101 Things in 1001 Days

I am an obsessive list maker. It may be obvious to you from the insane amount I have already made on here but if not, here's another one!

I ended one of these this April and actually managed to complete a lot of the points. However when I made it I was in my first year of university and my goals and expectations were... less than realistic! I feel I have a better grasp on what I can achieve in three years and what I want to achieve by my 26th Birthday. 

The idea is to have points that aren't ambiguous. That way you have a clear indication of whether you have completed them or not.

So without further ado here is my brand new 101 things which I will do a monthly update of on here.

Start Date: Saturday June 15^th 2013

End Date: Saturday March 12^th 2016

Travel:

1.     Visit Croatia

2.     Visit Paris

3.     Go on holiday with a friend

4.     See a Romeo and Juliet at the globe  

5.     Spend the day at Alton Towers

6.     Relax in the country for a weekend

7.     See The Magic Flute

8.     See The Nutcracker at Christmas

9.     Take a road trip

10.  Visit 10 new places in the UK

11.  Spend my 25^th Birthday in a different country

Online:

12.  Write an ebook

13.  Redesign my blog to something I am proud of

14.  Get a new computer

15.  Create a brand for myself

16.  Rejoin youtube posting content I am proud of

Family and friends:

17.  Make the people I love a handmade gift for Birthdays/ Christmas (x5)

18.  Have a catch up with friends at least once a month

19.  Spend a day out with Kathryn

20.  Make an effort to send birthday cards to close family and friends

21.  Re-connect with at least five friends.

22.  Spend a day with my family at least once a month

My Mind:

23.  Learn French and be able to hold a conversation.

24.  Watch 20 Classic movies

25.  Cook 5 meals from 5 different countries

26.  Watch a movie from every year since moviemaking began

27.  Read a new book every month (x33)

28.  Read 10 Classic novels

29.  Organize my photos and scraps into scrapbooks and boxes.

30.  Watch 20 foreign films

31.  Watch 10 Classic musicals

32.  Take a photograph every day for a year

33.  Buy a sketchbook and fill it with drawings

34.  Learn a new skill

My body:

35.  Be 120lbs

36.  Half way to weight loss

37.  ¾ way to weight loss

38.  Complete the couch to 5k programme

39.  Cut out soda for a month

40.  Try pilates

41.  Take a dance class once a week for a month

42.  Keep a food journal for a week/ a month

43.  Improve my posture

44.  Go Vegetarian for a month

45.  Become flexible enough to touch my toes

46.  For one month get up early every day for a walk/ run

47.  For one month give up added sugar

48.  For one month give up caffeine

49.  Complete the seven day slim down

50.  Complete a tone it up members challenge

51.  Complete the Ballet Bar Challenge

52.  For 101 days give up fast food

53.  Take a yoga class

54.  Drink 2 litres of water per day for a month

55.  Whiten my teeth

56.  Do a full body detox

57.  Take vitamins every day for a month

58.  Floss my teeth every day for a month

59.  Wake up at 6am for a week

My soul:

60.  Write a list of 50 things I like about myself

61.  Write a letter to myself to be opened at the end of 1001 days

62.  Write a letter to someone I admire

63.  Write a list of 101 things I’ve already achieved

64.  Document my music taste over a year

65.  Get rid of 101 things

66.  Spend a whole weekend without the computer and smart phone!

67.  Unplug for 24 hours once every two months.

68.  Be working as a professional Actress

69.  Build a time capsule

70.  Meditate daily for a month

71.  Don’t say anything negative for a day

72.  Complete my own happiness project

For me:

73.  Get a massage

74.  Buy something designer

75.  Make Pinata cookies

76.  Carve a pumpkin

77.  Get a pedicure

78.  Watch a yankees game

79.  Make macarons

80.  Make a rainbow/ ombre cake

81.  Get a facial

82.  Fill my wardrobe with the basics from my list

83.  Buy a vintage dress

84.  Go for lunch at a tea room all dressed up

85.  Spend the day at the beach

86.  Own a matching pair of underwear from Victoria’s Secret

87.  Buy a new camera

For others:  

88.  Give blood

89.  Organize a charity event x3

90.  Send someone a care package for no reason

91.  Do volunteer work x15

92.  Make cookies and cupcakes and give them away

93.  Buy flowers for someone

94.  Throw Donna an amazing Bridal Shower

Money:

95.  Set a savings target

96.  Go a month without buying anything that isn’t a necessity

97.  Find an affordable apartment to live in

98.  Have a car boot sale

99.  Pay off my credit card debt and overdraft

100.                 Catalogue my expenses for one month in every year (x3)

101.                 Save £10 for every completed item

 Wish me luck, the same to you.

