel went, all I remember is that Desiree and I made it to the house, shaking and screaming bloody murder.
Of course, my dad was there too, and I knew that he would get mad if I confessed the the dognapping. So, I told a little...teeny..tiny...little lie to my Papou and Dad (About a year later I told them to truth, and I was shocked to see that they laughed).
The two had to round up the dog, putting it back in the backyard. However....Going back down the hill, Desiree and I, to our horror, saw that the animal was back. The gate was old and didn't lock well, so, of course, we had to get the two men back to the scene of the crime to lock the wild animal back in its home.
Therefore, the moral of the story is to not read the novel Shiloh because all it will do is put back ideas in the heads of the youth. (Joking, that book is epic, and you should read it. Ha, ha, the life lesson is to not reenact a scene from a book).
With nothing else to say, its time to conclude that this was a day in the life of a Disney Pro.
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
A DisneylAnd SituAtion
Like many people out there, I have found myself addicted to something...I am addicted to...Pretty Little Liars. I know, I know, what guy likes a show named "Pretty Little Liars"? I might as well just go watch "Days of Our Lives," listen to One Direction, watch The Vow, and get a manicure.
I have to confess that at first I was hesitant to watch the show. However, after seeing some of the many eerie ending scenes, crazy fist fights, pretty girls, wild plot twists, deaths, secrets, crazy theories, and biggest of all, Halloween episodes, it became evident to me that this show was not a girl's show, but was a show for both genders, if you could forget the most female title.
Similarly, I turned addicted to this show one day over winter break when I had a Netflix marathon. (Netflix=My life)
Now, before I start my story, I have to tell you a quick summary about the show. The show starts off at a sleepover where the most popular girl in the small town of Rosewood goes missing, leaving behind her four best friends. From there, a year passes, and the four high school junior girls reconnect after receiving anonymous texts signed by someone named -A. This person knows secrets that only their deceased friend knew. Now, the four pretty little liars have to find out who the violent stalker, -A is. But -A isn't playing a gAme, and he/she is willing to do anything to stay anonymous.
Being sort of a mixture between I Know What You Did Last Summer and "Gossip Girl", it has allusions to several Alfred Hitchcock movies.
Going back to the real world, one day, I came across an app on the app store called Burner. It allows anyone with an iPhone to make a fake phone number, send the text, and click a burn button, erasing it from service, sort of like -A would do. Buying the app, I decided to prank one of my closest friends, Matthew, one of my fellow Disney Pro friends.
One late night, Matthew went "soarin' over Las Vegas" (pun intended) from his hometown, Las Vegas, to the Happiest Place on Earth...Knott's Berry Farm. Just joking, I mean Disneyland. Tagging along with him and his father, the three of us went on several rides, and as the night dragged on, I was dying to test out the texting app.
Towards eleven o'clock, Matt and I headed towards Autopia by ourselves. I can still remember the smell of the strange fumes emitting themselves from the tiny cars, as I can remember the lady in front of us changing her baby's diaper on a bench so we could all see it's business.
Entering the short line, I embrAced my inner -A and whipped out my phone, sending Matthew a text message saying, "Watching you and Costa. -A."
Of course, Matthew checked his phone and got a little nervous, believing it to have been sent by a creepy girl from my school who I had told him about thAt night.
As we climbed into the car, we drove off, and once again, I sent him a spine-tingling text telling him not to crash the car and die.
This caused Matt to get scared. Now thinking back though, I feel like he secretly enjoyed the texts, liked the mystery. Loving adventure movies, he found himself in one! He was the hero, and it was his job to stop the villAin.... me.
The second that car ride ended, we (he) bolted, heading towards Main Street U.S.A. where his dad waited for us with ice cream.
Just then, I sent another message telling him to go to the Main Street Cinemas if he wanted to know who was behind the freaky texts (Insert devilish face)
Sprinting over to the brightly lit and heavily packed street, we both stopped in front of the small cinema, looking at the small short film posters that were being played.
He bravely walked past the stand where a fake lady sold tickets behind a booth, and disappeared behind red curtains.
