MUSIC: "Summer of '09" by All Caps (check this song out, it's pretty cool!)
TIME: 12:35 PM
I'm taking a month break from city life in New York, unless, of course, I'm summoned up there for something important like a soiree or anything in that nature. And currently, as I post this blog, I'm waiting for 3:40 to come, because I have to go to the dentist for a root canal! Yay.
For the past couple of days, I've been suffering from EXCRUCIATING pain from the right side of my mouth, and it just so happens that I need a root canal. No biggie, because I've had a root canal before, but still, the pain is a REAL killer! After four tattoos, eleven piercings (and only four of them left), two bee stings, working in a kitchen where I've accidentally botten burnt by soup, sauces fresh off the oven, the hot plate holder, and the fact that I'm a girl, I have a pretty high pain tolerance, but when it comes toothaches, FORGET IT! I mean, I was in TEARS from the pain. I usually don't cry over pain like this, but I was crying my eyes out. I felt like an infant!
My dentist prescribed me Clindamycin and oxycodone, which knocked me out completely, and helps ease the killer toothache, but the thing is, I don't like analgesics one bit. I don't like how they make you feel and the side effects are NOT fun! And I can't wait for this root canal to be over and done with that way I can flush the rest of the oxycodone down the toilet. The Clindamycin I have to finish the bottle -- doctor's instructions, and luckily, the side effects aren't as extreme. But that oxycodone made me feel like a deflated balloon! Knocks my energy right out of the ballpark!
Anywho...I will be all better once I get the root canal done! No more pain! No more oxycodone! Whoo-hoo!!!! See...even actors-in-training get toothaches! XD
Okay...now...I usually don't post a new blog so close to the last time I do it, but I had to this time. Not only to announce a brief one month hiatus from city life or even my anguish over a toothache, but I have some pretty good news.
This July, the day I actually return to the city, I am officially am going to be working again with Alan Gordon, my acting coach. This will be the first time I'm REALLY working with him after two years. I know I went to the workshop back in March, but I didn't directly work with him (and that was a great night -- loved it). I'm really looking forward to working with Alan again, but like I said before in the last blog, I'm not willing to be perfect or to even be praised or applauded. I think that's a big thing when you're a student: you do want that applause and you do want to be perfect, because you do want some sort of approval. That ray of hope like, "Am I cut out for this, please, tell me I am?" Especially when you want it so baddly.
Trust me, I've been there. We all have! But being in acting class and working with a really great coach isn't about pleasing anybody or asking, "Am I cut out for this?" It's really about mustering as much knowledge as you can for your own benefit. It's about pushing your own limits, challenging yourself, because in the end, the only person who matters most when it comes to your career aspirations is yourself. Your coaches can't make it happen for you. Your agent can't. Neither can your friends or supporters or even the people you network with. That all lies in YOUR hands and your hands alone.
Another thing I've learned from the beginning of my New York journey is that despite the fact that I do have really excellent coaches, I can't expect them to feed me information or to make me into a business woman or even an actor. Please, if you're an acting student of any kind, may I suggest that you do your homework and research on things yourself, too? Then bring the information you DO find to your business coach or even your acting coach and then get their input? Not saying you have to come into a room all cocky and know everything, but come in with questions. It don't hurt! WORK WITH THEM! Don't make them do the work for you!
I've made that mistake, too, and the results of expecting too much from your coach is NOT pretty! So, don't do it! If anything, your studies in this industry take LOTS of dedication. Nothing is to be taken for granted, and don't be afraid to ask questions! Every wiseman starts out by asking lots of questions. =)
So, what I'm going to do after weeks of studying my play (it's more than what you think), I'm just going to go in there and give it my best shot. I'm going to give confidence a try actually! Hell, I might even pull a Maria Von Trapp and start singing the song like Julie Andrews did in "The Sound of Music" when she was on the way to the Von Trapp house when I make my way down to the Player's Theatre on MacDougal. Can you imagine?! I'm kidding - I'm not gonna do that!
You know what? I'm not really nervous! Usually before class, I'd get nervous, but I'm not really nervous. I think the fact that I am not expecting perfection this time is what keeps me away from being nervous. The worse that could happen is if I'm told it needs more work, right? *shrugs* You know what? I'm excited!!!!!!! *smiles*
One last thing (random, I know): When I was doing research on this play, I looked up what "mandelbrodt" (or mandel bread aka "Jewish biscottis") was. So, I Googled "mandel bread", and the funny thing is, they look like these cookies I used to eat when I was a toddler. I can still see the box. It's a babyblue and white checkered box with a picture of these mini biscottis with the Nabisco label in the corner. I can't remember what they were called, but when I first saw a picture of the mandelbrodt, that's the first thing that came to mind. I can still feel the crumbs from this cookie or mini biscotti falling in the palm of my hand after that one bite when I think of them. They were pretty hard, too. I liked them. I wonder if mandelbrodt is the same?
I never really had my share of Jewish foods. The only things I've had were potato knishes (**yummy!!!!**) and matzah. I can't remember what the matzah tastes like, because my mom ate it all when I brought a box of it home from school one time. Grrrrr....
That's enough candy and mandelbrodt for now!
See ya in July, New York! XOXOXO
Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/
MUSIC: "Pray (Quo Vadis Remix)" by Every Little Thing
TIME: 1:18 PM
HELLOOOOOO....long time; not talk, eh?
Well, actually, what happened was my FTP server was being a super diva with me, so I actually neglected fixing or working with it for a while, which is why I haven't updated my site or my blog in a while.