Annabelle

xoxo

The Break

"They told me that the wiring was somehow all misfiring and screwing up the signals in my brain."

For the first time since starting this blog I missed posting on my allotted days. Last week I basically had a break down and so posting on here was the very last thing on my mind.

To be honest it's been a long time coming, the past couple of months have been rough and I managed to deal with them, or so I thought. Turns out I was doing my usual trick of pushing things back and ignoring them until they built up and I broke down.

Let me set the scene for you.

Annabelle gets a work experience placement, she begins working, actually doing something with her days. Then it dawns on her this is actually delaying her return to London. She feels like she's suffocating in the office. It's so quiet and she really does not fit in.

Then half way through the week her car breaks down. She does not have the money to fix it.

Add this on top of giving up a travel job and realising she could have been in Paris at this point, the fact that the auditions she gave up said job for fell through and the loss of her Uncle and you can see where this is going.

Except I couldn't! Now I'm a stickler for doing things by the rules, even if it screws me over, which it has done in the past. This time around... oh boy.

I left the office on Friday evening and just didn't go back. 

Never in my life have I ever done anything like that and it worried me! It also showed me it's not the end of the world if you don't do every little thing by the book.

So now I am back being unemployed, trying to sort out my head. Let's try and make light of this situation.

What I learnt:

-I can cope better with set backs, but I still need help.

-You are on the right path, so stop doubting it!

-There are so many more options than you knew, start grabbing for them.

Wish me luck, the same to you.

Annabelle

xoxo

The Age of Aquarius

 I'm finding age to be a funny thing in this business, one that manages to both worry and comfort me at the exact same time. 

 On the one hand you have the west end casting of Les Miserables, they cast young. Sierra Boggess mentioned that she was old at 29. It panics me that starting at 23 will mean I'll never achieve my dream of playing Eponine. But then if we hop across the pond to the Broadway production of the same show we see one of the best Eponines, Celia Keenan-Bolger, playing her at 28. One year older and she would be considered almost too old to play Fantine, who is older than Eponine! 

 It's confusing, as I said on one hand I'm comforted by the fact I still have five years left before being too old on Broadway, but in England (where I'm currently stuck) I'm pretty much past my prime.

 In fact, it seems to be a running trend that actors can still get a break later on in their lives on the great white way. Norbert Leo Butz, 29 when he got his big Broadway break. 

 Then again, I could once again turn the tables and confuse matters more by bringing up people like Jennifer Damiano, she is only 21 and already has three big broadway shows under her belt! Or my favourite Aaron Tveit who landed his role in Wicked at 23.

 I'm hoping you can see where my confusion comes from. I know there's the whole 'don't compare yourself to others' thing but when it comes to casting ages I can't help it. Especially when it's concerning my ultimate dream role.

 I have managed to stop obsessing over it all, I've accepted the fact I will never be a child prodigy like Miss. Damiano but maybe, just maybe I can still play the street waif I so long to be. Hopefully when I get the opportunity I won't be considered too old!

 It's such a funny thing to talk to 'real' people about. At 23 years old you are considered young, at the beginning of your journey with your entire life ahead of you. In the acting world you're old to be starting. I don't really have anything philosophical to say about this fact. It's just something I've found interesting... and stressful!

The only thing I have learnt is to keep going, keep learning, keep growing and when an opportunity comes along grab it with both hands and don't let go. I'm hoping that someday soon someone will take a chance on an unknown and I will be one step closer to those grubby street clothes!

Wish me luck, the same to you.

Annabelle

xoxo

Time to Study!

 This morning I went to my first dance lesson in about three years. It wasn't as horrific as I first expected it to be and I actually ended up having fun. Turns out I quite enjoy dancing when I stop worrying about how bad I am!

 I've had a lot of free time, what with no job, no money and, well no life! So I've been researching the Broadway stars I admire and seeing what they do, how they prepare. I discovered that while on Broadway in the leading role of Frank Abagnale Jr. Aaron Tveit was still taking acting lessons and I thought why am I not doing the same? If he continues to learn after bagging the job of his dreams why on earth am I sat around not learning when I haven't even got one professional credit under my belt?

 And so begins my 'quest' to keep learning. I've enrolled in dance classes, ballet to be exact, as well as acting classes. For now I'm going to leave the singing as that's where I'm strongest and focus on the other two. Also when money's short you really can't afford to do that many classes!

