A Tanksgiving-Tastic Week

This week has come after a long wait. I can’t wait to share all my memories of this fantastic Tanksgiving with you all! I am very thankful to God and Lord Jesus for everything they have done to lead me to the person I am today!

My Dream:
1. Create successful cartoon characters and movies that will inspire the lives of others.
2. Move to Los Angeles to be closer to the entertainment industry.
3. Marry someone who has a very similar personality as me; a love for film, music, and animation!
4. Open up and run a successful animation studio and eventually reach out to travelers with a resort.

I was desperately waiting for this week to come! I am getting bored and stressed out with school! English and History are my least favorite subjects and are both extremely challenging for me, although I love to write scripts and really enjoy creative writing. In those subjects, A’s and B’s on exams, especially closed-notes exams, are pretty rare. My average test grades in those classes are below the passing grade line, let’s say around a D (65%). Those tests cover almost every single detail, whether it is an important detail or not, and require a lot of memory of those details. Why details? Most of them are not very relevant/important and are very hard to process. Although, sometimes with my autism, I do obsess over little details at times.

Speaking of my challenges, I am extremely worried about whether I am ready for college or not and whether I will ever graduate from college; my reading score on the standardized tests were very low, on the borderline; even comprehending from a middle school chapter book with no pictures is still very challenging for me; even more of a challenge, developmentally, I am just becoming a teenager and am very delayed in many aspects of life, socially and academically. I still am having a very hard time becoming as independent as a normal 17-18 year old; I am nowhere near that level, at least 4 years behind. I have been practicing stir-frying and helping my parents in the kitchen. However, stir-frying and cutting veggies are still quite a bit of a hassle for me. I am also having a hard time finding a part-time job, like most creative people, I get bored easily at routine jobs and daydream 24/7.

On the bright side, I have been learning new math concepts for fun and practicing more math problems on Khan Academy. Yes, I admit, I am pretty weird when it comes to my personality. I am currently taking AP Calculus BC and am loving the class and all the new math concepts I am learning. Math and physics tests are the only tests where I usually get A’s and sometimes B’s, although the first math tests this year were the most challenging math tests I have ever taken due to the complexity of the word problems and the vocabulary. I proved the addition formula for cosine today all on my own without any help, nor assistance.

My proof

More math for fun

I am on my school’s plack because I worked so hard and got a perfect score on last year’s Pre-Calculus Honors Final in the 2nd Semester. I betcha one of my past therapists would be very surprised to see that I received a perfect score on a final that is very hard to receive a perfect score, and am taking 2 AP classes at the moment as a child with special needs.


As usual with my cartoony obsession, I have also been producing more artwork and working on my short animated films on my free time. I have gotten pretty far in my artistic work in the last few months.

I started a Macy's Thanksgiving Parade Animation. It will be on my YouTube channel sometime this week or next week.

Observational drawing of a hotel near my temporary home in Redwood Shores, CA.

Besides my drawing, I also went to check out stores for Black Friday shopping. My favorite stores I went to were the Apple Store, Target, the Best Buy, and PetSmart. 
I love animals of all kinds, with the exception of reptiles and insects. My favorites being pandas, dogs, and cats. I had a fun time watching the dogs in the Pet Smart doggy day camp playing around the area. Dogs in my opinion are the best pets you can ever have right now because they are very friendly and want to spend a lot of time with you every day. Speaking of animals, I really miss both the San Diego Zoo and the SeaWorld San Diego. Both parks bring back lovable memories for me and my love for animals, especially the Sesame Street Play Structure at the SeaWorld San Diego and the Panda exhibit at the San Diego Zoo. At least from L.A., my future permanent home, it’s only less than 2 hours away by car on the 5. 
Best Buy also has a promotion for the iPhone 8. Although I currently have an iPhone 6, I decided to wait another year since I heard Apple may be coming out with a cheaper all-screen phone. 