As he disappeared from view, I put on my jacket. I know what you are asking though, why would I need a jacket in SO-Cal, it's supposed to be paradise?
Well, the weather in Orange County is pretty bi-polar. It could be overcast in the morning, hot in the afternoon, and then cold at night, so I always tried to carry a jacket or sweater with me.
Tonight, I wore a dark black hoodie, one that -A from Pretty Little Liars would wear. Putting the hood over my face to conceal my identity, I entered the theatre slyly, peering behind the red curtains to see where Matt was when he appeared closer to me than I expected.
Spinning around faster than the Disney teacup ride, I went all Mad-Greek as I made a mad-dash out of the cinema, stumbling into the fake ticket booth before I hopped over the long rope dividers, stumbling onnto the streets of Main Street, almost smashing into five people, one of those people being Matthew's dad!
"I GOT YOU!" Matthew exclAimed, sprinting out of the theater to see me trying to regain my balance, my hoodie down.
I forgot his exact words, but I do remember him saying how he "knew" I was -A... (Sure...)
From there, I left the park with Matt and his dad, Scott. During this time, I was doing all I could to conceal my laughter, and so was Scott. Matthew, on the other hand, was telling me how he would get revenge on me if it was the last thing he did. (One year later...I'm still waiting for my -A text from him).
From there we left the Happiest Place on Earth. The car ride back is a blur, for some reason I can never remember any car rides back from Disney! But, I do remember getting home, sitting on my bed, and letting it go, laughing hysterically, because -A was finally revealed! Revealed to be me!
Therefore, I want you to get a valuable life lesson out of this "experiment". You need to remember that if you ever plan on going all -A on someone, then to make sure that you have an escape route so you don't end up like me, nearly facedown on the Happiest Place on Earth. (Joking, please don't try this at home or you will probably get arrested)
With that life changing life lesson out of the way, it's time to say, that this is a day in the life of a Disney Pro.
-CostA
I have to confess that at first I was hesitant to watch the show. However, after seeing some of the many eerie ending scenes, crazy fist fights, pretty girls, wild plot twists, deaths, secrets, crazy theories, and biggest of all, Halloween episodes, it became evident to me that this show was not a girl's show, but was a show for both genders, if you could forget the most female title.
Similarly, I turned addicted to this show one day over winter break when I had a Netflix marathon. (Netflix=My life)
Now, before I start my story, I have to tell you a quick summary about the show. The show starts off at a sleepover where the most popular girl in the small town of Rosewood goes missing, leaving behind her four best friends. From there, a year passes, and the four high school junior girls reconnect after receiving anonymous texts signed by someone named -A. This person knows secrets that only their deceased friend knew. Now, the four pretty little liars have to find out who the violent stalker, -A is. But -A isn't playing a gAme, and he/she is willing to do anything to stay anonymous.
Being sort of a mixture between I Know What You Did Last Summer and "Gossip Girl", it has allusions to several Alfred Hitchcock movies.
Going back to the real world, one day, I came across an app on the app store called Burner. It allows anyone with an iPhone to make a fake phone number, send the text, and click a burn button, erasing it from service, sort of like -A would do. Buying the app, I decided to prank one of my closest friends, Matthew, one of my fellow Disney Pro friends.
One late night, Matthew went "soarin' over Las Vegas" (pun intended) from his hometown, Las Vegas, to the Happiest Place on Earth...Knott's Berry Farm. Just joking, I mean Disneyland. Tagging along with him and his father, the three of us went on several rides, and as the night dragged on, I was dying to test out the texting app.
Towards eleven o'clock, Matt and I headed towards Autopia by ourselves. I can still remember the smell of the strange fumes emitting themselves from the tiny cars, as I can remember the lady in front of us changing her baby's diaper on a bench so we could all see it's business.
Entering the short line, I embrAced my inner -A and whipped out my phone, sending Matthew a text message saying, "Watching you and Costa. -A."
Of course, Matthew checked his phone and got a little nervous, believing it to have been sent by a creepy girl from my school who I had told him about thAt night.