So I guess now is the time to knuckle down and get to the hard work, let's face it. When I finally do get a job I'll be craving this kind of time to completely dedicate myself to acting so I'm not going to waste it while I have it.

If a little inspiration is needed though, here's the wonderful Aaron Tveit in Catch Me If You Can showing off some dance skills. (Oh and Chorus girls with legs for days, if that doesn't make you want to go to the gym I don't know what will!)

Wish me luck, the same to you.

Annabelle

xoxo

The Starving Artist

It is 8pm on a Friday night and once again I am sat inside watching bad movies and eating my body weight in chocolate. While I have always admittedly been a bit of a loner this constant house arrest isn't due to lack of friends, more a lack of money.

 There's this romantic notion that surrounds the starving artist. They suffer for their art but ultimately grow from the experience.

 All I'm growing is the desire for a money tree.

 Not only am I not acting, I'm just not working, what job can you get with a drama degree? None apparently! The acting jobs want people from drama schools and the 'real' jobs want people with 'real' degrees leaving little old me back at my parents and finding free ways to entertain myself.

 So I thought I'd share a few things I've come up with for my fellow starving artists!

- Watch through your DVD library: Seeing as this is only a part of my collection I think this will keep me occupied for a while! 

-Spring Clean: 'Tis the season and all that. I'm actually really proud with the way my room has turned out and I have boxes full of things to sell, which in turn will make me money.

- Go for a walk somewhere new: It's free and you get to explore and learn something. If you take your camera along you can get some awsome shots too!

-Improve yourself: Get out the old singing books, go on youtube and teach yourself dancing, pull out the Stanislavski! You won't have this much down time for long so use it to better yourself and in turn your career.

-Get online!: Blog, make videos, find a way to be creative so the artist side of you isn't starving too. Even if no one reads it, you get it out and get to think!

In the meantime I've started a couple of savings projects to help with the lack of money issue. 

- The Spending Fast: This is where you only spend on needs, such as rent, bills, food, and nothing else. Everything else you make goes into savings. These hardcore girls have done it for a whole year, I'm attempting three months and then I'll go from there. Who knows, maybe I'll manage a year too?

- The 52 Week Challenge: This is something I'm going to be lenient with, unlike the spending fast, the idea is you put £1 in week one, £2 for week two, £3 for week three and so on. By the end of the year you'll have around £1,700 saved and it won't have been too much trouble.

If you have any ideas please let me know and I hope these inspire you in some way!

Wish me luck, the same to you.

Annabelle

xoxo

The Audition

 After the harsh "That's all we need," yesterday was a nice surprise. To begin with the people holding the audition were incredibly lovely. (I'm not saying the others were horrible, I just had about 10 seconds with them and that's not enough time to tell!) 

 As you know the day started with a dance audition. We were taught a routine from Newsies. For those of you familiar with the show can you imagine my intense fear when I hear that name come up, especially as a none dancer! For those of you unfamiliar here is a video to show you the standard these guys are at...

(The insanely incredible dancing starts around 2 minutes in.)

 At that point I thought, might as well give up, you're dead meat! Oh boy was I wrong. For starters the way the guy ran the audition was extremely relaxed, he'd make jokes (Including A Chorus Line "Again... Again....Again..." thrown in for good measure!) If you were stuck he would run over it with you without being snotty about it and when it came to actually performing it if you were very stuck he got up and ran it with you. 

 I can say very proudly that A) My group managed to perform the dance unsupervised... whether I got all the moves or not is another thing, but I did it with a smile on my face, and B) I didn't fall on my behind! That for me is a huge success compared to my last dance audition.

 Then came the singing... this was my time to shine! I sang No Good Deed from Wicked and am so happy with the way it went. If you add in the laughs I had with some girls I met the day was actually one I will look back on fondly, even if I don't get a part. And this is how I will look back at every audition from now on, by listing the things I achieved and learnt from the day rather than focusing on the bad. So here goes...

- I learnt a very hard dance combination for me, and managed to overcome my worries and perform it with a smile and a character.

- I remained standing through the entire thing!

- I met some wonderful people who pulled me out of my shell enough to dance in a very crowded street and sing in a pub, two things the old Annabelle would never dream of doing. (Well, maybe after a couple of pints...)

- I belted my little heart out managing to put character into my song, despite my nerves.

 All in all I'm happy! Now I need to wait out the week to see if I get a part or not.

Wish me luck, the same to you!

Annabelle

xoxo