That's not true. I love me. Really, I do, I'm my favourite person in the world. I just don't like TALKING about myself. That is true. Maybe that's why I'm bad at this whole Blogging thing. Bloggers, and writers in general are taught to write about what they know. Well, who do people generally (think they) know better than themselves?
I think this is one thing I've noticed since school started. We're asked to talk about our sensations and feelings. Which is important in being an actor, I mean no one can really tell us what we're feeling besides ourselves. Only we really know what's going on in our little hearts and heads, and once we can get in touch with that, then we can hone out craft.
I just feel really self-indulgent talking about myself. Really egotistical for some reason. I also have a tough time being really honest with how I feel online. I mean, how am I supposed to really express myself when I fear judgment. This post is not an excuse, just an explanation. I can get over this stuff, but until then, it's mostly going to be BS.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Monday, November 13, 2006
Happy Days is My Favourite Theme Song
So I got some good news today. Looks like I'll back in Nova Scotia from Dec. 14-Jan. 2. Super excited. Not to say that I don't like Vancouver. Don't get me wrong, it's great. Not perfect, but great. But I pine for home again, and I know I'd likely be super-bummed if I had to stay in BC and miss Christmas at home for the first time in my LIFE. I do feel bad about breaking my agreement with FD (he got me my flight from and to YVR, and said that I could stay in Richmond as a payment to him). But I talked to him, and he was fine with it. He was just there last week, no reason why he should hog all the fun.
This whole thing came together really quick. When I woke-up this morning, I had to no idea this would happen. I just got to talking with my parents, and boom, they booked the flight almost as soon as we got the idea. This is why I keep them around.
I'm trying not to be the typical Haligonian and complain about missing donairs, but holy canoli. After trying a 'nair out here, I would punch a small animal just to get my hands on a true drippy, saucy, spicy gourmet of the Gods. And I mean a REAL donair. It's hard to explain to people in Vancouver just what they're missing when they have the FALSE food items here. The meat's no good, and the sauce tastes like it's recipe was written in a different language. Heck, even the pizza-by-the-slice places suck. They're cheap for a reason. Pizza Corner, I'm coming for you ... Even the lack of Keiths here is bothering me. Any bar back home that doesn't have Keiths either on tap or in a bottle would have their liquor license revoked. Here, it's just plain ignorance. It's available in SOME places, but not enough places. I've tried some other beers, and while they're not BAD, per se, when I went back to Keiths, there was no comparison. It was like drinking sand, and then going back to drinking water again. So much more refreshing.
Well, judging by that last paragraph, I just fell victim to my own maritime-ness.
I'll Van City it's props. I've become somewhat addicted to sushi, of which there is no shortage of out here. There's a lot of Asian culture, and very large Asian population, which is cool. Heck, my roommate's Chinese. With a Japanese name. The languages looks impossibly difficult to learn, so I'll marvel at their vast intelligence and fashion sense. The mountains here are also incredible; when you can see them. It's actually pretty cool to see the fog and clouds sitting on them when it's overcast. The rain wouldn't be so bad if I had the proper footwear. And hour of walking the rain daily can really be a pain when your feet get super-cold and wet. The city's pretty easy to get around, and while you may get approached by some unseemly folk, it's pretty safe here. They have an NHL team, and everyone's pretty passionate about them. Heck I even like them. Though I'm not the biggest CFL fan, the Lions are going the Grey Cup, after 47,000 people watched them whop Saskatchewan. There's just so much here, it's almost overwhelming. As long as you got the pockets for it, it's a great place to live.
So, until then, I'll see all of you in a month!
P.S: Tonight is the last night for the HP Home & Home Office Store campaign at Minacs. I think I'll call them up and give them the goodbye, it is toll-free after all (1-888-999-4747, if memory serves. I only had to tell it a billion people). It certainly wasn't the best job in the world, but it paid the bills, and it was something I could forget about on the weekends. This acting stuff I have to think about 24/7. It's rough.
This whole thing came together really quick. When I woke-up this morning, I had to no idea this would happen. I just got to talking with my parents, and boom, they booked the flight almost as soon as we got the idea. This is why I keep them around.
I'm trying not to be the typical Haligonian and complain about missing donairs, but holy canoli. After trying a 'nair out here, I would punch a small animal just to get my hands on a true drippy, saucy, spicy gourmet of the Gods. And I mean a REAL donair. It's hard to explain to people in Vancouver just what they're missing when they have the FALSE food items here. The meat's no good, and the sauce tastes like it's recipe was written in a different language. Heck, even the pizza-by-the-slice places suck. They're cheap for a reason. Pizza Corner, I'm coming for you ... Even the lack of Keiths here is bothering me. Any bar back home that doesn't have Keiths either on tap or in a bottle would have their liquor license revoked. Here, it's just plain ignorance. It's available in SOME places, but not enough places. I've tried some other beers, and while they're not BAD, per se, when I went back to Keiths, there was no comparison. It was like drinking sand, and then going back to drinking water again. So much more refreshing.
