Zac's CG blogs 2006
I feel compelled by their current down under adventures to finally post here Zac's CosmoGirl blogs about, among other things, their original 2006 promo visit to Australia. Enjoy!
Say Hola to Zac Efron!
Hola,
WOW. I can’t believe this is happening. I’m writing a blog for CosmoGirl…. SUHWEEET! I
have to say, that having been a subscriber for years, er, I mean, having seen the
magazine once before… that the style advice found within its pages is almost always
correct. The girls look HOT. Touché, CosmoGirl… you win this round.
How should I begin? With the recent success of "High School Musical," the entire cast
has found it difficult to field off the endless barrage of questions from the public: “Did
you expect the movie to be a hit?,” “what’s it like making a musical?,” “What’s the most
embarrassing song on your IPOD?” The questions are infinite, but by far, one question
has dominated all others; “How has your life changed since the premiere of HSM?” Yes,
this single question has been the backbone of nearly every interview since Friday, Jan
20th, 8:00pm. And that wouldn’t bother me . . . if the question wasn’t so HARD to
answer. How can I even BEGIN to explain how my life has changed since January? The
best I can do is stifle a laugh and say “it’s been amazing.” Because the truth is, my life
hasn’t changed . . . It’s been turned upside down.
This is my opportunity to answer the question once and for all. To not only “describe an
incident” or “tell a story” about the events that have been taking place in the past
months, but to SHOW you. Seriously, I’m gonna take this time to tell you about a few of
the crazy adventures I’ve been experiencing lately--and more importantly, the events
that have yet to come. So without further adieu…
Viva Australia!
On the southern side of the equator, toilets flush in a clockwise direction. That alone
was worth a plane ticket. Never in a million years did I imagine myself heading “down
under” to promote a movie. Yet here I am, staring into a half-empty suitcase at my feet.
Thus far I’ve packed the essentials - socks, underwear, passport, wheat thins and
poker chips. Everything else just seems unnecessary. So, while I brainstorm on what
else to bring… here’s why I’m losing sleep over this vacation.
The Boomerang, Steve Erwin, Kangaroos, the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Dingoes
and “G’day Mate”. What do all of these things have in common? They’re from Australia.
Honestly, How could I turn down a trip to the land that gave us Crocodile Dundee?
Sunday marks the first of eight days I will be spending “in the outback”. (Or more
accurately, Sydney) But regardless, there are MANY cool stops to be made on the trip.
Who knows what awaits us in the land down under…
I’ll keep you posted on my trip. It's gonna be TIGHT. Toothbrush! I need a toothbrush…
Mondays suck
It’s the worst day of the week by far. Honestly, the world would be a better place if we didn’t have Mondays. So you can imagine my excitement when my plane took off from LAX on at 10:45pm on Sunday and landed in Australia at 6:10am on Tuesday -- I did it. I skipped Monday. And there is NO WAY to describe the feeling -- a mixture of euphoria and airplane turbulence -- sheer bliss.
So after a short regroup, the cast went straight to work. Ashley, Monique, Vanessa and I had an entire country to inform about HSM, and only 6 days to do it in. Not only were we short 2 cast mates, but we were jetlagged to a pulp. To make things worse, I couldn’t speak Australian for the life of me . . . kidding, kidding.
First stop, the Taronga Zoo. Now, I’ve been to a zoo before. I’ve seen the Lions and the Giraffes and the Zebras. I’ve watched the gorillas play around in their glass cages. I’ve seen the bears mosey back and forth in their pseudo-forest habitats. I’ve even had monkeys throw poop at me from their pens (They missed. Barely.) Yes. I have been to the zoo. Still, as we handed over our tickets, I could sense this was going to be a very different experience.
Instead of a zoo keeper, we were greeted by an “EMU” -- A very large, “ostrich” like Bird that resembles the raptors from Jurassic park. This was fine… accept for the fact it was OUTSIDE ITS CAGE. It was huge, mean, and to make matters worse, Vanessa and I almost knocked it over walking in the entrance. As we stood nose to nose with the monstrous animal (which could have taken our heads off at any moment) I instantly forgot my jetlag, and was amped to continue the tour. I mean, any zoo that has giant, man-eating birds walking freely on the grounds has to be somewhat cool.
