One Moment: A Life-Changing Instant

I know this is late, but I mean to publish this on Friday, however, life's events got in the way. Let me explain.

This past week since my last entry, was one week of random events. Each of these random events were strong reminders to me that life can change on a moment's notice. All you need is one instananeous moment to change the very direction of your life. It seemed to come in good and bad forms for me this week. Nothing happened to me personally, it was affected by those around me.

One moment would be relating to a distant friend of mine whom I have only worked with for 2 months last fall. She was in a dreadful car accident that shattered her pelvis. For months, she is confined to the walls of her house, and the world of her family where she has to learn to walk again and stand. This accident, although 1.5 months ago, has made me realize that no one is able to predict the future. My friend's strength, courage and faith has been sooo inspiring to me, I do not wake up a day without praying for her recovery. I can only compare it to how I would handle it, I really don't think I could. It made me realize that I have to be so grateful for what I have and those around me.

The second moment related to my roommate. This past Wednesday night, my roommate got really sick and went to the hospital. Apparently, she had an unrepairable infected gall bladder, and had emergency surgery to remove it. I have been trying to take care of her as best I could over the last few days, but her mother flew in to do just that. Her incident was so fast to develop it blew my mind. All you need is that one moment for your life to change whether it is a week or months to your entire destiny.

There were also a few other events with friends throughout the country. One had a performed as Darth Maul in front of George Lucas, another got a phone call answering the prayer for a leadership position, etc. Personally, I have not been able to get the idea of an earthquake out of my head as they have been in my dreams the last few nights.

With all of these outside events happening around me, I have come to terms that life can/will change. All you need is one simple moment. That is it. Our very existence can come down to one split second. Depending on how you view the world, you can take this as pure positivity, meaning the world has so many possibilities that something miraculous can happen. Or, you can see it as purely negative: it is just a moment for your life to be ruined.

Personally, I would like to think I am the positive one. Although there seems to be more bad stuff than good in the world these days from crimes, accidents, you name it, there also seems to be tons of good: travel anywhere on a moment's notice, your big break, winning the lottery, finding your true love, etc. There can be so much that can happen.

What I am getting at is never underestimate the potential of your day to day life. Each day can become something amazing or something you never expected.

I will apply this to my temp job and every aspect of my life. I am waiting for my moment. My Big Break. I am praying for the day my current department says, "You're hired." I cannot wait to hear those words from anybody. The day I do, I think I will just cry tears of happiness.

By looking at how those who face hardships are so grateful and genuine, I have come to realize that my life, as sometimes boring as it can be, is actually amazing. I will take the cons of this position and make them positive. I cannot dweal and worry so much on the tiny details. While others are needing help to walk, I can at least walk into the Walt Disney Studios, as I have imagined in my room as a teenager, and say I am here. By seeing that perspective, my life is awesome.

I will take every moment of my day and fill it with something. I can never predict what is coming around the corner, but I sure hope that I remain grateful for my life, my friends, and my family. Only I can make it worthwhile... even on a moment's notice. I cannot wait for my moment to arrive.

A Generic Title

There really is not anything big I have to talk about in this post, so I have a title that reflects just that point. Deal with it, IKE!

It has been really quiet on the work front. Most of the execs are gone on vacation, and when they are gone, so are the assistants. I end up being the only one in my corner for half the day. I don't mind it, but it is a bit boring. However, this week, I am so physically exhausted despite my bosses not being here.

I have undertaken the task of cleaning out the entire supply closet. This was no easy feat. I knew two months ago, I would be the one to organize this massive monster of a project. It literally looked like the room was going to cave in on itself because nothing was put away, so it was all stacked on each other.

It took me all week to get through it, but about 3 bruised knuckles, 10 papercuts, 100 squats, 200 dead lifts later, I officially finished it today! YAY! The room was about 20x60 ft, basically a large rectangle. I had to go through all the supplies, some were over 15 years old, and decide to toss, donate or keep. I have touched so many dirty, jagged boxes, that my hands are all cracked from the dryness. There were some supplies I never knew existed in there such as typewriter label attachments or video cassette tape refills.

Anyway, that was my huge project this week, so I did not blog much on this or my other random blog, so I apologize. I actually wish I took before and after pictures of this project, because I am quite proud of the outcome.

This leads me to my next thought. I have always been a super strong organizer. If I had taken pictures of all the projects I have done, I would have a large portfolio. I always thought in my 30s I would start my own business, and it could be a bakery or, my new thought, a professional organizing service. Why not? I feel most productive when I am planning and organizing, not sitting at a computer, and being able to see the results of my work. I think it could happen!

So what I am going to try to do is make a flyer for my business and send it out to friends or small businesses and see if they need any personal re-organizing for a small fee. My plan would be not to charge until they see the improvements and are proud of my work. That way it is always making me honest to work my hardest. Thoughts? It could be a side of small income I guess. I am really serious about this too.

On a side note, I have been trying to go to the gym everyday. So far, I have gone everyday but one this week. I have attended my training session as well as the body workout classes. I really hope I can see a difference soon, but I know it takes time. In terms of my recent goal of weight loss, I thought I would have all 12 pounds gone by now, I only have four. I will just keep plugging away. I will be fit real soon.

Oh! Also a new update. I bought my ticket to Orlando a few weeks ago! I will be there from Oct 23-31st! I hope to get my seasonal hours done soon, plus I will be there during my favorite time of year. I cannot wait to see Mickey's Not so Scary! If you are in the area then, let me know, I want to see my friends again!

