One of the places we visited on our trip to Orlando, Florida was Disney’s Epcot theme park.

Epcot is kind of split into two areas: a smaller section with a futuristic, hand-on theme, and then a much larger area that showcases a couple dozen countries split up into their own mini-areas. So, you could go visit Japan for example, order some sushi, and walk around a little sample of what Japan looked like in an earlier century.

It was a bit different than from what some people had described to me and from the photos I saw on it. The nice thing about Epcot is that there are a LOT less kids here than the other Disney parks, as it tends to be an attraction more for older people, since there aren’t really any rides there. I can imagine being a kid there and whining that I was bored. It’s really more for older people.

I enjoyed Epcot, but I was expecting each country to be far more authentic. Some aspects were heavily stereotyped (Canada, for example), and other areas were just wrong. For example, Korea’s food kiosk was full of white and black people, and not an actual single Korean. I can understand that it may be a little difficult to hire people from each native country, but that really took the atmosphere out of the whole thing for me.

Here’s a very brief video clip of Epcot. I’m sorry I didn’t take any footage from the actual countries, but I was starting to get quite sick on that day and really didn’t feel like filming.

(Note: You may need to visit the post directly at TylerCruz.com if you’re reading this via e-mail or RSS in order to see it.)

Was that one lizard doing a mating-dance? Weird!

Here’s a video game you can play using me as the character. It takes a couple of minutes to load:

It was created in the technological/science area and you stand in this booth that instructs you to make different movements and gestures, and then a camera automatically take videos of you which split up into sprites. You then walk over to an arcade area where you play your game on an arcade with 80′s style buttons and joystick.

If anyone has been to Science World in Vancouver, BC – Epcot’s technological area is just like a mini-version of Science World.

Here are a couple of photos:

This concludes my updates from the theme parks of my trip.

My next update from the trip will be about my finally meeting up with AmpedMedia and PeerFly!

There’s so much to see and do in Orlando, Florida that I’m still not done with my post updates from the trip.

Aside from all the Disney World parks, we also went to Universal Studios. When I was a kid, my family and I went to Disneyland and Universal Studios in California, and I remember enjoying Universal Studios more than I did Disney World, so I was really looking forward to checking it out in Florida.

It didn’t disappoint, although neither did the Disney World parks. Universal Studios appears to have much larger and grander buildings and venues though… there are some restaurants and rides that are just enormous, while still looking absolutely beautiful with all a lot of fine detail going into them.

There are also less kids at Universal Studios compared to the Disney parks, which is always a plus.

Oh, and the really odd thing is that Universal Studios put a lot more effort into providing more of an atmosphere. For example, there were hired bands just playing outside at different random locations, various characters in costumes walking around, and at one point we were walking down this area when suddenly the X-Men team ran out – all dressed up in nice make-up and costume, each jumping onto a motorbike or ATV, and sped off!

It was nice to see Universal Studios putting in the effort to make little things like that happen, as it really makes a difference in the experience.

Here’s a video clip of a very small taste of what Universal Studios has to offer. The first half is of the brand new Harry Potter section. The second half is of Lisa on one of the Jurassic Park rides, and some of the beautiful scenery of the park:

(Note: You may need to visit the post directly at TylerCruz.com if you’re reading this via e-mail or RSS in order to see it.)

Here are some photos. I’m glad I completed that weight loss challenge :

I have one final post coming up, from yet another park, and then I’ll be posting about my meetup with AmpedMedia and PeerFly.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios is basically their version of Universal Studios. It is focused around a behind-the-scenes type setting and theme, with rides and attractions that take you into the movies.

There were a lot more "tour" type rides rather than thrill-based rides at this park, which I actually prefer, as I’m definitely not an adrenaline junkie. There’s a lot to see at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and I’d definitely recommend making this one of the parks to visit.

Jump to the 2:05 minute mark in the video below to see just how… "interactive" some of the tour rides can be! That horn was LOUD! And I had the isle seat and my brand new video camera started got wet so I had to be careful, heh.

Here’s a video clip of some of the attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

(Note: You may need to visit the post directly at TylerCruz.com if you’re reading this via e-mail or RSS in order to see it.)

They also have an American Idol building where they take a live audience and actual contestants from the crowd to conduct a smaller version of American Idol. They limit the spacing and close it when they reach that limit, so it’s not just something that you can walk in and view, which would make the experience a bit more authentic to those involved.