As we climbed into the car, we drove off, and once again, I sent him a spine-tingling text telling him not to crash the car and die.
This caused Matt to get scared. Now thinking back though, I feel like he secretly enjoyed the texts, liked the mystery. Loving adventure movies, he found himself in one! He was the hero, and it was his job to stop the villAin.... me.
The second that car ride ended, we (he) bolted, heading towards Main Street U.S.A. where his dad waited for us with ice cream.
Just then, I sent another message telling him to go to the Main Street Cinemas if he wanted to know who was behind the freaky texts (Insert devilish face)
Sprinting over to the brightly lit and heavily packed street, we both stopped in front of the small cinema, looking at the small short film posters that were being played.
He bravely walked past the stand where a fake lady sold tickets behind a booth, and disappeared behind red curtains.
As he disappeared from view, I put on my jacket. I know what you are asking though, why would I need a jacket in SO-Cal, it's supposed to be paradise?
Well, the weather in Orange County is pretty bi-polar. It could be overcast in the morning, hot in the afternoon, and then cold at night, so I always tried to carry a jacket or sweater with me.
Tonight, I wore a dark black hoodie, one that -A from Pretty Little Liars would wear. Putting the hood over my face to conceal my identity, I entered the theatre slyly, peering behind the red curtains to see where Matt was when he appeared closer to me than I expected.
Spinning around faster than the Disney teacup ride, I went all Mad-Greek as I made a mad-dash out of the cinema, stumbling into the fake ticket booth before I hopped over the long rope dividers, stumbling onnto the streets of Main Street, almost smashing into five people, one of those people being Matthew's dad!
"I GOT YOU!" Matthew exclAimed, sprinting out of the theater to see me trying to regain my balance, my hoodie down.
I forgot his exact words, but I do remember him saying how he "knew" I was -A... (Sure...)
From there, I left the park with Matt and his dad, Scott. During this time, I was doing all I could to conceal my laughter, and so was Scott. Matthew, on the other hand, was telling me how he would get revenge on me if it was the last thing he did. (One year later...I'm still waiting for my -A text from him).
From there we left the Happiest Place on Earth. The car ride back is a blur, for some reason I can never remember any car rides back from Disney! But, I do remember getting home, sitting on my bed, and letting it go, laughing hysterically, because -A was finally revealed! Revealed to be me!
Therefore, I want you to get a valuable life lesson out of this "experiment". You need to remember that if you ever plan on going all -A on someone, then to make sure that you have an escape route so you don't end up like me, nearly facedown on the Happiest Place on Earth. (Joking, please don't try this at home or you will probably get arrested)
With that life changing life lesson out of the way, it's time to say, that this is a day in the life of a Disney Pro.
-CostA
My First Trip to the Happiest Place on Earth
Fantasmic... Thrilling... Exciting... Magical... These are some of the many words that I would use to describe my first visit to the Happiest Place on Earth.
To this day I remember holding hands with my little sister, Ryan, as we skipped, danced, and laughed all the way down Main Street U.S.A. while my mom, Tina, snapped photos of us, preserving this moment. I can still feel the magic all around me, every problem I had ever had somehow disappeared as I entered this utopian world.
Now, my family had previously gone to Disneyland when I was a little kid. But, I had forgotten 95% of the trip. The only things I remembered were seeing the Yeti on Matterhorn Mountain (May I add that I basically had a mental breakdown on this ride), riding across the bridge on Indiana Jones (I still remember my legs shaking as I exited the ride), and walking down Main Street U.S.A (For some reason, I imagined it going uphill).
This is why I count this visit as my first trip, because it was the first trip that I could actually remember. In addition, this was my first trip to Disneyland since my parent's divorce a year prior.
On a positive and Disney-like note, the first ride my family went on was Indiana Jones. The reason why I decided to go on the ride at the time was because that was one of the few rides that I remembered previously going on. Boarding the ride, my sister, who was five at the time, was just under the height limit. Thankfully, she managed to go on her tepee-toes just enough to be able to board the ride. From there, we enjoyed the ride, especially the boulder scene. Being in the sixth grade, and extremely innocent, I believed that the boulder was real.