Well, judging by that last paragraph, I just fell victim to my own maritime-ness.
I'll Van City it's props. I've become somewhat addicted to sushi, of which there is no shortage of out here. There's a lot of Asian culture, and very large Asian population, which is cool. Heck, my roommate's Chinese. With a Japanese name. The languages looks impossibly difficult to learn, so I'll marvel at their vast intelligence and fashion sense. The mountains here are also incredible; when you can see them. It's actually pretty cool to see the fog and clouds sitting on them when it's overcast. The rain wouldn't be so bad if I had the proper footwear. And hour of walking the rain daily can really be a pain when your feet get super-cold and wet. The city's pretty easy to get around, and while you may get approached by some unseemly folk, it's pretty safe here. They have an NHL team, and everyone's pretty passionate about them. Heck I even like them. Though I'm not the biggest CFL fan, the Lions are going the Grey Cup, after 47,000 people watched them whop Saskatchewan. There's just so much here, it's almost overwhelming. As long as you got the pockets for it, it's a great place to live.
So, until then, I'll see all of you in a month!
P.S: Tonight is the last night for the HP Home & Home Office Store campaign at Minacs. I think I'll call them up and give them the goodbye, it is toll-free after all (1-888-999-4747, if memory serves. I only had to tell it a billion people). It certainly wasn't the best job in the world, but it paid the bills, and it was something I could forget about on the weekends. This acting stuff I have to think about 24/7. It's rough.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
New Picture
Some people (who will remain nameless) have complained about the photo quality in my last post. What's a guy to do when he has ONE light source in his room (that he has to power with a stationary bicycle). Anyway, here's a pic I snapped of myself at school, while I was having a "private moment".
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
October Update
Things people have said to me since I moved to Vancouver that no one said to me back home:
1. I look like Superman. Or Clark Kent, but hey, remove the glasses and add a jerry-curl and you have the former. This has been said by at least three different people who have no contact with each other. I guess it's the best compliment I've received so far, which rocks. Because Supe is cool. My Halloween costumer idea (pre-beard) was to dress in a suit and reporter hat with glasses and have a Superman t-shirt underneath that I could tear-away my dress shirt to reveal. It's been done before, but it beats the alternative of a full-on skin-tight blue red and yellow body suit. I need to drop a few libby's before I could pull that off.
2. I am big/I intimidate people. Now, the first part is true, I however have not felt "big" in this later part of my life. I know I'm physically large, but I don't "feel" it. Hard to explain. People have said I'm tall, but not "big". They don't mean fat either. I think. Now, the second part truly surprises me. I don't know what I do to intimidate, but I hope I can find out what it is so I can use it to get ahead in line at the IGA.
3. Ok, so audition teacher was the only one to say this, but he says my "look" is best described as "college boy next door". That's good, but average. But average can go either way, and can change easily, which is good. My ultimate goal is to make myself as versatile as possible, and changing-up the look. Might as well experiment while I'm at a school that encourages it. The hair thing could be just the beginning.
People also say I look like Matt Damon, but people said that in Nova Scotia too. Doesn't fit in the list, just thought I'd add it here for kicks.
We just did our Instructor Shoot last week. It was cool because I got the lead, the hardest part of that being not letting it go to my head. Really, no one wants to act or hang out with some cocky asshole who got his attitude from being in the first class production. No matter how big I could get, I can never let it get to my head. No one stays on top forever. But hey, I gotta start climbing first. There will be plenty of humbling moments along the way.
The cool thing about the Instructor Shoot is the film production class learning just as much as us actors are. They learn all the filmy-set stuff like reading the clack-board thing and knowing what to say in what order. There's a lot of words that a lot of different people gotta say. It's a lot more than just "action" or "cut". Or in Chris' case "go" and "shit, go again".
Speaking of Chris, I really miss the guy. Stuart too. I just think it'd be so awesome to have the Fishbowl Triumverate out here. We'd rock a lot of socks off. Seriously, I'm talkin' a sock-rockin' epidemic here. Now that I know more actors, it's giving me more ideas for stuff we can do with them. It's the Fishbowl way to write a story around what you have easily accessible to you.
I actually miss a lot of people out here. But I think I've found my place in Vancouver. I originally wanted to go straight to LA after school, but I'm thinking I'd be better off starting small here and move on up, or just going with wherever the flow takes me. I'd still be in Canada, and I really love the city. Plus LA is full of aspiring actors who all want to be movie stars. I'll get there in my own time.
