Last Line Night, At Last

Tonight was our final Line night! It actually went quite well, though we were missing Dave and Alex, and Damon came in tonight when I thought he'd be out of town! We had to do Scene 1 a few more times than I expected to get the flow going, but Scene 2 was a breeze! Steve really cracks me up. He does such a fantastic job as Vincentio. It's too bad I missed him from his stint with the play Frankenstein last year!

Phillip got teased a lot for his kissing scenes with Beth. Teehee. I get kilig (Filipino for giddy) whenever they do those scenes. XD I'm sure Phil does too, by the look on his face. Beth seems to be taking it really well. Experience? ;) Haha. I love Beth. She always waits for me when I close down.

Tonight was capped with delicious Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate cookies (of course!), some good coffee, and a stop at Applebee's, initiated by Tom. It was fun! It's always an honor to work with and get to know such a talented, passionate group of people. You'll always learn something new from them.

And with this, I bid thee adieu.

Have a super weekend!

Let the Games Begin

Only the strong survive.

In this case, only the consitently persistent survive.

On October 1st, the RW3 Survivor game begins.

11 contenders.

10 Pounds.

5 Weeks.

Who will outlast the rest??

I'll keep you posted ;)

What is your daemon?

I cannot wait for the movie to come out! I'm a big fan of the books and it would be so fantastic to finally see Pullman's vision on the big screen. Take the test and let me know what your daemon is!

Something Missing

Tonight's rehearsals were weird. We ran through the usual motions, but something felt like it was missing. And I didn't think I could get that missing something simply by rerunning through the scenes all over again; I just couldn't put my finger on it. Even the actors could tell... "is that it?" Damon asked, when I called it a night, "aren't we supposed to do it till we have it perfect?" piped in James. I said as long as you understand what you're supposed to say and when you're supposed to say it, paraphrasing is okay. What's important is you make sense. Even Harry, our director, told me that it's okay to give the actors room for their speeches - it could be more understandable to the audience that way. I don't know. It does bother me. We finished rehearsals in an hour and a half, which seemed short after a few consecutive 2 hour sessions. I guess I'll talk to Harry about it tomorrow. Now that I think about it, maybe it was because Tom (Baptista) wasn't there. I don't know.

Three hours of sleep rarely ever helps. Today was a weird and busy day. I was on a very important conference call today when an uninvited guest signed in and started sending us weird messages. It was extremely strange and I really started gettng paranoid, especially as the "guest's" email domain ended with the name of a very (in)famous retailer, though it was misspelled. There was a collective feeling of violation amongst the call's participants, and we were worried a security breach might have taken place either with the local email accounts or with our call service provider. It was extremely strange. On the other hand, Mark did a real good job with our company's proposal and his presentation. I sure hope we gain something new out of it.

I am currently busy learning some new songs for the upcoming auditions with the ACO. Along with September comes try-outs for the Gospel-comedy-musical "Smoke on the Mountain." I'm hoping to get the part of Denise Sanders, only because it looks like my voice and personality seems the most suited for her character. We'll see. Whether or not I get cast, I know the most important thing is I put myself out there. The song I'm learning for my solo is called "I'll Never Die (I'll Just Change My Address)." It's very pretty melodically, but as you can tell from the title, the lyric is very entertaining. ;)

That's all for now - this compulsive list-maker must return to her to-do list. Good night!

Saturday Social

Saturday the 18th of August was probably the most social day I have ever had here in Arkansas (not including theatre and work). Dinner with the NWA Social Forum was fantastic. Though there were only 4 of us (Jud, June, and Donne), we all had a wonderful time. First we had dinner at AQ Chicken House, which was actually a very nice restaurant and had some really nice southern meals. We then went to Gator Golf for a round of putt-putt and then on to Dickson Street for some ice cream after melting in the humid weather. Kristen, Heather, and Matt joined us at the Haagen Dazs ice cream parlor.

Tonight reinforced to me that I am indeed an old soul. Just like that literary tour I once took in Reno, I was the youngest of the lot, the rest being in their 30's and upwards. I just love listening to people who have learned so much in life and have gone through a lot. I was particularly fascinated with June, a lady I would guess to be in her 50's. She is an Architect by trade and is a great example of a strong, inspiring woman. I also, however, have to say that I liked Donne very much. She is currently pursuing her PhD at the University of Arkansas and is just the sweetest, funniest person. She is interested in auditioning for Smoke on the Mountain with me at the Arts Center of the Ozarks, and the group is interested in watching the Shrew, as well! Jud, as usual, was being his cynical self, and we gave him endless grief for it ;) We took some pictures and I'll post them as soon as Donne sends them over.

I can't believe it's almost 2AM. I have been very obsessed about chores around the house lately and so I am used to sleeping in the wee hours of the morn, given my current schedule (at least 8 hours of "normal" work in the daytime, and 2 to 3 hours of theatre work at night). Tomorrow, Sunday (which is today, really), I'll be concentrating on house chores since I slacked off today and took it as my rest day. I'm very happy and content, right now. I wish you the same sort of feeling.