Most of all, what made this week the best were the french fries for lunch on Saturday and most of all, the very tasty turkey I ate for dinner on Saturday night. Although it was 2 days late, I still had a blast!

In-N-Out French Fries; The Usual California Taste

Love the Turkey!!!!

Another Busy Week

Hey everyone! This is JYip on the phone here again. This week was another busy one, which is the reason I have not been posting as much lately. I have received a bunch of homework from school and on my free time, all busy pursuing my dream of creating cartoon characters and movies. I have been drawing digitally, and on paper, as well as filming and animating in Toon Boom, and even more 3D modeling in Maya.

Current progress of modeling my Sorcerer Mickey Mouse as of Monday 11/20

 I did more math for fun, as well as researching Kepler's Laws of Planetary Motion. I committed the 1st and 3rd law to memory; the 2nd law for me was a little hard to understand though.



Thanksgiving is coming up very soon and then Christmas! Stay tuned for more adventures!

Another Wonderful, Fun Week

ANOTHER WEEK OF ADVENTURE, FILMMAKING, VISUAL DEVELOPMENT, AND MATH

This week was another great week I had. I spent a lot of time sketching my characters I really want to bring to life as well as working on 90 problems (even though only 20 of them were required) for my take-home test for AP Calculus BC. I did a bunch of sketching of environments and human portraits. I still feel very lonely at my house, always wishing for a younger sister who shared my interests. Although I have met a lot of supportive boys and girls, I feel like girls tend to be nicer than guys. My younger brothers get along with each other very well and spend time with each other everyday. 

Being a child with special needs and learning disabilities is not easy. Reading comprehension and paying attention are the most challenging parts of school, and are mainly why I do not like the majority of school. My reading level is far below grade level; when I took the 9th Grade English Placement Test, I scored at a 5th grade level. Even if I read a paragraph in a chapter book with little-to-no pictures, no matter what the book is focusing on, whether it is fiction or nonfiction, I will have a really hard time remembering what I read. The highest score I have ever received on a reading comprehension test ever in my school career in a regular English class is an 85%. My average written test scores for non-math and physics classes are below the passing grade line; around a 65%. I am really enjoying Digital Arts II, AP Physics, and AP Calculus BC since those are the subjects I love and that I am learning by my preferred method in those classes the majority of the time; doing hands-on labs, seeing visual demonstrations, looking at visuals, and by drawing.

People have talked to me about obsessions and have told me about all the negatives of being obsessed with something. When that happens, tell them about the positives of having those obsessions.
I see obsessions as a very positive element of life; a very strong interest in any subject leads to an authentic passion in that particular subject, which leads to intense dedication and the development of talent in that subject.

One example of one of my obsessions is my intense love for cartoon characters, movies, and storytelling since middle school; I spend a least 2-4 hours a day drawing, animating, filming, or modeling, and at least 30 minutes a day acting. I love to talk about anything related to the entertainment industry, whether it is animation, movies, filmmaking, stars, celebrities, the City of Angels, pop music, soundtracks, etc. My intense love for cartoon characters brought my mind back into this world and encouraged me to start caring for others in early-middle school. Think about it. Even though obsessions can deter you away from other tasks, they can also encourage you to learn skills at a faster rate than everybody else. Like, I could not draw very well 2 years ago, but with my very intense focus and obsession to art/animation and thanks to my attendance at the Disney Animation Academy and the Academy of Art University, I am now taking professional approaches to drawing everyday, thinking about new characters everyday. Human heads and hands are still very tough for me to draw.

A drawing of a Chinese-American girl I drew from my imagination. Had no time to add in colors or shading, as I only had 15 minutes in the Apple Store.

Another example is my obsession with mathematics, I have been obsessed with math and numbers since I was 4 years old, thanks to my autism and special needs. My obsession with math has allowed me to enjoy math class more than anyone else in my class, whether we are working together, or silently. People looked at me weird a little when I told them I was going to complete all 90 problems on the take-home test that was assigned, even though only 20 of them were required. I told them I'm doing these problems not just for a grade, not just for the AP test, but also to strengthen my skills in a subject I am very passionate in. The math tests this year have been hard not because I did not spend enough time reviewing, nor because I do not understand the concepts, but because of some of the word problems and the wording on the day of the test. The word problems can be pretty hard for me to understand at times, even after reading them multiple times.

Many people have commented on my comments in class and my hyper behavior. One of my teachers, whom I will not mention his/her name, told me indirectly that being different, really enthusiastic, and corrective are all wrong habits and behaviors. Yes, I admit, I laugh more than most people and am very weird in my distinctive ways. Every time my math teacher or my physics teacher makes a math mistake in class, I will question the mistake and attempt to correct it; I am the only one in my class that ever does this; it happens at least 2 times a week. I feel very bad for anyone who is being picked on just because he/she does not fit in with the peers nearby him/her. This is happening everyday in society, especially to kids like me, with special needs and disabilities. Imagine if everybody acted in very similar ways and had very similar habits to one another, how would Calculus have been invented? How would have computers/High-tech been invented? How would have television and movies been invented? It’s the difference and enormous curiousity of these individuals, as well as their intense passion/dedication with their field, that led them to envisioning and creating these fascinating products. 
If you ever get put down by someone just because you try too hard, you are smart, you love something so much that it takes time away from everything else, you learn slower than others, or anything else you can imagine, while trying to adapt to society, stand up for yourself and tell them the benefits of being difference and how it makes you who you are today. Difference is what makes each and every individual special and unique.

While at home, I have been practicing and expanding my math skills on Khan Academy. I highly recommend Khan Academy to anyone seeking to learn more math on their free time for fun or review because the people who made the videos there show you exactly what to do when attempting those exact problems, as well as going over the concepts..





I also had some really tasty food over this last weekend. I went to eat dim sum on both Saturday and Sunday, and really enjoyed the quality of the food on both days.

Picture of myself eating Tofu Pudding.

A Fun Month at the Academy of Art University

July 3-July 28, 2017

Hey everyone! This is Jonathan Yip, the creative animator of the future, back in the show. I'm here to tell all of you about my fun month at the Academy of Art University's Summer Pre-College Art Experience back in July of 2017. I took 3 onsite classes specializing in life drawing, visual development, and 3D modeling/animation. Commuting everyday to San Francisco was kind of a hasle, but worth it. I learned a lot, including the rule of thirds, contrapposto, character design, the basics to Maya (the entertainment industry standard 3D animation software), color value, and much more. I was reluctant to switch to Toon Boom before the program because of the complexity and risk of losing Adobe Animate (formerly Adobe Flash), a simpler 2D animation software made by Adobe. I tried out Toon Boom and loved the layout and efficiency of the software at least 5 times that of Adobe Animate. No wonder why Toon Boom is the entertainment industry standard software for 2D animation. I trunicated my Adobe Creative Cloud Subscription in September in exchange for Toon Boom Harmony Advanced. I now use both  the educational versions of Toon Boom and Maya at my house during my time on the iMac.


Artwork Created At the Academy of Art University and After the Program:

Summer 3D modeling project I did

Blackboard for my life drawing class

Blackboard for my Designing for Films class

I would like to give a big thanks to my 3 professors there; I would not have made it this far in 1 month without them!

Fantastic Tour of CalArts; A Sad Trip Back To My Temporary Home

June 29, 2017

Hey everyone! JYip's back in the house! Today was a day of happy and depressing moments!

Let's start with the happy side! I toured my other dream school, the California Institute of the Arts (often referred to as CalArts), around 45 minutes-1 hour north of Downtown Los Angeles. CalArts was founded by the man that brought the most love to my heart, Walt Disney, in 1961. I am applying to their extremely competitive character animation program this fall, less than 10% of all applicants get accepted every year.



I really love everything about their campus, with the exception of the location. Every student gets their own studio room to hang up whatever artwork they want to show to others.

The film studio at CalArts

The Character Animation Area of CalArts

The computer graphics lab at CalArts

After the tour, my heart sadened and I felt really sad and depressed to head back up to the Bay Area that I wanted to cry. I love Los Angeles so much that my life would be a complete mess and incomplete without it. Los Angeles and the entertainment industry is what propelled my love for animation and my desire to meet a lot of people, including the creation of the animation club at my school last school year.

At the same time, I was excited to attend the Academy of Art University's Summer Pre-College Art Experience to further bolster my artistic skills and learn the basics to 3D modeling. More will be coming up soon. Thanks for all your support and I will see you soon.

Another Visit to the Disneyland Resort, Especially Disneyland Park, My Favorite Amusement Park in the World

June 28, 2017

Hey everyone! This is Jonathan Yip on the phone here! This day is another day I will always remember to my heart. I went to Disneyland Park, my favorite amusement park in the whole world. Disneyland Park and the Disney characters both inspired me first and the most to work towards becoming an animator and a movie director, rather than to continue working towards becoming a math teacher or an astronomer.
We entered the park pretty early in the morning after driving on the 5 and parking at the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure. The park was filled with tons of people. I love crowds; more chances to see someone you know and/or to meet someone new.

The Mickey and Friends Parking Structure seen from the Mickey and Friends Tram.

We first went to Adventureland to ride the Jungle Cruise. It was a nice, but scary ride in terms of some of the animals you see.



After the Jungle Cruise, my family and I headed on over to Critter Country to ride The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. I loved the animations and the soundtracks in that ride. The imagineers did a really spectacular job designing our adventure into the 100-acre wood. After the ride, I took pictures with Tigger, Eeyore, Rabbit, and my favorite character in that series, Winnie the Pooh.





After Critter Country, we headed on over to Fantasyland for lunch. I have food allergies to Cow's Milk and peanuts, and due to my special needs, I also had to refrain from eating a lot of wheat.


After lunch, I headed on over to Mickey's Toontown to get my picture with Mickey Mouse and visit his house. Toontown is my favorite land in Disneyland Park because Toontown is where cartoons come to life and has more toony attractions than any other land in the park.




Following Mickey's Toontown, I headed on over to It's a Small World. It's a Small World is one of my favorite attractions in the park because the music is very lovely and sweet.
Following It's a Small World, I met up with my family for dinner at Red Rockett's Pizza Port in Tomorrowland. I really love Tomorrowland because it envisions the future in a very curious way. While most people think about the present or the past, I am always thinking about the future and the life I would love to live. I really enjoyed my gluten free, milk-free pizza.


We went to the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters after dinner. The Disneyland Resort changed the system for those who were carrying fastpasses and guess assistance passes. You now have to register for a ride and wait for the duration before going into the ride. Upon entering the ride, you will need to scan all of your park passes or tickets.


Following those rides, we went to watch the Disneyland Main Street Electrical Parade, followed by one of the shows that inspired me the most, the Disneyland Fireworks Spectacular. I really enjoyed the Main Street Electrical Parade because of the advanced lighting and floats. My favorite float was the float Mickey and his friends were on.


While my parents and brothers went to ride Star Tours, I stayed out near Main Street U.S.A. to watch the spectacular that touched my heart in a very passionate way, the Disneyland Fireworks Spectacular. This time, the show reminded me to admire all my artistic and creative accomplishments in the last few years, as well as being grateful for how my developmental delays and learning disabilities transformed me into the different, unique human being I am today. Many famous people have special needs, including Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, and many more. I will always follow my heart and will not let reality wake me up. I may be a young adult now, but I am always still a child in my heart.

View of the Disneyland Fireworks Spectacular from Plaza Inn 

After the fireworks show, my family and I met up again and went to ride a few more attractions, before leaving the park, making me want to cry. I wish I could stay at the park all day and plan out my future characters and movies.

Thanks for tuning in to the stage here! More stories will be coming very soon! So long and happy trails!