1. I look like Superman. Or Clark Kent, but hey, remove the glasses and add a jerry-curl and you have the former. This has been said by at least three different people who have no contact with each other. I guess it's the best compliment I've received so far, which rocks. Because Supe is cool. My Halloween costumer idea (pre-beard) was to dress in a suit and reporter hat with glasses and have a Superman t-shirt underneath that I could tear-away my dress shirt to reveal. It's been done before, but it beats the alternative of a full-on skin-tight blue red and yellow body suit. I need to drop a few libby's before I could pull that off.
2. I am big/I intimidate people. Now, the first part is true, I however have not felt "big" in this later part of my life. I know I'm physically large, but I don't "feel" it. Hard to explain. People have said I'm tall, but not "big". They don't mean fat either. I think. Now, the second part truly surprises me. I don't know what I do to intimidate, but I hope I can find out what it is so I can use it to get ahead in line at the IGA.
3. Ok, so audition teacher was the only one to say this, but he says my "look" is best described as "college boy next door". That's good, but average. But average can go either way, and can change easily, which is good. My ultimate goal is to make myself as versatile as possible, and changing-up the look. Might as well experiment while I'm at a school that encourages it. The hair thing could be just the beginning.
People also say I look like Matt Damon, but people said that in Nova Scotia too. Doesn't fit in the list, just thought I'd add it here for kicks.
We just did our Instructor Shoot last week. It was cool because I got the lead, the hardest part of that being not letting it go to my head. Really, no one wants to act or hang out with some cocky asshole who got his attitude from being in the first class production. No matter how big I could get, I can never let it get to my head. No one stays on top forever. But hey, I gotta start climbing first. There will be plenty of humbling moments along the way.
The cool thing about the Instructor Shoot is the film production class learning just as much as us actors are. They learn all the filmy-set stuff like reading the clack-board thing and knowing what to say in what order. There's a lot of words that a lot of different people gotta say. It's a lot more than just "action" or "cut". Or in Chris' case "go" and "shit, go again".
Speaking of Chris, I really miss the guy. Stuart too. I just think it'd be so awesome to have the Fishbowl Triumverate out here. We'd rock a lot of socks off. Seriously, I'm talkin' a sock-rockin' epidemic here. Now that I know more actors, it's giving me more ideas for stuff we can do with them. It's the Fishbowl way to write a story around what you have easily accessible to you.
I actually miss a lot of people out here. But I think I've found my place in Vancouver. I originally wanted to go straight to LA after school, but I'm thinking I'd be better off starting small here and move on up, or just going with wherever the flow takes me. I'd still be in Canada, and I really love the city. Plus LA is full of aspiring actors who all want to be movie stars. I'll get there in my own time.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Happy Birthday, Mr. Prime Minister
Because Canada doesn't have presidents. Just a quick update on my birthday. I went out with my friends from VFS, and I had a great time. It's good to be so far away from home and still feel loved. Thanks to everyone who sent me well-wishes on staying alive for one more year. Anyway, here's an update of me as of right now. I can wash my hair as of tomorrow, which is good. But now I have to roll-up my sleeves and caress my "pipes" on occasion. Seriously. Here's a photo comparison of me from when I was clean-shaven and hair-oriented, to now, when I don't shave or even wash my hair. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
What's Goin' On
Hey gang. So, as most of you know, I'm at school for acting. But what exactly I'm doing may not be known quite as well. So, here's a brief rundown of what I'm doing in each of my classes.
Voice: Breathing work. A lot of the early stuff we're working on has to do with loosening the rib area and breathing into the back ribs, making the parts around the middle soft and relaxed. We're finding areas of the body and trying to vibrate them with our sound.
Singing: Similar to voice, with more relaxation (think rolling around on the floor, and letting everything go.) Of course no singing yet, as we work on breath work and a bit of moving from the core (right underneath the belly button). Also, the class is called "Integrated Voice for the Actor who Sings", so think of it as ingredients on a can of pineapple hams, where they list the ingredients in order of importance.
Movement: Just what it says, really. Last class we did some sort of interpretive-dance-type thing after we were skipping through a rock garden. Oh yeah.
Improv: This class rocks. Sure we get to play wacky games and laugh a lot, but there's more to it than that. Right now we're focusing on complementarity, which is thinking of what compliments what. There's no jokes or wit necessary, it's funny because of the choices the people make to compliment certain actions or shapes.