After I single handedly scared off the Emu and saved the damsel in distress, we headed over to the Kangaroo exhibit. Our guide let us “ooh” and “ahh” for a few moments before unlocking the gate and shooing us inside. Inside. Inside the cage. WITH THE KANGAROOS. Believe it or not, we were instant homies. I was chillin with 3 of Australia’s coolest marsupials. We hung out, drank water, ate foliage, talked about the weather, hopped around a bit… you know, kangaroo stuff. On a serious note, at one point, the largest Roo stood up and tried to “Box” Vanessa for no apparent reason. I tell you, on its hind legs, the thing was monstrous, and had a better stance than Muhammad Ali. Only one thing raced through my mind as Vanessa stood there face to face with the heavyweight champ . . . awesome.
To be continued - next week. I’m off to see X3. After meeting Sir Ian Mckellan (Magneto), I’m semi-obligated to see it in theaters. This is day 1 of 7 of my trip to OZ. peace, love and boomerangs.
Back in U.S.A.
"X3" was INSANE. Ian McKellen was amazing as always. There was an awesome scene where Wolverine fights “Spike” - this guy with like weird root/spear things that shoot from his wrists. Way cool.
Anyways, back to an even better fight - Vanessa VS. Kangaroo. The two were at a stalemate. The Kangaroo stared deep into Vanessa’s eyes. You could cut the tension with a knife. Everyone was silent. The air was still… Then the Kangaroo got distracted and started to eat flowers. Yeah, no mutant super powers were used in this fight. Just Kangaroo A.D.D.
Next, our guide brought out a GIANT crocodile.
The picture shown in my last blog entry is deceiving. That thing is HYOOGE. Look closely, Monique is terrified. Obviously the camera couldn’t capture the sheer size of the beast. Luckily, I was able to wrangle it just before it escaped into the public. And I’m not scared in the pic... I was merely halfway through a sneeze ;)
The rest of our zoo visit was pretty normal. We played with a koala - probably the closest thing to a living teddy bear I’ve ever seen. Then it was off to the hotel. We had to rest up for the following day. The “Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb.” It sounded pretty easy to me. What could possibly be hard about a guided climb up a bridge? Once again, I couldn’t have been more wrong…
Well, that’s all I've got 4 today. I’m a little rushed. The Mets are playing at Dodgers stadium and I have WAY good seats. Definitely never sat this close before. BTW, I really enjoy reading your guys' comments. I’ll try and answer a few questions next time. I’m glad you’re liking my blog. Peace!
Zac's graduation day!
Wait… did I just graduate?
Is it possible? Is it possible that four years of my life have passed? Four years? That all the reading, writing, listening, studying, practicing, speaking, typing, testing, passing, failing, cheating, laughing, crying, dancing, singing, joking, schmoozing and learning has all lead up to this single moment?
Four years = 1,460 days = 35,040 hours = 2,102,400 minutes = 126,144,000 seconds.
In my short life, I never thought I would accumulate 126 million anything. Yet there I stood on graduation day -- silly blue gown, crooked square hat and all. And as I moved that tassel from the left side of my hat to the right, I realized something. Something deep, profound and amazing. Something that made me want to laugh, cry and scream all at the same time. I realized… “I’m done.”
!!BOOOMSHAKALAKA!! That’s the only word I can think of to describe the feeling of never having to do “homework” again. Of never having to sit through first period in a hungry haze while your teacher rambles on in “Espanol”. Of never having to change into those stanky-@$$ P.E. clothes. Of putting all your binders and books into a giant, rock-filled, burlap sack and watching them sink to the bottom of a river!... (Ok. I haven’t actually done that last one. But you see where I’m going with this.) It was amazing. And I can’t wait for all of you to have the same experience.
Now, onto a similarly awesome experience -- the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb.