It’s not my cup of tea, but I could definitely see this being a must-see (or must-participate) for 16-year-old girls.

And here are a few photos:

This is actually a huge faux, flat backdrop of San Francisco. There a lot of these things.

And that’s Disney’s Hollywood Studios at a glance. I’ll have more videos and photos from my trip in 48 hours.

I wasn’t originally planning on visiting Downtown Disney, but our trip to Orlando was quite long, so there was certainly enough time to check it out.

I had pictured Downtown Disney to be similar to what Main Street in Magic Kingdom is like – basically a plethora of Disney retail stores lined along one long street… but was pleasantly surprised to be proven wrong.

First off, Downtown Disney doesn’t require a ticket or pass to enter, which is nice. While it starts off with a lot of small Disney stores in a marketplace type setting, it quickly opens up to more of a traditional Disney park-type setting, with much larger buildings and sights to see.

Downtown Disney is actually extremely small when compared to other Disney parks, but it’s still worth visiting. It had a lot better restaurants than the other Disney locations – we had a really nice authentic Cuban meal there. I couldn’t decide between Cuban or Fulton’s Crab House.

Here’s a video of some of what Downtown Disney has to offer:

(Note: You may need to visit the post directly at TylerCruz.com if you’re reading this via e-mail or RSS in order to see it.)

And here are some photos:

A sea serpent made out of Lego, by the Lego store.

This is "Jenny" from Forrest Gump!

I have more videos and photos from my trip coming up.

The first place we went was actually Disney’s Magic Kingdom (the "main" one), but I didn’t take any photos or video there as it was the first real day of the trip and I wanted to explore and take things in. My plan was to return back there on a different day to take photos and video, but then I got really sick so that didn’t happen.

So, here are a couple of videos and a bunch of photos from Disney’s Animal Kingdom instead.

Even though we didn’t go during tourist season, there were still a ton of people there. I hate crowds, but the thing that really annoyed me in all the parks is just how slow 99.5% of people walk.

I understand that these are tourist locations, that it’s hot out, and that there is a lot of walking involved since the parks are so damn huge, but people are walking at such slow speeds that it’s ridiculous. And I’m not even talking about people who are looking around at things or older people or people with kids, but simply people trying to get from point A to point B – it’s as though they’re walking in slow motion… I just don’t get it.

Then again, I’ve always been a fast walker and one of my pet peeves has always been "slow walkers". One interesting thing I noted about Orlando, Florida is just how large people there are. I recently completed my weight loss challenge, and in Orlando I look freaking skinny compared to the average person! I wonder if this is related to how slow people there walk…

With my slow walker rant aside, Disney’s Animal Kingdom is very beautiful, and it didn’t feel like the animals were in captivity as I feared they might have (I expected it to be more like a zoo, which it was not).

The best part of Animal Kingdom, for me anyway, was definitely the safari. It was around a 25-30 minute trek through the Serengeti which really looked authentic, and it was great that the animals have free run of the place. The trek also includes some fun little surprises such as "broken" bridges and illegal poachers which we help catch.

I highly recommend doing the safari if you ever visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Florida.

Here’s a video of some of the safari (I sat right behind the driver which I enjoyed):

(Note: You may need to visit the post directly at TylerCruz.com if you’re reading this via e-mail or RSS in order to see it.)

Here’s a little bit of video footage from some other areas of Animal Kingdom:

(Note: You may need to visit the post directly at TylerCruz.com if you’re reading this via e-mail or RSS in order to see it.)

And here are some photos:

The "Circle of Life" tree from The Lion King, which welcomes you as you enter the park. It’s actually pretty massive… it was impressive.

Thanks for reading. I have more photos and video from my trip coming soon.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I am now back from vacation. I went to Orlando, Florida with my girlfriend to visit Disney World and Universal Studios, as well as to meet up with PeerFly and AmpedMedia.

The trip (including travel time) was 10-days, and we stayed at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. We had originally booked a much cheaper place, but upon arriving there (at 1:30am) we immediately booked another place for the following night as it was a complete dump. The worst part was all the loud drunk college kids yelling, screaming, and partying.

Fortunately, Coronado Springs was very nice… completely day and night compared to the first place.

The whole resort is built around what appears to be a man-made lake, and has a Mexico-based theme. The surprising thing to me was just how empty it was, comparatively speaking. Sure, it wasn’t exactly tourist season, but it WAS a Disney Resort, and yet it was very quiet and peaceful there. There were hardly any kids to be found, apart from hanging around the pool area. I think part of it is that the resort is just so damn big that people are very spread out and so you don’t notice them.