Good night!

A Lesson in Letting Go

In things that matter (because I can be pretty laid back with things that don't), I've always been quite the control freak slash demanding perfectionist.

Recently, I've been revisiting my desire to skydive and wondered if there would be any sky dive centers here in Arkansas. Lo and behold, there are. Skydiving has always been in my list of "Things to do Before I Die," and now I think I know why. It's a good lesson for me in the art of relinquishing control. In skydiving, I am definitely at the mercy of 1. the elements; and 2. my instructor. Not that SCUBA Diving doesn't teach you that (I was an avid diver back in the Philippines), but with skydiving, one tiny error can cost you your life; that and for sure, it's going to be one experience I'm never going to forget (assuming I survive it), and hopefully help inspire me to live my life in more carpe diem-like fashion.

I think I'll do it early next year. I know of at least three people who are going to kill me if I don't make it past this year :)

Mid-August Update

Below is an entry I posted to my "BIG" Blog. It contained lots of important stuff so I'm posting the exact same entry here since BIG is a restricted blog. But since this is my personal blog, I'm appending some more "personal" stuff below ;)

Clearly, I spake too soon in the last entry. Detailed narrative... sure, I have it in my head; next time, I should consider time constraints, too ;)

Today I attended the first meeting of the "Let's Have Coffee Meetup Group." Though there were only three of us who attended - Sam, the organizer, and Donna, apart from myself - I had lots of fun. The picture to the left is of me and Donna at the Pontiac Coffee House. It's a real neat place and definitely not your typical coffee shop, and they definitely have great coffee and food.

I've always preferred things like these - small, intimate gatherings where you really get to know other people - as opposed to loud, raucous parties where all you really do is drink and go crazy. I don't mind the latter occasionally, in fact, last night, I went out with the troops from the Arts Center of the Ozarks to Fayetteville for a night of drinks and punk rock. It was fun to spend some time with the actors outside of the theatre and get to know them a little bit more. Naturally, the ones that came were in my age group, though some of them even thought I wasn't old enough to gain admittance into a bar. Ha! That made my night ;) James, who plays Tranio in our production of Taming, treated us all out to a round of Tequila Sunrises.

The production is going well, I think, though some actors are struggling with memorizing their lines. As AD, it's my job to make sure that all the actors are there, to open up before and close down after rehearsals, and most importantly, be in charge of Line Rehearsals/Nights. I was fully in charge of rehearsals for the first time this Thursday (Harry, the Director, was there the first Line Rehearsal night to make sure I was okay with it). I had to push some of the actors a bit hard because they obviously did not spend much time studying their lines. What kills me the most is when they don't even know when they're supposed to say something! I tried to make sure though that I didn't push them too hard. At the end of it, Chris, who plays Gremio, said "thank you so much for your patience and leadership tonight, I could not have done it without you." Tom, who plays Baptista, also said his thanks and promised to work on his lines more. Wow. That made my whole evening.

As I spend more time here by myself and get to know myself more, I'm finding I'm a bit of an old soul. Or maybe that I'm simply an extrovert on the outside but I really am quite antisocial on the inside. For instance, I find that I enjoyed this morning's coffee meeting much more than last night's carousing... and that I'd rather travel or read a book or write than go out and party. Not that this is a new realization by any means - it's more of a reinforced thought in the back of my head.

This month has been both absolutely exhausting and exciting for a lot of people: Brad with his new house, me with my Bentonville and theatre stuff + handling Nestle while Rachel was out on vacation (what a slacker), Rachel with her stuff...man. I can't believe we're in mid-August already. Soon, it will be time to come back to Austin and then off to Florida for Letti's wedding! I am very excited and happy for Letti, she really deserves all the happiness and blessings in the world! We are also planning a sailing cruise while we are in town. It's been AGES for me and I so miss the ocean. So far, it'll be me, Rachel, Ruth, and Capri flying in.

Oh before I forget, Sam (from this morning's meetup group) shared a very useful site for you travellers out there. Check out http://xjet.com/. Really neat site and great deals on airfare from Austin to select cities! I'd have to fly out of Tulsa from this end, but the prices would make it worth the drive.

Hope all is well in your part of the world!

======= End of BIG Blog Entry =======

This month I also had my annual review with my ever-so-awesome Boss, Brad. It was nauseating. I can't believe I only got 10 out of 15 Outstandings. That sickens me (I'm sure Brad will puke if he gets to read this :P).

I love reviews. I've always loved getting feedback on how I'm doing. I want to hear if I'm doing well or not, and if not, how I can improve on my stuff. Lots of exciting things came out of that meeting, the point most important being my future with RW3. I love this company and I love my job. The fact that they choose to invest so heavily in my professional and personal development - which ultimately benefits the company, of course - makes me feel that I can really make a big difference in our business and the world.

I mentioned to Brad a few weeks ago while I was in Austin on my plans to take an MBA and when we finally decide to open an office in England, to study theatre and lit there while I work. It feels so great to let him know of my dreams and just know that he supports me in everything (good) I do. So, for now, I am currently looking for good online MBA courses. Brad suggested I take an international MBA because that will be most fitting for when RW3 goes global. I stumbled across two strong contenders: Northeastern University and Thunderbird University. Both schools are internationally accredited and highly ranked by BusinessWeek and Forbes. I had my interview with an admissions officer from Northeastern yesterday, and he said it was his job to determine if I'm even qualified to begin with, and if so, to help me get in to the program (apparently, not very many are accepted).

The interview went really well though I told him I wasn't sure of the timeline as to when I start school just yet (I find setting realistic expectations at the very beginning helps a LOT in almost ANY situation). I also looked into the University of Phoenix program, but was not very impressed with their courses, plus they lacked the accreditation these other contenders have. So, we'll see. I'm very excited about this plus everything else I am sure will come pretty soon. We are looking to open an actual, physical office here and hire someone else to do more of the sales stuff. I hope our current prospect accepts. I think he's great.

So for now I must bid thee adieu...

See YOU at the tracks! :)

Failure to Yield

I think it was about a week ago when it happened. The main intersection between 290 and I-35 right by my workplace is notorious for incorrigible driving behavior - drivers turn from a "straight" lane when they are suppposed to take the side road that turns. More annoyingly, drivers that take that side road don't yield to the cars in the main road when they have a yield sign clearly posted right in front of them. I just happened to be in one of the two lanes in the main frontage road at the time, on North I-35 - a huge SUV was right beside me. This 18 wheeler decided that he was immune from yielding, being the big old gargantuan truck that he is. And of course he took up the 2 lanes he was merging into. He almost hit me and the SUV beside me, had I not swerved into the SUV's lane and the SUV's driver had the presence of mind to break and leave me barely enough space to get in front of him and zoom past the 18 wheeler. F&$*&^@ POS Bastard. I hate irresponsible drivers like that. My dad always said that a lot of people drive but a lot don't know HOW to drive. Again, his point is proven true. I've simply been dying to get that off my chest (no pun intended). The SUV driver and I could have been seriously hurt or killed. Bastard.

Now to more important news... ;)

I'm currently at the Mazda dealership having my brother's to-be-car inspected and maintained. It's taking awhile. So, I thought I'd finally post an update. Much has happened. This is actually my second week in Austin, having had to come as Rachel was going on vacation to begin with, but having to stay an extra week because Rachel's granddad passed away. My heart so goes out to that girl. She has gone through a LOT this year and I hold her very dear to me. She is one good and strong woman, I don't know what I'd do if I were in her place. I am very proud of her; I hope she knows that.

I do miss being in the office and being around with people. I must say I really enjoyed my time here. It's been quite stressful, though - imagine having to manage the desk of a large candy manufacturer (that is notorious for being extremely... busy), and my current job in Bville. It was fun, and it wasn't fun. I love being busy, but man was I stressed. I'm very glad and happy though that the projects ended up being great and that things went as smoothly as they did. Ruth is always such a pleasure to work with, and I am also very glad I got to know Sienna a little bit more. She's a total doll, I adore her. Of course, it was very great to see the rest of the team and finally see Brad. It's been ages. That boss of mine manages to remain beyond words. He's so fantastic. Heck, our team is so fantastic :D

I was very happy to catch up with Letti who is busy with her wedding plans (I really have no clue how she's juggling THAT AND her job), and Annie, who is very busy with life. I also managed to unload some of my burden with Chris. A lot of our past relationship has kept me angry and bitter and it was such a relief to unload it all on him. I decided to let him know how I felt, and now, I can actually see us as becoming friends. Good friends, too. It's very liberating to know I can tell him exactly how I feel without fear of anything.

Oh, here's a Bentonville update for ya: I made Assistant Director to the Arts Center of the Ozarks' production of Taming of the Shrew!!! I am so very excited. I spoke to Harry yesterday to check in with him and we shall meet on Monday afternoon so I could get my briefing. I get to go in to the theatre through the Stage Door. Woohoo!

A good number of workfriends and I went to Happy Hour at Trudy's this past Wednesday, which was a lot of fun. I got to see and interact a little bit more with the Dev folks + Tam + Marco. Traitors :P It was great seeing everyone outside of work, though. RW3 really has an amazing group of people. I am honored to be part of this company.

So that's it for a quick update + gushing session. I'll update more soon, I'm sure, especially as I start going into rehearsals! Wooohoooooooo!!!

Oh, oh, and Brad will be flying into town to catch the play. Hopefully he can bring Raquel with him. :D