The second I zipped up the weird, frumpy, space-suit, I knew this was gonna be fun. After all, Ash, Mo and Van all looked ridiculous. And I had a camera. :-D. So after our group adorned the necessary gear (safety belts, connector belts, mike belts, rain jackets, beanies, etc.) we set off for the climb of our lives. Aside from the 20 pounds of equipment we were carrying, there was only 1 small complication. At its peak height, the bridge is over 134 meters (440 feet) above sea level. And we had 3 girls who were about to discover their incredible fear of heights. ugh.
Inch by inch, we climbed the bridge. NOT foot by foot, or step by step. Literally inch by inch. To use any other frame of measurement would overshadow how exceedingly slow we were going. You see, due to the bridge’s extreme height and weather conditions, the girls were in a mild state of panic during the ENTIRE climb. Duty called. It became my job to “help.” Encouraging phrases like “you can do it!” and “great job!” and “just a little farther!” flowed from my mouth like backstreet boys’ lyrics in 5th grade. Despite everyone’s combined efforts, we were still going megaly slow. The turtles were laughing at us. But then, by some type of magic, we ran out of steps…
And we were HIGH. How had we gotten so ridiculously far off the ground? I was so caught up in helping the girls that I had forgotten where I was! Seriously, there’s a sensation called “vertigo” in which a person has “the sensation that they are about to fall.” And I had NEVER had it so strong in my entire life. I could feel the edge sucking me toward it. Absolutely freaky and wonderful. The view was sweet. I’ll say that much. The opera house looked tiny. From the top of the harbour bridge, I was looking out over one of the most amazing landscapes I’ve ever seen. The air was so clear that if I squinted, I could almost make out my house in California. I waved to my kangaroo friends at the zoo. They waved back. Awesome.
The trek down was a piece of cake. At the bottom of the bridge, the girls and I were excited. And rightfully so; they had triumphed over one of their worst fears and I had enough pictures to never let them forget it.
This entry is pretty long, so THERE. I made up for last week. I’ll now answer 2 of your most relevant, pressing, important, pertinent, vital questions. Ready?
Yes, I would date a fan. Please don’t think ANYONE in the entertainment industry actually enjoys dating fellow actors - it simply works out that way.
And NO! I DON’T HAVE A MYSPACE! Never have. Please, if you find me on that website, no matter how much I try and convince you it’s me, I promise - IT’S NOT. Lol. Help me take down the fakes. Thanks guys.
Last thing - I met Kobe Bryant today! WHOA. He was so cool. Lori Loughlin and Jmac were there too. Summerland Reunion! We were helping raise money for pediatric aids. Great fun - great cause.
So that’s all 4 now. Next week I’ll check out the Sydney opera house. BOOMSHAKALAKA.
Sharks Sharks Sharks
Everyone is SO afraid of sharks. Almost EVERY single ocean-wary person I’ve talked to mentioned sharks were the reason they would "never dream of swimming in the ocean." What is it that makes them so frightening? Is it their multiple rows of jagged, monstrous, flesh-laden teeth? Or their ominous stare? Or that infamous blade-like fin that cuts through the water on its way to devour helpless, innocent, vacationing tourists? Psh…
I swear, Jaws created an entire generation of scaredy cats. In reality, sharks kill approximately 10 people per year worldwide (3 in 2002). That’s less than deer, pigs, bees, elephants, dogs and even plastic bags. On the contrary, humans are responsible for between 20 and 100 million dead sharks per year. Now who’s scarier?
The reason I’m focusing on this tender subject is because shark-phobia prevents MILLIONS of people from surfing (or getting in the ocean at all). And really, they aren’t that bad! Do you know any sharks? Have you ever talked to one? Have you put yourself in their shoes? Have you seen Finding Nemo?
I had my heart set on surfing "down under," and I wasn’t going to let the fact that Bondi Beach was very close to one of the largest Great White breeding grounds in the world slow me down! Not one bit! I think it would be fun to see one up close. That’s one thing not many people get to do! haha… ha… heh…………….. okay, I was a little scared. But once I zipped up my wetsuit (which actually makes me invincible) I was ready to hit the whites, er, waves.
Much to my surprise, Vanessa was right there too. I was surprised by her fearlessness. She had never surfed and was about to step into some pretty hyooooge waves - gold medal for courage! Ashley took her place on the beach to cheer us on as we grabbed our boards and took off toward the water. That’s when I saw it…
A GIANT… GREAT… WHITE
Kidding, kidding, but I know that’s what you were thinking ;-D What I saw was the surf. For a second, I just stopped and gawked at what had to be the most beautiful shoreline I had ever seen. The water was clean and clear and took on a beautiful turquoise color where it met the sand. It just looked warm. My suspicions were confirmed as I set foot into what had to be at least 75 degree water. At that point, I could care less about surfing. My mind was thinking about the billions of people that would never know nor care about Bondi Beach. I was experiencing something rare and amazing, something that people dream about. I took one more look around, registered the image in the back of my mind and promised it never will be forgotten - EVER.
I paddled out into the green/blue abyss. The waves were beautiful. One after another, perfect. To tell you the truth, I don’t really remember much from here on out. I sorta blacked out during this part of the story. That’s one reason I’ll never write a novel. Every time I REALLY start to have fun, I get way too excited and forget everything that happens. But the important part is I was having an amazing time. Waves were coming in. I was on top of them. :)
I walked onto the beach in my usual trance. It’s a semi-glued, reminiscent smile. I glanced over to V (who had just rode her first waves ever). She had the same expression. Turns out Ash stayed the WHOLE TIME to watch. She’s all, "what the heck Zac, there were like, tons of waves that you missed." Thanks for the support ;) We packed up our stuff and hit the road. In the words of the girls, it was "time for shopping!" My turn to feel like a fish out of water (no pun intended)! HAHA! Ha! Hehe… heh… ::cricket:: ::cricket::
Anyways. I didn’t make it to the Sydney Opera House this time around. But I think I still have one more chance to blogerize. On a side note, I’m back in San Luis Obispo this weekend. Good 2 be home. This really is my last summer to spend here. Next year all my friends will be gone. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to make the most out of it. So that’s it!
The Sydney Opera House isn't as cool as Disneyland!
I was going to tell you about the Sydney Opera House. But since we went to see “modern dance,” I thought I'd skip this portion of the story ;) And this is my final blog, so I’m jumping ahead to something a little more recent.
Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. It’s undisputable. But am I the only person to ask myself why? Why is the Peter Pan ride so incredibly fun? Why did meeting Mickey revolutionize my childhood in a way that I’ll never be able to explain? What do they do to those mouse-shaped pancakes that make them taste so unbelievably delicious? It’s one of the world’s great mysteries. And never do I want to know the answer...
But honestly, has anyone ever taken a step back and actually thought about what happens in Splash Mountain? Some of the world’s scariest mechanical monsters sing high pitched repetitive songs until the protagonist is thrown into a spike pit. Maybe I’m wrong, but didn’t they steal that from Mortal Kombat? Nevertheless, as our soaking wet, hallowed log traversed the quazi dimension of briar rabbit, kids of all shapes, sizes, ages and genders looked about in fascination. Props, Walt. Mad Props.
The real reason I was at Disneyland was for the “Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man’s Chest” premiere. I love pirates. I love pirate fight scenes. I love how pirates always have perfectly applied eyeliner. And I love Pirates Booty (that bagged popcorn from Trader Joe’s.) Honestly, for a while, I wanted to be a professional pirate. They’re so mysterious. For example: what exactly is “swashbuckling?” and how does one swash a buckle? My fascination with pirates left me no choice but to attend the premiere.
Now, I apologize, but I can’t tell you what happens in the actual movie. That would be way too cool of me. But I CAN tell you it was pretty sweet. And the ending is absolutely incredible. And the bad guys are way cooler than zombies. And oh yeah, Captain Jack still has time to do his makeup every morning. THAT’S IT. I can’t reveal anymore.
Now, I would LOVE to keep writing for you guys every week. Never in a million Years was I expecting such a great response. However, I’m beginning work on a new project that requires ALL of my attention ;)
Thanks to CosmoGirl for letting me babble for 6 weeks str8. And thanks for all your great advice on girl’s fashion……………for without it, so many of these hot girls would not know what to wear.
Thank you SO much to all you ladies. I had a great time writing for you, and an even better time reading all your responses. First chance I get, I’ll be back to ramble! But for now I bid you all adieu. Much love…
And oh yeah, BOOMSHAKALAKA!