Anyway, the resort was absolutely beautiful, and had a fair bit of ‘wildlife’ including fish, birds, plenty of squirrels, and hordes of small lizards.

Here’s some video footage of the resort I took. It’s available in HD in case you’re interested:

(Note: You may need to visit the post directly at TylerCruz.com if you’re reading this via e-mail or RSS in order to see it.)

And here are some photos:

If you’re headed to Disney World and are looking for a very relaxing and quiet resort to stay at, I’d recommend Coronado Springs. You will pay an arm and leg for food, which is satisfactory, but it’s really peaceful and quiet there and has almost no signs of being owned by Disney.

Hey everyone. I haven’t really had the time to post any updates on my trip until now. The first day of travel took the entire day (we left at 6:45 A.M and arrived at 1:30 A.M), and then the Internet connection in my hotel room was broken and I didn’t get that sorted out until a day or two later.

Plus, I’m still getting used to my new laptop and Windows 7. I only took it out of the box a few hours before leaving on the trip, so it really wasn’t set up at all.

Anyhow, I decided to record most of my update for today’s blog post instead of writing it, as it’s actually quicker to do so:

(Note: You may need to visit the post directly at TylerCruz.com if you’re reading this via e-mail or RSS in order to see it.)

If I have the time, I’ll try to post some photos and/or video from the meetup before I head back hoe, but can’t promise anything.

Okay, time to sleep!

I started my weight loss challenge against Paul Piotrowski exactly 3 months ago, which means that there are only 30 days left!

As a quick recap, we each must lose 14% of our starting body weight (which works out to 30 pounds each) within 4 months (120 days). If one of us doesn’t make it, then he will have to pay the other $650. If neither of us make it, then we will donate $650 to the BCSPCA.

With only 30 days left, things are beginning to get quite scary. Each day is increasingly precious, and weight-gains are exceedingly painful.

Also, as we continue to lose weight, it gets that much more difficult to shred it off, so this final month will definitely be stressful.

My last update on this challenge was made a bit over a month ago, so a lot has happened since then.

Below is an updated line graph comparing my daily weigh-in’s to Paul’s:

Ever since Paul started his Dr. Bernstein diet, he has dropped weight at a surprisingly consistent rate.

Unfortunately for me, I had an extremely difficult first 2 weeks in August, bouncing up and down crazily… which didn’t make sense as I was trying hard and walking a lot of long distances, although it could be due to added leg muscles.

This graph below shows a direct comparison of our total weight loss in pounds, as opposed to just our our total weight:

As you can see, Paul has completely crushed me over the past 5-weeks.

I’m very used to this now, since I talk to Paul everyday and we compare our weights and progress, but it may be shocking to those of you who have been following this challenge.

Below is an update on the overall numerical data, taken from the last update to today (it’s too long to show the entire thing – if you want to know all the exact numbers, simply view the past weight loss updates for this challenge):

The Minimum Pace is taking the average amount of weight we need to lose each day (which works out to 0.25 lbs.) over 120 days in order to just barely lose 30 pounds, multiplied by the number of days so far.

The Real vs Min. Pace is the difference between our current weight loss and the Minimum Pace.

Paul’s weight loss has been very impressive, having lost 24.8 pounds so far. In fact, 2 days ago he made it into the 180’s – a weight that he literally can’t remember last being at.

Perhaps more impressive is the fact that he is 2.3 pounds AHEAD of minimum pace… giving him some good wiggle room for the final weigh-in.

I, on the other hand, have not been doing so well. It’s frustrating, because I have been losing weight… but not at the pace that is needed in order to make this challenge. To date, I have lost 18.8 pounds, which works out to an average of 0.2 pounds lost every day for the past 90 days.

But that is sadly not fast enough to put me on minimum pace… which is an average of 0.25 pounds a day. As a result, I am 3.7 pounds behind schedule

Don’t forget, too, that it’s even worse than that… as on the final weigh-in I have to my original weigh-in clothes which are heavier, plus hold my camera. The final weigh-in is also at 10pm… a time in which I always weigh more than when I first wake up.

I’m not liking my chances. I told Paul that I think I have around a 50% of making the challenge. He puts me at 80%, but I don’t think he knows just how fast these last 30 days will go.