Reason why I haven't blogged in a while, either, is because not only because of the super diva behavior of the FTP server, but also, because I wanted to get away from the computer. Yup! I wanted to do more than just "blog" about things that have been happening, and for the past couple of weeks, I've been doing some endless studying on a couple of things. Let's just say, I needed a break from the computer -- BIG TIME!!!!
During my blogging hiatus, I actually discovered a way to make, create, and edit videos, and ever since I opened my site up, I've been WANTING to do a video introduction. I just didn't know HOW to do it. But my friend and website/graphics program consultant, Angel, rescued my worries on that note, so when I finally get a chance to do some playing around and fiddling, I am so gonna do a video introduction for my site! =)
I know, it's not overly important or neccessary to do a video introduction for a website, but the thing is this: I am pretty camera shy, and I feel rather awkward about my voice. So, I don't always enjoy looking at myself on my computer screen (from the crazy random videos I shoot when I'm out with my friends in Jersey) and I don't hate my voice, I'm just not used to hearing it. My voice is odd. Some people say I have an accent. Some people say I don't -- it's just flat, standard American. Some people in New York think I have a Jersey accent. Some people down here think I am on the verge of developing a slight New York accent. One person told me I have a "half-assed New York accent". And another person said I sound "street smart"...I have a sweet and innocent look, but I sound "street smart". XD
I personally don't think I have an accent, but I do have the tendency to drop a few words that make me sound like I'm from either Jersey City or Brooklyn. For example, it's very hard for me to say "idea" without it sounding like "idey-ar"....and I can thank my family from Jersey City for that one. And I noticed that when I say "NEW YORK", it's VERY hard to just say "YORK". My "New York" sounds like "New YAWRK". They say it all depends on how you roll your tongue, too. But anyway...reason for the video blogs is because I guess it gets me used to being in front of the camera....and plus, maybe it would help me get away from stuttering a little.
We'll see....
ALSO, a little bit of a confession: I've been on Weight Watchers for the past 20-something weeks, and all together, I've lost a total of 22.8 lbs! I feel awesome! As a matter of fact, here's a before and after picture on the bottom:
I really didn't want to post that picture, because the before picture of me is rather embarrassing, makes me cringe, but in the second picture, that was actually when I dropped down to 18 lbs. Of course, four more pounds lighter than I am in this photo, I'm more slim now than I am in either one of them. Luckily, for me, my face hasn't changed all too much, because my face is naturally round as it already is. For a while, I feared that I would have to contact Matthew (Sussman) again to get my headshots re-done, but it just so happens I don't -- thank God!
Actually, besides watching what I'm eating without depriving myself, I've also started doing YOGA, which is becoming a second passion of mine next to acting! I don't take a class or study with anyone at the moment. What I do is I do the DVDs in the privacy of my home by Rodney Yee. The great thing is that they are pretty effective, and despite what anyone says or thinks about yoga, you actually DO get a great workout from doing even the simplest poses. When I first started them, OH MY GOD -- I'd be sore EVERYWHERE! Now a days, I don't get as sore, though. I am a little more limber than I used to be, but I can't really twist myself into a pretzel. But yoga's really meditation, is supposed to relieve stress. I really, really enjoy it! LOVE IT!!!! Meditating is great, too, and comes in handy when it comes to performing, too. I calms your nerves, helps you relax, ease your fears. It's something that I'm really new at, so I'm still working on it. Takes time to master and I wouldn't call myself a full-time yogini yet, but...I'm getting there!!!!
SPEAKING OF performing, another reason why I've been absent is, because I've been studying "Collected Stories" by Don Margulies. The play's coming to Broadway, which is really cool. It's an AWESOME play! I really connected with Lisa Morrison, the protege of Ruth Steiner, and for the past couple of weeks, I've been going over my slides over and over again, developing a backstory to this character. The tough thing with this play is that each act takes place either a couple of months or years later than the previous one, so I had to develop events that happened in between each part. Some plays take place within only a few minutes or a few hours after each even or even a day or two. Despite the challenge, I was able to get creative and paint this picture of her life as Ruth Steiner's student -- from being just another face in her class to her personal assistant (who takes a lot of verbal beatings from her mentor/idol) to becoming a personal friend. I'm not going to go over what happens. If you read it, you know. I'm REALLY enjoying studying this play A LOT!
Lisa and I share a couple of qualities, which makes it easy for me. There are somethings we don't. Either way, I can't wait to present it to my coach. I'm not sure how he'll react to how I've been working, but all the years I haven't really taken my craft as seriously as I do now-a-days, I guess you can say I'm making up for now. I'm not expecting a big praise from my coach and I'm not expecting to be perfect, either. I'm going to give it my best shot, though! First, though, I have to send out an email to him...or I could call him! Then again, I never know when a good time to call would be, because I know Alan keeps himself busy, like almost everybody in this industry does, including myself! =) Then again, there's a reason why voice mails exist incase he isn't available, right? XD I have put a lot into my studies by far, so it MIGHT pay off. If he feels it needs more, then I'm willing to give more. It's hard studying by yourself, in absolute solitude. I know, people say you should practice with friends, but as they would say in Meisner, words are just words. As an actor, your job is to bring your character to life, make their lives REAL to you. You don't make a character's life real just by memorizing words, because your lines can't be "just words", they have to have a specific, clear meaning to you. You have to know what makes you happy, what makes you sad, how certain things, places, events, and other effect you -- what do they mean to you? And you develop this from either the strength of your imagination OR you can weed it out from your own personal experiences.
All right, I think I said just about enough now! That's what I've been up to! I plan on doing more with my website as soon as I find the time to do it. It's great to be back and it's great to be able to blog again!
Be well, everyone! =)
That's enough candy for now!
Cristina
http://www.cristinacho.net/