Say Hola to Zac Efron!
Hola,
WOW. I can’t believe this is happening. I’m writing a blog for CosmoGirl…. SUHWEEET! I
have to say, that having been a subscriber for years, er, I mean, having seen the
magazine once before… that the style advice found within its pages is almost always
correct. The girls look HOT. Touché, CosmoGirl… you win this round.
How should I begin? With the recent success of "High School Musical," the entire cast
has found it difficult to field off the endless barrage of questions from the public: “Did
you expect the movie to be a hit?,” “what’s it like making a musical?,” “What’s the most
embarrassing song on your IPOD?” The questions are infinite, but by far, one question
has dominated all others; “How has your life changed since the premiere of HSM?” Yes,
this single question has been the backbone of nearly every interview since Friday, Jan
20th, 8:00pm. And that wouldn’t bother me . . . if the question wasn’t so HARD to
answer. How can I even BEGIN to explain how my life has changed since January? The
best I can do is stifle a laugh and say “it’s been amazing.” Because the truth is, my life
hasn’t changed . . . It’s been turned upside down.
This is my opportunity to answer the question once and for all. To not only “describe an
incident” or “tell a story” about the events that have been taking place in the past
months, but to SHOW you. Seriously, I’m gonna take this time to tell you about a few of
the crazy adventures I’ve been experiencing lately--and more importantly, the events
that have yet to come. So without further adieu…
Viva Australia!
On the southern side of the equator, toilets flush in a clockwise direction. That alone
was worth a plane ticket. Never in a million years did I imagine myself heading “down
under” to promote a movie. Yet here I am, staring into a half-empty suitcase at my feet.
Thus far I’ve packed the essentials - socks, underwear, passport, wheat thins and
poker chips. Everything else just seems unnecessary. So, while I brainstorm on what
else to bring… here’s why I’m losing sleep over this vacation.
The Boomerang, Steve Erwin, Kangaroos, the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, Dingoes
and “G’day Mate”. What do all of these things have in common? They’re from Australia.
Honestly, How could I turn down a trip to the land that gave us Crocodile Dundee?
Sunday marks the first of eight days I will be spending “in the outback”. (Or more
accurately, Sydney) But regardless, there are MANY cool stops to be made on the trip.
Who knows what awaits us in the land down under…
I’ll keep you posted on my trip. It's gonna be TIGHT. Toothbrush! I need a toothbrush…
Mondays suck
It’s the worst day of the week by far. Honestly, the world would be a better place if we didn’t have Mondays. So you can imagine my excitement when my plane took off from LAX on at 10:45pm on Sunday and landed in Australia at 6:10am on Tuesday -- I did it. I skipped Monday. And there is NO WAY to describe the feeling -- a mixture of euphoria and airplane turbulence -- sheer bliss.
So after a short regroup, the cast went straight to work. Ashley, Monique, Vanessa and I had an entire country to inform about HSM, and only 6 days to do it in. Not only were we short 2 cast mates, but we were jetlagged to a pulp. To make things worse, I couldn’t speak Australian for the life of me . . . kidding, kidding.
First stop, the Taronga Zoo. Now, I’ve been to a zoo before. I’ve seen the Lions and the Giraffes and the Zebras. I’ve watched the gorillas play around in their glass cages. I’ve seen the bears mosey back and forth in their pseudo-forest habitats. I’ve even had monkeys throw poop at me from their pens (They missed. Barely.) Yes. I have been to the zoo. Still, as we handed over our tickets, I could sense this was going to be a very different experience.
Instead of a zoo keeper, we were greeted by an “EMU” -- A very large, “ostrich” like Bird that resembles the raptors from Jurassic park. This was fine… accept for the fact it was OUTSIDE ITS CAGE. It was huge, mean, and to make matters worse, Vanessa and I almost knocked it over walking in the entrance. As we stood nose to nose with the monstrous animal (which could have taken our heads off at any moment) I instantly forgot my jetlag, and was amped to continue the tour. I mean, any zoo that has giant, man-eating birds walking freely on the grounds has to be somewhat cool.