My Efforts

I’ve been continuing to do my ‘daily list’ which consists of: walking for 24-minutes (2KM or 1.25 miles), playing badminton twice a week, eating 4 servings of fruits and vegetables, drinking 3 glasses of water, being banned from restaurants/fast food/high calorie foods/juice/pop, 12 push-up’s, and 35 crunches.

I think I’ve noticed an improvement in my capacity to walk. When I first started doing my 2KM walks around the neighbourhood, I was always very tired by the time I returned, panting heavily and labouring up the 2 floors to my apartment.

But now, I almost enjoy (keyword being ‘almost’) going out on my daily walks. And I never even notice going up the final 2 flights of stairs to my apartment anymore. I do still sweat a lot, but the panting is almost non-existent now.

I go on my daily walks rain or shine. In fact, I was working late one day and hadn’t gone for my daily walk yet, but I didn’t let that stop me. I went out in the dark and did what I had to do.

Below is a photo I took of myself during that walk. If you look very closely, you’ll see me:

In addition to my daily 2KM walks, I started going on much longer walks about twice a week (although I didn’t do any of those in the past week).

I first started by going around the circumference of a bird sanctuary several times, but that had gravel around the whole trail, which was hard on the feet, so I didn’t return.

I then started to walk from my condo, up North. On each progressive ‘long walk’, I would walk farther to another milestone (usually a mall or grocery store of some sort).

I did a few ‘long walks’ on a trail that runs along the old highway in my city. People like to walk their dogs along it, and it’s nicely paved, but it’s very noisy being right along the highway like that.

Then one day I decided to try the “Parkway Trail” in my city, which runs along the route of the parkway of my city, which is the faster and more direct highway.

I had heard of the trail before, but never went on it – mainly because I thought it would be too noisy (being along the faster highway and all).

But I was very pleasantly surprised! It’s a very beautiful trail, and doesn’t run nearly as close to the parkway as the other trail had.

In fact, a lot of it runs through greenery in which you can’t even tell that there is a highway nearby.

It is nicely paved, as you can see, which makes it really easy on the feet, and you can often seen rabbits hopping about.

What is rather surprising, is that almost nobody uses the trail! It’s a very well known trail in the city and the perfect time to use it (being summer and all), but I usually only see 1 or 2 people on it when I use it, and they’re always bicyclists – nobody ever walks or runs it.

I’m thinking perhaps because it’s too long for most people. The entire length of it is 20KM, and so walking one way and back would be 40KM… plus, since it’s along the highway, it doesn’t loop, so that could be one reason.

In any case, I love that nobody uses it. I enjoy the peace and quiet, and am able to zone out much easier.

Here’s one of the views from the trail:

There is one crappy part about the trail though: the underpass. You have to go through it, and it’s not pleasant; there is always the strong odour of urine, and you have to hold your breath as you pass through.

As with the other trail, I started going farther and farther on this one. The last trek on it was 12.5 KM (7.8 miles), and I plan on doing 13KM (8 miles) next time.

So, I’ve definitely been trying to lose weight. That’s partly why it has been so frustrating to see my weight loss slow down

The good news is that yesterday was a new low for me, at 194.0 pounds. I’m 18.8 pounds down, with 11.2 more pounds to go.

Paul’s Efforts

Paul has been continuing with his Dr.Bernstein diet, albeit on ‘maintenance mode’, which has continued to do extremely well for him. Basically, he’s doing 90% diet and 10% exercise, as he does walk/run on his treadmill from time to time.

However, I don’t think the maintenance mode is going too well for him. He appears to be having trouble straying just slightly off the diet – instead, he seems to go farther off it than he should be. For example, he told me about having pop and popcorn the other day, then pizza (even if it was vegetarian), ate hash browns, bacon, and eggs for breakfast, etc.

As a result, in the past week, Paul gained weight 4 days out of 7! He’s still ahead of schedule, but he does appear to be slipping

He will have an update on his weight loss very late tomorrow (August 22nd), and you can see photos of his physical weight loss here. I am not brave enough to post such photos.

Will We Make It? Cast Your Vote!

In my last 2 weight loss contest updates, I included polls to see what you guys thought would happen in this challenge.

A lot has happened in the past month, with Paul passing me and actually making me the big underdog to win, so it will be interesting to see how you guys vote now.

Below are the results of the past 2 polls. I’ve closed them now, since this post is now up with our updated stats: