The Glamorous Life

Last week I received a call from my old piano teacher asking if I was "free to dance on Sunday". He'd been contacted by some people he met at a party a year ago and asked if he new any dancers who would be free on Sunday to do a video shoot for a scene in their bollywood film. He must have remembered that I told him about doing theatre and musicals when I was taking lessons with him and asked if I'd take part.

So I was thrown in at the deep end and had two rehearsals with the other dancers to learn the routine and during the rehearsals new bits would be added and learnt. It wasn't as daunting as I thought it would be and the professional and/or in-training dancers were friendly and helpful. On the day we got to Reading at 10am and then realised what a shambles we were getting involved in. The director and his crew were two hours late and he was giving no direction leaving it up to our choreographer to deal with the dance troupe and the extras, and my piano teacher more of less directing the whole shoot throughout the day... despite originally being asked to only find some dancers.

The actual filming itself was a lot of fun (and I burned some serious cals, always a plus!) and I'm glad of the experience but it was a long day, badly organized and come 9:30pm, having been on our feet in HEELS for the past 10 hours, our diva sides came out we gave the director 3 more minutes of out time and then promptly left to trek back to London. To be fair we had been their longer and worked harder than anyone else and I'm including some of the techy/camera guys who called up to help out just like us dancers.

The extras on set, looking bored and waiting around... a lot!

Us being filmed in mid-dance routine. I'm second from right.

It's Tuesday now and I'm completely knackered as between work, rehearsals and filming I've also been having a social life and getting to bed late with early rises. I spent Friday in the a charming, cosy little flat with lots of friends of a friend eating food and having big girlie chats and drawing up a list of all the qualities we want in a man. On Saturday I saw New Kids on The Block in concert. I was extremely impressed by the show as there was such a great atmosphere, certainly one of the most enjoyable concerts I've been too. One of the best bits was Donnie Wahlberg picking a 5 year old girl out of the audience to dance with and she was not impressed. She looked quite disgusted or maybe terrified of what was going on.

I'm looking forward getting a few more hours of sleep come Saturday but even then I have two auditions to prepare for and attend (one on Saturday, one on Sunday) and another rehearsal later this week for a musical. So no rest for the wicked, however as busy as I am I feel this is the way my life should be heading right now.

Reminder

Soooooo tired right now. Must remember to blog about the weekend and what I got up too.

I Am...

I am... Mel from Ireland, currently living in London. Creative type who has to work as an office monkey to survive.

I hurt... in the legs slightly from yoga (and bellydance) class. Has been a while since I last properly exercised.

I love... a little and could love a whole lot more if I had the chance. Ahhhhhh....

I hate... my jobs, things taking longer than expected to acomplish.

I fear... I actually try not to thing about the things I could possibly fear right now.

I hope... I get the job I applied for yesterday, find a nice place to live, that if/when I have eye surgery it goes well and I recover quickly

I regret... letting things build up, not taking better care of myself.

I cry... at soaps on TV. It's easy to set off my tears.

I care... too much about what people think and say about me. Even when I shouldn't

I always...

I feel alone... when I'm tired, bored, sleepy, hungry or need a good stretch. And I MUST wail "I'm so aloooooone" overdramatically when feeling these things.

I listen... to Beyonce's "Single Ladies" at the moment. Makes we want to put on a black leotard and dance around a white room for a bit.

I hide.... how bad things are at times.

I drive.... myself crazy sometimes.

I sing.... the Lloyds TSB advert well.

I write... crap blogs. I know I do. I need to work on that. I'm sorry.

I breathe... but only because I have too.

I miss.... feeling how I did in late 2002 and being the age I was then.

I search... for new jobs, new places to live, new classes & courses to take, auditions etc. I love the internet.

I learn....

I feel...

I know....

I say... well, SPEAK an awful lot of rubbish. Especially when I come off the coca-cola wagon (as I did last night and slag off my friends (to their faces) and tell my friend's girlfriend that I hate her. I don't, it's just my warped sense of humour and I made sure she new that. She's nice actually and I've known her for the same amount of time my friend has.

I crave.... progression. Sorting out my job & living arrangements so I'm free to enjoy things and get on with all my plans and goals.

I succeed...

I fail... at many things.

I dream... about becoming a cool, confident and positive person making great progress in her work and personal life.

I wonder.... U (Prince song)

I want... cool clothes from Fat Face and the likes, to speak Spanish & Portuguese fluently, a better singing voice, someone to have a crush on.

I worry... about a lot of things but am trying to worry less. Worry = Stress = Tiredness & Illness

I wish... I knew the things I know now back then. Would have made life so much easier.

I have... a fun and interesting collection of friends who are always great to be around.

I give... good head. (LOL, was too easy to write that one in there)

I fight.... with my little sister. I try not too. I try to get along wth her from my mum's sake but she keeps picking away at me determined to start something and won't stop until I've exploded at her.

I wait.... too long for people and then I miss out on other opportunities.

I need... money, sex and a new cornea.

The President Obama Blog

I'm a day late but are you surprised? It's quite amazing and touching seeing the world's reaction to this event (the inaugauration) and it's a shame I've been too busy to take it all in properly. I need to YouTube some vids of his speech and swearing in etc.

Right now I'm concentrating lots of moving out. I've made a start sorting through some of the rubbish in the flat and I'm looking a new places to live. I was very inspired after staying over at a friends place and liking her set-up so hopefully I can find something similiar. Once I've moved and settled I can begin to focus on other things, mainly having a social life, dating (no one in particular at the moment) and honing my, currently unimpressive, singing skills.

I finally made it back to Bikram yoga. which was tough, but worth it. I've cut down on the amount of crap I usually eat this week and while staying at my friend's house I discovered a tasty, healthy muesli that even *I* can easily make. I'm hoping that incorporating small changes to my routine will all mount up and benefit me in the long run. I'm determined to get healthy this year. No more colds, flu and hospital stays.

Making A Start

I got a haircut. Nothing drastic but it needed a trim and I had some layers put into it too. I'm happy with it. The photo about doesn't really show much but that's all you're getting. A few strands of hair and my big ol' Michael Jackson hands.

So that's one thing on the To Do list striked off. Hopefully this weekend I'll manage to wash the costumes I borrowed for my last show (even though I don't have a washing machine) and that's another one sorted. I still haven't made a start on clearing out my flat. That's such a big job, I'm a complusive hoarder and I have so much cluttering up the place. Stuff I can't take with me when I move on. Maybe I'll tackle all the bags of clothes that I never use first.... and all the magazines, oh god!

Tomorrow I return to Bikram Yoga. I'm hoping it will help me get back to being fit and healthy. I have all the best intentions but sometimes never put them into practise. I have a 10K run in 4 weeks to prepare for not forgetting my sister's wedding later this year which I have to look gorge for. Time to get off my arse and get moving!

Edit: Grrrr.... my paragraphs aren't paragraphing themselves for some reason.

Australia (The Film)

I want it to rain and I was to stand in it while smooching a hunky man.

(In brief: I rather enjoyed this film. Thought it started off a bit silly but soon settled down and was pretty and endearing film. Some exciting scenes too.)

Funstuffs

What does one do for fun when money is short? Go into various clothes shops, with a good friend, during the January sales and take the piss out of all the hideous clothing and jewellery that we're expected to buy. Be loud. Lack of discreetion is part of the fun. How I wish I'd taken a photo of the hideous, tacky and plastic jewellery in one shop. Also walk down a busy street and proclaim loudly "How does a mermaid take a poo?" for all to hear. Unfortunately no one on Oxford Street could answer my question.

And that was my Saturday evening. I also saw this which was brill. I love my friends. They are a bunch of fruitloops like me. I have L.J. on email getting me through the work week with her cut-throat one-liners and insults and Ellie at weekends who always laughs at my randomness because she knows the obscure Michael Jackson fan/Saturday Night Live reference behind it. I finding everyone's company pleasurable at the moment. Maybe we're all trying harder because it's January and therefore a depressing time for most so we're putting our best face forward.