Audition Technique: Probably the most important class, as it deals with what will become most important to us actors: Getting a job. The teacher is tougher on use than some others, but it's much better to get it at school, than to audition and blow it, and be black-listed for months in this town. We basically get audition scripts that are about two pages, and record them, pick them apart, and then do it again with improvements. It's like medicine; you don't necessarily want to take it, but you'll feel much better when you do.
Camera: This is the reason I came to VFS. This gives us actors experience behind the camera and boom mike, as we record and edit short scenes. It's not an acting class, so we can cut-loose and ham it up if we want to. The important thing in this class is learning what shots look good, and how it all comes together in the editing room. Rawk.
Scene Study on Camera: Here we take short scenes from real movies and TV shows and pick them apart and perform them ourselves on camera. We think about things like who our characters are, where we are, out relationship with the other person, what has happened so far in the story, etc. Think of this like actors covering a scene, similar to how a band covers songs when they start out.
Acting: Here's the ticket. Lots of self-discovery and revelations happening here. Lots of emotions, and tears, and lots of things I think people didn't know was in them coming out. Also, one of the teachers is giving out weird little assignments to students. Mine is interesting: Don't cut my hair or shave. Good, no problem. It's easy to not do something. Plus it gives me an excuse to see how far my facial hair can go (secret: not very far.) But whatever, it's fun to just let go. Now the teacher added the clause that I can't wash my hair or fix it until she says so.
Anyway, lots more to say, but that's all the time I have now. I have to get up tomorrow morning and do it all again. I leave you with a picture of my haggard face, and I'll make sure to give an image update every now and again.
Voice: Breathing work. A lot of the early stuff we're working on has to do with loosening the rib area and breathing into the back ribs, making the parts around the middle soft and relaxed. We're finding areas of the body and trying to vibrate them with our sound.
Singing: Similar to voice, with more relaxation (think rolling around on the floor, and letting everything go.) Of course no singing yet, as we work on breath work and a bit of moving from the core (right underneath the belly button). Also, the class is called "Integrated Voice for the Actor who Sings", so think of it as ingredients on a can of pineapple hams, where they list the ingredients in order of importance.
Movement: Just what it says, really. Last class we did some sort of interpretive-dance-type thing after we were skipping through a rock garden. Oh yeah.
Improv: This class rocks. Sure we get to play wacky games and laugh a lot, but there's more to it than that. Right now we're focusing on complementarity, which is thinking of what compliments what. There's no jokes or wit necessary, it's funny because of the choices the people make to compliment certain actions or shapes.
Audition Technique: Probably the most important class, as it deals with what will become most important to us actors: Getting a job. The teacher is tougher on use than some others, but it's much better to get it at school, than to audition and blow it, and be black-listed for months in this town. We basically get audition scripts that are about two pages, and record them, pick them apart, and then do it again with improvements. It's like medicine; you don't necessarily want to take it, but you'll feel much better when you do.
Camera: This is the reason I came to VFS. This gives us actors experience behind the camera and boom mike, as we record and edit short scenes. It's not an acting class, so we can cut-loose and ham it up if we want to. The important thing in this class is learning what shots look good, and how it all comes together in the editing room. Rawk.
Scene Study on Camera: Here we take short scenes from real movies and TV shows and pick them apart and perform them ourselves on camera. We think about things like who our characters are, where we are, out relationship with the other person, what has happened so far in the story, etc. Think of this like actors covering a scene, similar to how a band covers songs when they start out.
Acting: Here's the ticket. Lots of self-discovery and revelations happening here. Lots of emotions, and tears, and lots of things I think people didn't know was in them coming out. Also, one of the teachers is giving out weird little assignments to students. Mine is interesting: Don't cut my hair or shave. Good, no problem. It's easy to not do something. Plus it gives me an excuse to see how far my facial hair can go (secret: not very far.) But whatever, it's fun to just let go. Now the teacher added the clause that I can't wash my hair or fix it until she says so.
Anyway, lots more to say, but that's all the time I have now. I have to get up tomorrow morning and do it all again. I leave you with a picture of my haggard face, and I'll make sure to give an image update every now and again.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Look at These Photographs, Every Time I do They Makes me Laughs
Well, I'm all moved into my place. The first order of business here was to get new bed sheets. The ones that came with my KING-SIZED bed were PINK. Yeah, I made to sure to buy some more manly blue bed sheets, so it can impress all the ... nobody who's gonna see it. Oh well, it's more for my self-esteem than anything.
My roommate's pretty cool, a UBC student from Japan. The apartment is a one bedroom, I have the bedroom to myself, and he lives in the main room. It's a win-win accommodation. The city is damn loud and bright at night, but I can get used to it. It's also hot in my room, but my roomie says that'll change come wintertime. Anyway, here's some pics of the view from my bedroom window (that big dark glass building is the one that Angel flew out of in X-Men 3.) The last picture is the view from the main room.
