Now that the Olympics have ended, what will happen now?
I wonder what other people will watch, now that there aren’t any Olympics games for everyone to glue their eyes to.

Sure there’s the regular stuff that we all watch on a weekly/daily basis, and then there are other seasonal sports, but there isn’t anything as amazing as the Olympics. And we’ll have to wait another four years for our Olympic fixes to be satisfied.

The ending ceremonies were just an indescribable and just well-executed masterpiece. For all of the performers to not even get a practice run in the Birds’ Nest, for them to practice off-site, and transplant everything they learned somewhere else, to another location they haven’t practiced in, is an amazing feat.

I’m actually sad that it’s over. On the other hand, this is the last day of summer vacation for me; I need this time away from the television to study. I guess this is a good coincidence that the Olympics end before classes start.

I can’t wait for 2012 in London (and I hope 2016 will be in Tokyo!)
Tokyo already has a lot of banners, posters, and advertising for people to choose them as the 2016 Summer Olympics location. If all goes planned, I’ll be working/studying there by then!

Summer Olympics, we’ll miss you. Four years from now, we’ll see you in London!

All the late nights you kept us awake watching prelims and finals, cheers and sadness…no matter what, it was all exciting, all the way until the last bit of the ending ceremonies!

Hey all, you know of that ride you all love at Tokyo Disney SEA, Journey to the Center of the Earth? It’s gonna be a movie here, on July 11! I’m sure it’ll come out in Japan soon enough though!

Although it was a book by Jules Verne in the late 1800s, and made into a movie in the 1950s, I hope this remake will be awesome! The first time I saw a preview of the movie, it brought me right back to being on that ride. It was great, starting out slow and looking at all the creatures and scenery…and then WOOSH, on a speeding cart and no looking back as it flies down that drop!

Remaking old movies and television shows into new versions has been a hit or miss, with some doing well, and some…not doing at all. Either way, I’m gonna watch it when it comes out, and I’ll tell you if it is worth watching or not!

I miss Disney SEA…

This view from the Apollo 8, looking at the Earth from above the moon, is one of the most beautiful, and amazing pictures, I must say. This episode was all about the Apollo and Spacelab programs, read on to see what it’s all about~

The primary objective was to get man to the moon – from orbiting the moon, to making a lunar lander and learning how to use it, to finally setting foot on the lunar landscape. It all had to start with getting a rocket out of the Earth’s gravitational pull, and to do that, they created the Saturn V rocket. Remember when we all went to Kennedy Space Center and saw that GIANT rocket inside the building? It’s THAT one. From Apollo 11 to Apollo 17, astronauts (for example, the most well-known one of all, Neil Armstrong), astronauts were able to set their feet upon the moon’s surface, walk across it, and take samples of lunar rocks and soil to bring back to Earth for further research.

There was one exception – Apollo 13. This mission was almost a disaster; the electrical systems failed, and oxygen was leaking out of the ship. With 3 days to return back, and carbon dioxide (a buildup could create poisonous air) building up, it was unsure if they could make it back alive. With a makeshift filter, they were able to reduce the carbon levels, and made it back safely. As said on the show, first priority was bringing the crew back safe, not mission success.

The skylab project’s objective was to show astronauts could be left in space for extended periods of time, to do research and experiments in a space-like, weightless environment. It started out rough though, with Skylab 1 being non-functional after a shock to the system during launch. Afterwards, with skylab 2 and 3, the project allowed astronauts to survive and function in space, so extensive research and experiments could be done.

I don’t know, but it was a random though to think about that flag that was put on the moon on the first moonwalk. Is it still there? Is it still standing and in perfect condition? Who knows, hopefully I’ll get to see it someday, and look at the Earth from the Moon like the crew from Apollo 8 (and all the other crews) got to see.

It was the first (or first two? I can’t remember if they’re doing two 1-hour episodes each time, or if it’s one two-hour episode, or just a two-hour premiere special?) day of Discovery Channel’s “When We Left Earth.”

In short, it is all about the history of our journey into space – the first episode being about sub-orbit experimentation, trying to rally back against the Soviet Union’s push into space, all the way to spacewalks and EVAs (Extra-vehicular activities, which means going outside of the spaceship to do work or experiments.).

Why am I writing this?
1. I enjoy space, and wondering what’s out there; and this is all about how it began. If it weren’t for the space race and human curiosity, we would not have the chance to find out what is out there, or how it feels to be in space.
2. I know friends (from Japan) are going to enjoy hearing about this; knowing the enjoyment they had from taking them to Kennedy Space Center, and the Shuttle Endeavour launch on March 11 (I remember being up that late, and they had school the next day, after getting home at 4am).

The Mercury Project was all about getting a man into orbit around the earth, starting with the experimental Chimpanzee named Ham, to see how he would react to sub-orbit conditions. A series of seven rocket launches would gradually get from sub-orbit “up-and down” (They would go up into sub-orbit, then come right back down, into the ocean), up to the final Mercury flight with John Glenn and a 3 orbit journey.

The Gemini project was next, and was a series of rocket launches with not one – but two people this time. They also experimented with docking spaceships together, and with weightlessness.

To be honest, writing it all down doesn’t compare to watching it all. From hearing it straight from the astronauts themselves, to seeing and hearing footage from the rocket launches, it’s all so interesting and amazing. If I could buy my friends in Japan the DVDs, I really would…but then there’s always the region limitations.

If you all read this, let me know what you wanna know about the show! There are two rocket launches in October, and I will take pictures of both of them for you all!

I know this is a late post, but it was a fun event! On April 11, UCF students got to go to Islands of Adventure for free! The best part was that the park was only open to UCF students! We had to wait in line to get tickets, but Woody Woodpecker and Betty Boop were there to say hi to everyone! Overall, the event was fun, many of us got really wet, and it was cold! The water rides, in my opinion, were the best part of the night, since it was fun to get wet, and to see others get wet, and hear them screaming about how cold the water is, lol. Check it out, click the link, and there’s more pictures and stuff!

This was the line on Monday, the week of the event. It was the first day to get your tickets, so there was a really, really, really long line, lol. This is where I stood, and you can see how many people are there, haha.

I got my ticket and wristband!

The Hulk! I didn’t ride it because the lines were long, but I rode Dueling Dragons 4 times! Too many of my friends were scared to ride The Hulk anyways =P

Jonathan’s showing off the Japanese guide, but I don’t think he can read it =P

The Grinch! Lol, Trung looks like he’s mad, just like the Grinch =P

Popeye and Olive Oyl~