Tomorrow, after attending a playreading, I will be dining with another great friend and catching-up lots with her. I expect to draw up another plan to take over the world with as what usually happens when the two of us meet up and are both in good moods. I'm really hoping this enthusiasm for "Life in 2009" lasts throughout this year. I expect it to wear off once we have all fully settled back into life after the holiday season and realised that very little has changed. Maybe I should blog about it as much as possible now to read back on once I think life is being less than spectactular. I need hope this year and lots of it.

Resolutions, Plans & A Different Way Of Looking At Things

I'm still deciding on resolutions. They change from hour-to-hour or I find more I want to do. I need to mentally sort sort what are resolutions and what are actions that need to belong on a "To Do" list instead. The three main action points as as follows:

Sort Out Finances: Pay back money I owe friends and settle bills, get my credit card balance down and start to save again. Yes, I said on this blog many times about sorting out my money but I'm making changes to my circumstances so hopefully I can make a bit of progress on this one now.

Improve Body & Health: Eat more healthily, cut down on sugar, start exercising again, stress less. Since I finished the marathon in April I haven't been looking after myself and have been constantly sick. I'm pretty sure the eye infection wouldn't have been so severe if I hadn't spent the weeks before it barely eating and working myself into the ground. Time to get back to Bikram yoga, dance and running. I've signed up for a 10K run on February 14th which will force to me go out running again instead of just talking about it.

Performing & Confidence: Sing more this year and in public. Be more confident in my performing abilities. I will not let my lack of formal training make me feel that I can't take myself, or any opportunity that may present itself, seriously.

That's about it for now.

There are many small "resolutions" that pop into my head but they more or less fall under the three points above.

I also have the following "activities" that I want/shall do this year:

• Make jewellery
• Have a colonic
• Go to Stonehenge with L.J. for the Summer Solstice
• Get a piercing

and just for fun...

• Get a naff bit-part in a TV drama such as Junkie #5, Prostitute #3 etc.

While I'm contemplating the year ahead I'd like to reflect on 2008 from another point of view. I received and email from a friend earlier mentioning my acomplishments last year which has made me think that perhaps it wasn't such a dismal year after all. Yes, there may have been a cloud of gloom of some sort hanging over me all the time but I have to appreciate that last year I completed a marathon, performed in 5 shows, did stage management, got to work and experience the Edinburgh Fringe Festival all while I continued to make new friends and contacts and had a lot of fun with the friends I already had. Hurrah!

Here At Last

I spent my New Year's Eve in true rock 'n' roll style. I had a friend come over to the flat, I curled up in a sleeping bag, snoozing, sipping on a mug of coke (I only have one glass left and that's for guests!) and watching comedy show after panel show after End-Of-Year list shows until the firworks outside told me it was 12am. I was warm and I didn't have to brave the crowds, idiots and transport of London this time. (I'll party when it's warmer and when I feel better, alright?!!!)

So 2009 is finally here. Hopefully it will be a year of good suprises not bad ones. Despite the economic woes, global warming, ill-bred little fuckfaces and many other negative things I shall remain positive this year and do many weird and wonderful things. And I shall hold on to the remaining 4.5 senses I have left.


Yes, I'm full of the "New Year, New Start" cheer despite spending this morning feeling quite stressed as I had been told the Operations Manager was looking to speak to me and I feared the worst as I had just learned that a member of our team had been fired/let go this morning. However when I bumped into her later in the hallway, she had nothing more to say to me than "Happy New Year". (We think she just wanted to make sure everyone in the team actually bothered to come in to work today). So that drama over I now look forward to the weekend and the chance to start to put plans into practise.

As usual I've made about 50 New Year's resolutions so I'm going to need some time to trim the fat and decide upon a small group of something attainable. I'll report back shortly on that...