School's a real joy. It's hard to get used to actually WANTING to go to school in the morning, but I'm sure I can adjust. I can't wait to actually start making flicks. It's going to be a lot of work, but the pay-off will be great.
Anyway, still liking it out here, but I do miss home. I hope everyone there is doing great, I'll see all of you again someday soon.
My roommate's pretty cool, a UBC student from Japan. The apartment is a one bedroom, I have the bedroom to myself, and he lives in the main room. It's a win-win accommodation. The city is damn loud and bright at night, but I can get used to it. It's also hot in my room, but my roomie says that'll change come wintertime. Anyway, here's some pics of the view from my bedroom window (that big dark glass building is the one that Angel flew out of in X-Men 3.) The last picture is the view from the main room.
School's a real joy. It's hard to get used to actually WANTING to go to school in the morning, but I'm sure I can adjust. I can't wait to actually start making flicks. It's going to be a lot of work, but the pay-off will be great.
Anyway, still liking it out here, but I do miss home. I hope everyone there is doing great, I'll see all of you again someday soon.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Potent Potables
Well, here I am. Jumping in feet first (I'm a horrible diver), and seeing that I get myself wet enough to make the work I did leading up to this worth it. I gotta say, as I expected, the last year went by like a flash in hindsight. Now the real work begins.
I want to say again, that I couldn't be more lucky out here. Knowing the people I know and meeting all the new people I've met since arriving, I feel much more at ease here. At home some would say. Which reminds me, I now have a place in downtown Vancouver! I'll be moving in on the weekend. Super-pumped for it, I'll be closer to the school and more available for any social events. Plus I have a lift into Richmond to go to the church, where I now (get ready for it): Sing in the choir. Yeah. I haven't been in a choir since grade five, back when I thought that the word spelled-out was pronounced "CHOY-er". But the people in the choir are nice an patient and unarmed, so it's all good.
Back to the school aspect, and I can already promise I'll be a different actor by the end of it. It's good to get the tough training now, instead of getting babied and getting my butt handed to me in a Styrofoam container with a side of chicken fried rice (with plum sauce, mmmm). Not saying that it's been too tough yet. One of our courses asks us to watch movies for homework. Hah, I'll just read the spoilers from imdb.com, and save myself two hours! I sure picked the right profession to break into, eh?! But seriously, I already know I picked the right school, just from the vibe I get from it. One of the classes gives us a chance to get behind a camera, and a boom mike, and lights, and we get to say "ten one hundred" when we need to pee or BM. I'll sound so pro when it's potty time. And clothespins are called "C-47's". That is not a joke. It's the hands-on filmmaking that I chose VFS for, and I'm glad it's happening so soon.
They also gave me a free backpack, waterbottle, lanyard and umbrella (but since it hasn't really rained once since I moved out here, I might as well toss that, right?)
Anyway, I'll be popping in with any amusing anecdotes regarding my and my colleagues classroom antics. Hopefully get some photos of my place (and the view from the balcony) when I get moved-in. Stay tuned.
I want to say again, that I couldn't be more lucky out here. Knowing the people I know and meeting all the new people I've met since arriving, I feel much more at ease here. At home some would say. Which reminds me, I now have a place in downtown Vancouver! I'll be moving in on the weekend. Super-pumped for it, I'll be closer to the school and more available for any social events. Plus I have a lift into Richmond to go to the church, where I now (get ready for it): Sing in the choir. Yeah. I haven't been in a choir since grade five, back when I thought that the word spelled-out was pronounced "CHOY-er". But the people in the choir are nice an patient and unarmed, so it's all good.
Back to the school aspect, and I can already promise I'll be a different actor by the end of it. It's good to get the tough training now, instead of getting babied and getting my butt handed to me in a Styrofoam container with a side of chicken fried rice (with plum sauce, mmmm). Not saying that it's been too tough yet. One of our courses asks us to watch movies for homework. Hah, I'll just read the spoilers from imdb.com, and save myself two hours! I sure picked the right profession to break into, eh?! But seriously, I already know I picked the right school, just from the vibe I get from it. One of the classes gives us a chance to get behind a camera, and a boom mike, and lights, and we get to say "ten one hundred" when we need to pee or BM. I'll sound so pro when it's potty time. And clothespins are called "C-47's". That is not a joke. It's the hands-on filmmaking that I chose VFS for, and I'm glad it's happening so soon.
They also gave me a free backpack, waterbottle, lanyard and umbrella (but since it hasn't really rained once since I moved out here, I might as well toss that, right?)
Anyway, I'll be popping in with any amusing anecdotes regarding my and my colleagues classroom antics. Hopefully get some photos of my place (and the view from the balcony) when I get moved-in. Stay tuned.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
A Week in the Life
Well, I've been in BC for a full week now. I gotta say, the people have been fantastic so far. I've met a lot of great people in a short time. For some odd reason, they remind me of some of the people I know back home. It's like a new season of a sitcom, and they swapped a lot of the main characters, and some older characters have returned. Also, they changed the plot and the set. At least the main character is the same (except there was some talk of replacing him with a squirrel, but they couldn't write it into the script).
I had my VFS orientation yesterday, and I got to meet the people I'll be working with in the next year. They seem like a cool bunch, not that typical pretentious acting type that I'm used to working with here, that's for sure. One them was named Gambit (yes, after the X-Men, no it's not his real name). All I can say is this should be a year comprised of 365 days. Just what HAPPENS in those days, well, you and I will just have to wait and see.
Still looking for an apartment in downtown Vancouver. Apparently there's like a 1.4% vacancy rate, and that 1.4% is actually the treehouses that kids don't want to use anymore. They cost $1200 per month, heat, water, electricity, phone, cable, internet and laundry are all extra. It's a pretty good deal, I have an appointment with Timmy at 5 pm (that's when the lemonade stand closes). It comes with free sprinkler privileges, so, huzzah.
I found out that the job I used to have before moving won't exist anymore after Nov. 13. Looked like I got out at the right time. It was a crappy job, but a lot of good people worked there, and this is going to hit some of them really hard. This furthers my "call centers are the modern factories" theory; It's crap work, long and boring, but you can get hired relatively easy, they will train you, and as long as you can do the job, you'll be fine. But if a contract isn't renewed, well, looks like you'll have to find a new factory. I just hope the people there can find a better factory soon.
I had my VFS orientation yesterday, and I got to meet the people I'll be working with in the next year. They seem like a cool bunch, not that typical pretentious acting type that I'm used to working with here, that's for sure. One them was named Gambit (yes, after the X-Men, no it's not his real name). All I can say is this should be a year comprised of 365 days. Just what HAPPENS in those days, well, you and I will just have to wait and see.
Still looking for an apartment in downtown Vancouver. Apparently there's like a 1.4% vacancy rate, and that 1.4% is actually the treehouses that kids don't want to use anymore. They cost $1200 per month, heat, water, electricity, phone, cable, internet and laundry are all extra. It's a pretty good deal, I have an appointment with Timmy at 5 pm (that's when the lemonade stand closes). It comes with free sprinkler privileges, so, huzzah.
I found out that the job I used to have before moving won't exist anymore after Nov. 13. Looked like I got out at the right time. It was a crappy job, but a lot of good people worked there, and this is going to hit some of them really hard. This furthers my "call centers are the modern factories" theory; It's crap work, long and boring, but you can get hired relatively easy, they will train you, and as long as you can do the job, you'll be fine. But if a contract isn't renewed, well, looks like you'll have to find a new factory. I just hope the people there can find a better factory soon.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
I've Been to British Columbia, Richmond to Vancouver
Made it to BC safely. The flight went well, aside from an assassin letting loose a crate of deadly snakes! It's ok though, Mace Windu was on the flight, and killed them with his lightsabre. I got to hold it. I didn't have a camera, and I couldn't use my cell phone on the plane to take a picture, but trust me, it happened. I finally found an internet connection and had my cell phone number changed (e-mail me if you want it, friends only, lawl). I'm staying with my good and generous friend, the beneficent one, Fr. David, and I hope to find a place in downtown Vancouver soon. I also hope the sky will someday rain down loonies so I can make a coin-stack statue of Mount Rushmore with fu manchu mustaches, so I won't hold much hope I'll find the perfect place right away.
I gotta say, I'm a bit on edge waiting for school to start. Just sitting here, making sure I don't spend money on anything (but 7-11 has SUPERMAN RETURNS holographic Slurpee cups! Who can resist?), making sure I have everything I need to live, and trying not to break down and cry too much. I think I've got it down to five minutes a day, of not crying. I drink lots of water, so it's all good.
Not that I'm saying I don't like the time off. It's very relaxed here at the rectory, and the Friars are treating me very well. They almost have my manicuring preferences down pat, but until then, I don't hesitate to hand down the punishment of a West Scandinavian back-waxing.
We watched a movie yesterday that was filmed in Vancouver called Edison Force. It was about a city in the United States called Edison (that, for some reason used BC license plates on their cars). Check it out if you want to see Justin Timberlake as a Jewish reporter working for Morgan Freeman, and shooting-up the bad guys with LL Cool J. Yeah. It really showcases the beauty of the city (I recognized it right away in the first shot of the skyline), and gives me a promising outlook on the film industry here. (The movie wasn't so great, on record I give it three stars out of a possible ... however many stars are viewable from the northern hemisphere).