After I single handedly scared off the Emu and saved the damsel in distress, we headed over to the Kangaroo exhibit. Our guide let us “ooh” and “ahh” for a few moments before unlocking the gate and shooing us inside. Inside. Inside the cage. WITH THE KANGAROOS. Believe it or not, we were instant homies. I was chillin with 3 of Australia’s coolest marsupials. We hung out, drank water, ate foliage, talked about the weather, hopped around a bit… you know, kangaroo stuff. On a serious note, at one point, the largest Roo stood up and tried to “Box” Vanessa for no apparent reason. I tell you, on its hind legs, the thing was monstrous, and had a better stance than Muhammad Ali. Only one thing raced through my mind as Vanessa stood there face to face with the heavyweight champ . . . awesome.
To be continued - next week. I’m off to see X3. After meeting Sir Ian Mckellan (Magneto), I’m semi-obligated to see it in theaters. This is day 1 of 7 of my trip to OZ. peace, love and boomerangs.
Back in U.S.A.
"X3" was INSANE. Ian McKellen was amazing as always. There was an awesome scene where Wolverine fights “Spike” - this guy with like weird root/spear things that shoot from his wrists. Way cool.
Anyways, back to an even better fight - Vanessa VS. Kangaroo. The two were at a stalemate. The Kangaroo stared deep into Vanessa’s eyes. You could cut the tension with a knife. Everyone was silent. The air was still… Then the Kangaroo got distracted and started to eat flowers. Yeah, no mutant super powers were used in this fight. Just Kangaroo A.D.D.
Next, our guide brought out a GIANT crocodile.
The picture shown in my last blog entry is deceiving. That thing is HYOOGE. Look closely, Monique is terrified. Obviously the camera couldn’t capture the sheer size of the beast. Luckily, I was able to wrangle it just before it escaped into the public. And I’m not scared in the pic... I was merely halfway through a sneeze ;)
The rest of our zoo visit was pretty normal. We played with a koala - probably the closest thing to a living teddy bear I’ve ever seen. Then it was off to the hotel. We had to rest up for the following day. The “Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb.” It sounded pretty easy to me. What could possibly be hard about a guided climb up a bridge? Once again, I couldn’t have been more wrong…
Well, that’s all I've got 4 today. I’m a little rushed. The Mets are playing at Dodgers stadium and I have WAY good seats. Definitely never sat this close before. BTW, I really enjoy reading your guys' comments. I’ll try and answer a few questions next time. I’m glad you’re liking my blog. Peace!
Zac's graduation day!
Wait… did I just graduate?
Is it possible? Is it possible that four years of my life have passed? Four years? That all the reading, writing, listening, studying, practicing, speaking, typing, testing, passing, failing, cheating, laughing, crying, dancing, singing, joking, schmoozing and learning has all lead up to this single moment?
Four years = 1,460 days = 35,040 hours = 2,102,400 minutes = 126,144,000 seconds.
In my short life, I never thought I would accumulate 126 million anything. Yet there I stood on graduation day -- silly blue gown, crooked square hat and all. And as I moved that tassel from the left side of my hat to the right, I realized something. Something deep, profound and amazing. Something that made me want to laugh, cry and scream all at the same time. I realized… “I’m done.”
!!BOOOMSHAKALAKA!! That’s the only word I can think of to describe the feeling of never having to do “homework” again. Of never having to sit through first period in a hungry haze while your teacher rambles on in “Espanol”. Of never having to change into those stanky-@$$ P.E. clothes. Of putting all your binders and books into a giant, rock-filled, burlap sack and watching them sink to the bottom of a river!... (Ok. I haven’t actually done that last one. But you see where I’m going with this.) It was amazing. And I can’t wait for all of you to have the same experience.
Now, onto a similarly awesome experience -- the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb.
The second I zipped up the weird, frumpy, space-suit, I knew this was gonna be fun. After all, Ash, Mo and Van all looked ridiculous. And I had a camera. :-D. So after our group adorned the necessary gear (safety belts, connector belts, mike belts, rain jackets, beanies, etc.) we set off for the climb of our lives. Aside from the 20 pounds of equipment we were carrying, there was only 1 small complication. At its peak height, the bridge is over 134 meters (440 feet) above sea level. And we had 3 girls who were about to discover their incredible fear of heights. ugh.
Inch by inch, we climbed the bridge. NOT foot by foot, or step by step. Literally inch by inch. To use any other frame of measurement would overshadow how exceedingly slow we were going. You see, due to the bridge’s extreme height and weather conditions, the girls were in a mild state of panic during the ENTIRE climb. Duty called. It became my job to “help.” Encouraging phrases like “you can do it!” and “great job!” and “just a little farther!” flowed from my mouth like backstreet boys’ lyrics in 5th grade. Despite everyone’s combined efforts, we were still going megaly slow. The turtles were laughing at us. But then, by some type of magic, we ran out of steps…
And we were HIGH. How had we gotten so ridiculously far off the ground? I was so caught up in helping the girls that I had forgotten where I was! Seriously, there’s a sensation called “vertigo” in which a person has “the sensation that they are about to fall.” And I had NEVER had it so strong in my entire life. I could feel the edge sucking me toward it. Absolutely freaky and wonderful. The view was sweet. I’ll say that much. The opera house looked tiny. From the top of the harbour bridge, I was looking out over one of the most amazing landscapes I’ve ever seen. The air was so clear that if I squinted, I could almost make out my house in California. I waved to my kangaroo friends at the zoo. They waved back. Awesome.
The trek down was a piece of cake. At the bottom of the bridge, the girls and I were excited. And rightfully so; they had triumphed over one of their worst fears and I had enough pictures to never let them forget it.
This entry is pretty long, so THERE. I made up for last week. I’ll now answer 2 of your most relevant, pressing, important, pertinent, vital questions. Ready?
Yes, I would date a fan. Please don’t think ANYONE in the entertainment industry actually enjoys dating fellow actors - it simply works out that way.
And NO! I DON’T HAVE A MYSPACE! Never have. Please, if you find me on that website, no matter how much I try and convince you it’s me, I promise - IT’S NOT. Lol. Help me take down the fakes. Thanks guys.
Last thing - I met Kobe Bryant today! WHOA. He was so cool. Lori Loughlin and Jmac were there too. Summerland Reunion! We were helping raise money for pediatric aids. Great fun - great cause.
So that’s all 4 now. Next week I’ll check out the Sydney opera house. BOOMSHAKALAKA.
Sharks Sharks Sharks
Everyone is SO afraid of sharks. Almost EVERY single ocean-wary person I’ve talked to mentioned sharks were the reason they would "never dream of swimming in the ocean." What is it that makes them so frightening? Is it their multiple rows of jagged, monstrous, flesh-laden teeth? Or their ominous stare? Or that infamous blade-like fin that cuts through the water on its way to devour helpless, innocent, vacationing tourists? Psh…
I swear, Jaws created an entire generation of scaredy cats. In reality, sharks kill approximately 10 people per year worldwide (3 in 2002). That’s less than deer, pigs, bees, elephants, dogs and even plastic bags. On the contrary, humans are responsible for between 20 and 100 million dead sharks per year. Now who’s scarier?
The reason I’m focusing on this tender subject is because shark-phobia prevents MILLIONS of people from surfing (or getting in the ocean at all). And really, they aren’t that bad! Do you know any sharks? Have you ever talked to one? Have you put yourself in their shoes? Have you seen Finding Nemo?
I had my heart set on surfing "down under," and I wasn’t going to let the fact that Bondi Beach was very close to one of the largest Great White breeding grounds in the world slow me down! Not one bit! I think it would be fun to see one up close. That’s one thing not many people get to do! haha… ha… heh…………….. okay, I was a little scared. But once I zipped up my wetsuit (which actually makes me invincible) I was ready to hit the whites, er, waves.