From there, I met Trishna and her family. It was my first time meeting them, and in the beginning it was extremely uncomfortable. Trishna and I basically stared at each other like both of us were from different planets. No words could describe "That Awkward Moment" (Pun intended). After a short line, we boarded Space Mountain together with our families. Sitting, and screaming bloody murder together as we plummeted through space, we basically had to bond. And from that point on, we became best friends, and to this day, I think of her as my second sister, her younger sister, Maya, being my third sister.
This is why I love Disneyland, it can send you on a cruise through New Orleans, or through Snow White's adventure, or even to the future. It transports you into places that most people never get a chance to visit. There is honestly something for every creative person here.
On a better note, we went on 85% of the attractions in Disneyland that day, and at about 9 o'clock, we headed over to California Adventures, a park I had never been too. May I remind you, this day takes place in 2011, before Disney's California Adventure had renovations done to it.
The group of us waded through the Tron party, and headed straight to the mysterious Hollywood Hotel, also known as the Twilight Tower of Terror. I still remember the faint orange glow that radiated off of the tower.
The group and I headed straight into the hotel. We had to all watch a short pre-ride video about what turned the once glamorous hotel into this hotel that looked like some Alfred Hitchcock creation.
At this point, I was a nervous wreck. I grabbed onto my little sister for dear life, believing that the floor below us was going to drop us!
Thankfully, the floor didn't move, and about ten minutes later we entered our elevator, and were sent into the Twilight Zone! My heart was pounding like never before, and my stomach was flopping and flipping around like some deranged fish.
The elevator finally shot up higher than it had ever been, and as it did this, it revealed all of the California Adventure, the shining lights of Electronica below. It was truly magical.
Dropping faster than Justin Bieber's IQ, the elevator plummeted down, finally coming to an abrupt stop, sending us into our seats.
About twenty minutes after our trip to the Twilight Zone, the Brady Bunch of us headed to California Screamin'. Instantly, I knew that this ride wasn't like any other ride I had ever been on. Up until this day, I could barely go down a giant waterslide at Wild Rivers!
However, I was not going to wimp out at the Happiest Place on Earth, so I boarded the ride with Trishna and her mother and father.
Sitting down in rows of two, the ride took off slowly, and came to a stop by the Paradise Lagoon just as the narrator tormented us by stopping. I just wanted to get this ride over with, and survive it!!
The narrator counted backwards, filling me up with more dread and suspense than Katniss felt as she stood on the ramps by the cornucopia in The Hunger Games.
Blasting forward, we were sent over and under hills as I grabbed onto my glasses for dear life! They were going to fall off! Trying to hold onto them, I yelled and screamed with Trishna, trying to insert them into a carrier pouch, which was hard due to the ride's jerkiness.
As the loopty-loop occurred, I remembered truly believing that I was going to die. I froze, and honestly, the rest of the ride was a blur. Actually, the rest of my time in California Adventure was a blur....
The only thing I remember is exiting the park, and turning around, gazing at the glow of the Tower of Terror and saying how I would come back as soon as possible, now that I had an Annual Pass.
From there, I don't remember anything. Probably because I was so emotionally, physically, and mentally drained from that day. Trust me when I say that Disneyland is a workout. You will find yourself running to the line, chasing a character down Main Street, consuming food at an alarming rate so you don't waste time, and most importantly, wondering if you will survive some of the faster rides!
And that, is a day in the life of a Disney Pro.
To this day I remember holding hands with my little sister, Ryan, as we skipped, danced, and laughed all the way down Main Street U.S.A. while my mom, Tina, snapped photos of us, preserving this moment. I can still feel the magic all around me, every problem I had ever had somehow disappeared as I entered this utopian world.
Now, my family had previously gone to Disneyland when I was a little kid. But, I had forgotten 95% of the trip. The only things I remembered were seeing the Yeti on Matterhorn Mountain (May I add that I basically had a mental breakdown on this ride), riding across the bridge on Indiana Jones (I still remember my legs shaking as I exited the ride), and walking down Main Street U.S.A (For some reason, I imagined it going uphill).
This is why I count this visit as my first trip, because it was the first trip that I could actually remember. In addition, this was my first trip to Disneyland since my parent's divorce a year prior.
On a positive and Disney-like note, the first ride my family went on was Indiana Jones. The reason why I decided to go on the ride at the time was because that was one of the few rides that I remembered previously going on. Boarding the ride, my sister, who was five at the time, was just under the height limit. Thankfully, she managed to go on her tepee-toes just enough to be able to board the ride. From there, we enjoyed the ride, especially the boulder scene. Being in the sixth grade, and extremely innocent, I believed that the boulder was real.
From there, I met Trishna and her family. It was my first time meeting them, and in the beginning it was extremely uncomfortable. Trishna and I basically stared at each other like both of us were from different planets. No words could describe "That Awkward Moment" (Pun intended). After a short line, we boarded Space Mountain together with our families. Sitting, and screaming bloody murder together as we plummeted through space, we basically had to bond. And from that point on, we became best friends, and to this day, I think of her as my second sister, her younger sister, Maya, being my third sister.
This is why I love Disneyland, it can send you on a cruise through New Orleans, or through Snow White's adventure, or even to the future. It transports you into places that most people never get a chance to visit. There is honestly something for every creative person here.
On a better note, we went on 85% of the attractions in Disneyland that day, and at about 9 o'clock, we headed over to California Adventures, a park I had never been too. May I remind you, this day takes place in 2011, before Disney's California Adventure had renovations done to it.
The group of us waded through the Tron party, and headed straight to the mysterious Hollywood Hotel, also known as the Twilight Tower of Terror. I still remember the faint orange glow that radiated off of the tower.
The group and I headed straight into the hotel. We had to all watch a short pre-ride video about what turned the once glamorous hotel into this hotel that looked like some Alfred Hitchcock creation.
At this point, I was a nervous wreck. I grabbed onto my little sister for dear life, believing that the floor below us was going to drop us!
Thankfully, the floor didn't move, and about ten minutes later we entered our elevator, and were sent into the Twilight Zone! My heart was pounding like never before, and my stomach was flopping and flipping around like some deranged fish.
The elevator finally shot up higher than it had ever been, and as it did this, it revealed all of the California Adventure, the shining lights of Electronica below. It was truly magical.
Dropping faster than Justin Bieber's IQ, the elevator plummeted down, finally coming to an abrupt stop, sending us into our seats.
About twenty minutes after our trip to the Twilight Zone, the Brady Bunch of us headed to California Screamin'. Instantly, I knew that this ride wasn't like any other ride I had ever been on. Up until this day, I could barely go down a giant waterslide at Wild Rivers!
However, I was not going to wimp out at the Happiest Place on Earth, so I boarded the ride with Trishna and her mother and father.
Sitting down in rows of two, the ride took off slowly, and came to a stop by the Paradise Lagoon just as the narrator tormented us by stopping. I just wanted to get this ride over with, and survive it!!
The narrator counted backwards, filling me up with more dread and suspense than Katniss felt as she stood on the ramps by the cornucopia in The Hunger Games.
Blasting forward, we were sent over and under hills as I grabbed onto my glasses for dear life! They were going to fall off! Trying to hold onto them, I yelled and screamed with Trishna, trying to insert them into a carrier pouch, which was hard due to the ride's jerkiness.
As the loopty-loop occurred, I remembered truly believing that I was going to die. I froze, and honestly, the rest of the ride was a blur. Actually, the rest of my time in California Adventure was a blur....
The only thing I remember is exiting the park, and turning around, gazing at the glow of the Tower of Terror and saying how I would come back as soon as possible, now that I had an Annual Pass.
From there, I don't remember anything. Probably because I was so emotionally, physically, and mentally drained from that day. Trust me when I say that Disneyland is a workout. You will find yourself running to the line, chasing a character down Main Street, consuming food at an alarming rate so you don't waste time, and most importantly, wondering if you will survive some of the faster rides!
And that, is a day in the life of a Disney Pro.
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