Anyway, until I get stung by a scorpion for interrupting his afternoon tea or eaten by a purple bear named Gus for losing a game of paper-rock-scissors, you'll be hearing from me later.
I gotta say, I'm a bit on edge waiting for school to start. Just sitting here, making sure I don't spend money on anything (but 7-11 has SUPERMAN RETURNS holographic Slurpee cups! Who can resist?), making sure I have everything I need to live, and trying not to break down and cry too much. I think I've got it down to five minutes a day, of not crying. I drink lots of water, so it's all good.
Not that I'm saying I don't like the time off. It's very relaxed here at the rectory, and the Friars are treating me very well. They almost have my manicuring preferences down pat, but until then, I don't hesitate to hand down the punishment of a West Scandinavian back-waxing.
We watched a movie yesterday that was filmed in Vancouver called Edison Force. It was about a city in the United States called Edison (that, for some reason used BC license plates on their cars). Check it out if you want to see Justin Timberlake as a Jewish reporter working for Morgan Freeman, and shooting-up the bad guys with LL Cool J. Yeah. It really showcases the beauty of the city (I recognized it right away in the first shot of the skyline), and gives me a promising outlook on the film industry here. (The movie wasn't so great, on record I give it three stars out of a possible ... however many stars are viewable from the northern hemisphere).
Anyway, until I get stung by a scorpion for interrupting his afternoon tea or eaten by a purple bear named Gus for losing a game of paper-rock-scissors, you'll be hearing from me later.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Standing on the Edge of Tomorrow
Well, here I am. It's almost midnight on the day I leave Dartmouth for Vancouver for at least one year. It's funny that I've had over a full year to prepare for this day, and yet it's still hard to believe this is all happening to me. It's rrll rrll exciting.
The reason I went to the first VFS information session with my life-partner (Chris), was to "audition for the acting program", as the newspaper ad read. I had no intentions of attending the school due to the immense cost and distance, and also not wanting to give-up the kicking gig I had of working at the local video chain part-time earning slightly more than minimum wage. Then for some reason I went to the same information session a year later with the same guy, but I really didn't know why I was there that time. So I decided to take the plunge while I was there, and at least fill-out an application form to save on some fees, and see what happened from there. Also, let me tell you that I'm not very pro-active when it comes to most things. Luckily the school made the first step by getting my in touch with a great Academic Advisor to finish the application.
In this process, my Advisor suggested that I come to VFS that year instead of waiting a few years like I planned. And why not? My work was nothing I wanted to dedicate my life to, and this would be my rare chance to chase my life's dream. And finances? Hey, I could just get a Student Line of Credit from RBC, and some Student Loans, and I'd be set, right? Sure I didn't have a dime to my name at the time, but I could just borrow most of the money, and pay it off later, no problem. Well, problem; my parents thought I was ludicrous. And, as painful as this is to write, they were right. Sure I could borrow a ton of money, but what have I done to that point that told them I could pay off the debts? I was so poor with handling my money, I used an old Kleenex box as a piggy-bank, and I blew my nose with 20's. So they suggested I stay at home and earn some real money myself before going out to BC.
And it was the best thing I could have done. I've earned the money I said I would earn, and I met some great people in the process. My call-centre job wasn't the best, but I think I'm coming out the other end with a better appreciation for actually earning a living. Also, I have a good feeling if I can do that, I can do just about anything.
There's a lot more to that whole story of the first installment of my VFS Oddyssey, including being seconds away from not going the second information session, and driving across Canada with an Atonement Friar from Rhode Island, but I'll save those for another day, when I have more time. Right now, I'm just too anxious to think about anything else.
I'm, about to take my first step into the larger world (and maybe I'll be able to finally see the remote with the blast-shield). And with that, I leave you with my philosophy for the future: I'm standing on the edge of tomorrow, and it's up me to see how far I go.
(Yes, it's from the theme song of "Saved By The Bell: The College Years", and yes, it'd be a great think to write in someone's yearbook who you don't really know or like, but want to write something motivational and inspiring).
The reason I went to the first VFS information session with my life-partner (Chris), was to "audition for the acting program", as the newspaper ad read. I had no intentions of attending the school due to the immense cost and distance, and also not wanting to give-up the kicking gig I had of working at the local video chain part-time earning slightly more than minimum wage. Then for some reason I went to the same information session a year later with the same guy, but I really didn't know why I was there that time. So I decided to take the plunge while I was there, and at least fill-out an application form to save on some fees, and see what happened from there. Also, let me tell you that I'm not very pro-active when it comes to most things. Luckily the school made the first step by getting my in touch with a great Academic Advisor to finish the application.