Much to my surprise, Vanessa was right there too. I was surprised by her fearlessness. She had never surfed and was about to step into some pretty hyooooge waves - gold medal for courage! Ashley took her place on the beach to cheer us on as we grabbed our boards and took off toward the water. That’s when I saw it…
A GIANT… GREAT… WHITE
Kidding, kidding, but I know that’s what you were thinking ;-D What I saw was the surf. For a second, I just stopped and gawked at what had to be the most beautiful shoreline I had ever seen. The water was clean and clear and took on a beautiful turquoise color where it met the sand. It just looked warm. My suspicions were confirmed as I set foot into what had to be at least 75 degree water. At that point, I could care less about surfing. My mind was thinking about the billions of people that would never know nor care about Bondi Beach. I was experiencing something rare and amazing, something that people dream about. I took one more look around, registered the image in the back of my mind and promised it never will be forgotten - EVER.
I paddled out into the green/blue abyss. The waves were beautiful. One after another, perfect. To tell you the truth, I don’t really remember much from here on out. I sorta blacked out during this part of the story. That’s one reason I’ll never write a novel. Every time I REALLY start to have fun, I get way too excited and forget everything that happens. But the important part is I was having an amazing time. Waves were coming in. I was on top of them. :)
I walked onto the beach in my usual trance. It’s a semi-glued, reminiscent smile. I glanced over to V (who had just rode her first waves ever). She had the same expression. Turns out Ash stayed the WHOLE TIME to watch. She’s all, "what the heck Zac, there were like, tons of waves that you missed." Thanks for the support ;) We packed up our stuff and hit the road. In the words of the girls, it was "time for shopping!" My turn to feel like a fish out of water (no pun intended)! HAHA! Ha! Hehe… heh… ::cricket:: ::cricket::
Anyways. I didn’t make it to the Sydney Opera House this time around. But I think I still have one more chance to blogerize. On a side note, I’m back in San Luis Obispo this weekend. Good 2 be home. This really is my last summer to spend here. Next year all my friends will be gone. Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to make the most out of it. So that’s it!
The Sydney Opera House isn't as cool as Disneyland!
I was going to tell you about the Sydney Opera House. But since we went to see “modern dance,” I thought I'd skip this portion of the story ;) And this is my final blog, so I’m jumping ahead to something a little more recent.
Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. It’s undisputable. But am I the only person to ask myself why? Why is the Peter Pan ride so incredibly fun? Why did meeting Mickey revolutionize my childhood in a way that I’ll never be able to explain? What do they do to those mouse-shaped pancakes that make them taste so unbelievably delicious? It’s one of the world’s great mysteries. And never do I want to know the answer...
But honestly, has anyone ever taken a step back and actually thought about what happens in Splash Mountain? Some of the world’s scariest mechanical monsters sing high pitched repetitive songs until the protagonist is thrown into a spike pit. Maybe I’m wrong, but didn’t they steal that from Mortal Kombat? Nevertheless, as our soaking wet, hallowed log traversed the quazi dimension of briar rabbit, kids of all shapes, sizes, ages and genders looked about in fascination. Props, Walt. Mad Props.
The real reason I was at Disneyland was for the “Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man’s Chest” premiere. I love pirates. I love pirate fight scenes. I love how pirates always have perfectly applied eyeliner. And I love Pirates Booty (that bagged popcorn from Trader Joe’s.) Honestly, for a while, I wanted to be a professional pirate. They’re so mysterious. For example: what exactly is “swashbuckling?” and how does one swash a buckle? My fascination with pirates left me no choice but to attend the premiere.
Now, I apologize, but I can’t tell you what happens in the actual movie. That would be way too cool of me. But I CAN tell you it was pretty sweet. And the ending is absolutely incredible. And the bad guys are way cooler than zombies. And oh yeah, Captain Jack still has time to do his makeup every morning. THAT’S IT. I can’t reveal anymore.
Now, I would LOVE to keep writing for you guys every week. Never in a million Years was I expecting such a great response. However, I’m beginning work on a new project that requires ALL of my attention ;)
Thanks to CosmoGirl for letting me babble for 6 weeks str8. And thanks for all your great advice on girl’s fashion……………for without it, so many of these hot girls would not know what to wear.
Thank you SO much to all you ladies. I had a great time writing for you, and an even better time reading all your responses. First chance I get, I’ll be back to ramble! But for now I bid you all adieu. Much love…
And oh yeah, BOOMSHAKALAKA!