In this process, my Advisor suggested that I come to VFS that year instead of waiting a few years like I planned. And why not? My work was nothing I wanted to dedicate my life to, and this would be my rare chance to chase my life's dream. And finances? Hey, I could just get a Student Line of Credit from RBC, and some Student Loans, and I'd be set, right? Sure I didn't have a dime to my name at the time, but I could just borrow most of the money, and pay it off later, no problem. Well, problem; my parents thought I was ludicrous. And, as painful as this is to write, they were right. Sure I could borrow a ton of money, but what have I done to that point that told them I could pay off the debts? I was so poor with handling my money, I used an old Kleenex box as a piggy-bank, and I blew my nose with 20's. So they suggested I stay at home and earn some real money myself before going out to BC.
And it was the best thing I could have done. I've earned the money I said I would earn, and I met some great people in the process. My call-centre job wasn't the best, but I think I'm coming out the other end with a better appreciation for actually earning a living. Also, I have a good feeling if I can do that, I can do just about anything.
There's a lot more to that whole story of the first installment of my VFS Oddyssey, including being seconds away from not going the second information session, and driving across Canada with an Atonement Friar from Rhode Island, but I'll save those for another day, when I have more time. Right now, I'm just too anxious to think about anything else.
I'm, about to take my first step into the larger world (and maybe I'll be able to finally see the remote with the blast-shield). And with that, I leave you with my philosophy for the future: I'm standing on the edge of tomorrow, and it's up me to see how far I go.
(Yes, it's from the theme song of "Saved By The Bell: The College Years", and yes, it'd be a great think to write in someone's yearbook who you don't really know or like, but want to write something motivational and inspiring).
Friday, August 11, 2006
Happening Right Now, In A Galaxy We All Live In ...
Well, here it is, the inevitable first post. I'm going to try to get the intro junk out of the way first by saying if you're reading this, you already know my situation. You know my name is Will Vaughan from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and you know I've moved to Vancouver, British Columbia for the Acting program at the Vancouver Film School. You know my favourite movies are from the Star Wars saga, and you know I love video games and rock music, and my favourite band is Led Zeppelin. You know I am very into movies and film-making and Jesus is my proverbial home boy. But you already knew all that, so there's no need for me to write it al here.
The very purpose of this Blog is to make one massive update for anyone to see anytime they want for any reason, other than laughing at my misfortunes, or being envious of my successes. I'm hoping for more of the latter than the former. Rather than have everyone and their dog writing or calling saying "how's it going out there?", "meeting any new people?", "still washing behind your ears?", "woof? Bark, bark, ruff!" they can all take a gander here and get on big, fluffy, lemon-meringue pie of blog-tacular updates right in the face. Delicious.
As of this writing, am I three days away from stepping onto a plane on the east coast of Canada, and stepping off eight hours later on the west coast of Canada. How dandy. In all honesty, I don't know what this year will bring me. This will be my first foray into the world of professional acting, and hopefully when this fish leaves the bowl, it'll dive into an ocean of opportunity and not get caught in a dragnet of disaster. I'm full of 'em tonight.
So stay tuned, and feel free to leave a comment, or just keep said comments to yourself until they boil-over, out from the pot of pent-up feelings, all over the oven of the internet blogging community. With nothing better to end-off with, I will leave you with this: Peanut M&Ms rule. Think about it, it's true.
The very purpose of this Blog is to make one massive update for anyone to see anytime they want for any reason, other than laughing at my misfortunes, or being envious of my successes. I'm hoping for more of the latter than the former. Rather than have everyone and their dog writing or calling saying "how's it going out there?", "meeting any new people?", "still washing behind your ears?", "woof? Bark, bark, ruff!" they can all take a gander here and get on big, fluffy, lemon-meringue pie of blog-tacular updates right in the face. Delicious.
As of this writing, am I three days away from stepping onto a plane on the east coast of Canada, and stepping off eight hours later on the west coast of Canada. How dandy. In all honesty, I don't know what this year will bring me. This will be my first foray into the world of professional acting, and hopefully when this fish leaves the bowl, it'll dive into an ocean of opportunity and not get caught in a dragnet of disaster. I'm full of 'em tonight.
So stay tuned, and feel free to leave a comment, or just keep said comments to yourself until they boil-over, out from the pot of pent-up feelings, all over the oven of the internet blogging community. With nothing better to end-off with, I will leave you with this: Peanut M&Ms rule. Think about it, it's true.
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