I guess the last update I have for you is... still no news on the job front. I have one interview on the 20th for Disney Toon Studios, but not sure if I really want it, and a call back for Dick Clark Productions, but they may not have budget yet to hire me. We will see. This position, the staff position, I interviewed for has not told me their results yet. I am temping until Sept 3rd, so that is all I can count on. I will let you know if anything changes.

My life for the last two weeks has literally been: wake up 9:25am, go to work 9:30am, work till 7pm, gym till 10:30ish, shower, eat, So You Think You Can Dance DVR, and bed.

That is it! I have a busy weekend coming up with my roommate's Feel Good Film Festival (check it out online...it's legit!), and a possible day at Disneyland on Sunday for a friend who is leaving town.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

P.S.

PS. Another point I want to note, and then I am done blogging for today. Yesterday, one of the first assistants told me to attend a screening being held in the main theater of the lot to see what was aired at ComiCon last week. Of course I jumped and literally ran to the opportunity.

At this screening, one of the main creative Disney execs introduced first glance looks to Tron. We saw a 6.5 minute clip of the film, and it actually looks great! I am not the demo they want for this film, but the music is exciting. I think this is a great start to see what projects we choose with the new regime.

The second look was at Pirates!!! Jack Sparrow talked for about 2 minutes on a montage, and it was in 3D! I don't like 3D, but having Jack Sparrow reach out to me to share some rum was an amazing experience! I can only imagine what the rest of the film will look like. I was laughing so hard and soo excited I could barely contain myself!

The last few things they covered were Marvel's Captain America films (Marvel now acquired by Disney), the Avengers and Thor. I like them, and they look good, but I was focused on Pirates!

The final item was a 30 second descitption of the new Guillermo Del Toro take of the new Haunted Mansion! He is totally redoing it, and it will be darker, scarier and edgier than anything we can expect; totally true to the ride. When I saw the 30 second animation of the mascot, I got chills up my spine. It is so exciting!

Let's just say seeing these sneak peaks to the properties I love absolutely made me love where I was. I am so happy to be working for the company that makes Pirates or will make Haunted Mansion. I love working for this company, and that sneak peak really put it into more perspective for me. I am here at an exciting transition in the company, and I will eventually get to be creative and call those projects my own someday. Until then, staff assistant is a great start, temp or not.

A Change in Attitude...Again?

Aside from my money rant, I had a really good weekend. My friend Fernando was in town from Orlando, and he stayed with me. We had so many great times, I was sad to see him go. It felt great having someone come and visit you when you are far away from what you know.

One of the events that I was originally going to do with Fernando was an ABC promo taping on Saturday. He ended up not going, and I did; it was well worth it. ABC had invited me to attend a "fake red carpet" event they were filming to air as a 30 minute promo on the network this fall. I assume they were trying to highlight their comedies by having it look like there was an awards ceremony they were attending.

In reality, there was no awards session, but a red carpet set up of about 50 feet. Most of the actors you will see were extras or background workers dressed to look like celebrities. I was given the role to play "paparazzi reporter" on the media side of the carpet. I was given a notebook and a pen to make it look as if I were interviewing the stars as they stopped in front of me. I was stationed right behind the hosts' corner where Nancy O'Dell hosted with her male co-host Cameron (don't know last name). I am pretty sure you will be able to see me on this promo when it airs because I was so close the entire time to all the cameras.

This whole experience was a blast. I met some really cool people, such as Rodolfo, a fake celebrity who is actually a professional dancer from Cuba, or Ann Marie, a Disneyland CP hoping to break into the biz like myself.

What was great about the event, was I watched the people who put it on, and I asked everyone and anyone questions about how they got this gig. The extras told me I should join LA Casting or Central Casting if I am intersted in background work (which I am). I talked to Mr. "Look-a-like Tom Cruise" from England, who has made his career in look a likes.

Then we also talked to the host Cameron about his experiences. It is funny to me how people end up where they never thought they would. Cameron was a model who turned Soap Opera star, now hosting on live television. It occured to me, I want a career like that. I want to be able to do many projects and not have a necessarily straight path.

It also led me to realize that I do not want an office job. I must take them now, but eventually, I want to be on my own schedule and be active and around everywhere. If average people can do it, why can't I? Why can't I have the super career I was looking for? I was a bit down on Friday because I was really questioning whether this current temp position is something I want full time, and I realized on Saturday, it is.

Just because I am a Staff Assistant for a year does not mean I have carved only one path for myself. I can use it to make contacts, build my resume, allow me to have time to better myself physically, and do some side projects on the weekends. Then after this position, I may become something more than just a 1st assistant, like the girl before me and the girl before her, and actually have job with more responsibility. Maybe I have been looking at this the wrong way.

Also, I have never wanted to pursue acting or modeling in Hollywood because everyone does it. I hate being like everyone else, that is why I have resisted it. However, after Saturday, I was told over and over again I should at least try. They were right. I do not want to be a top model, but maybe try a catalogue model or hair model. If I ever had the talent to act, I would like to be an action actress or in a romantic comedy. But that is just a dream. But why could it not happen? I am in the epicenter of it all, so I should at least try once. Who knows what can happen from it.

So in all, the event on Saturday made me re-evaluate where I am. I am in a good spot for a job. It may be a lot lower on the totem pole than I want, but I can learn and grow from it. I now have the ambition to try other things like the hair modeling, but I need to get in shape first (hence the real reason/push for the gym). I also have the desire to prusue event production because I could see myself working behind the scenes under pressure during a live shoot, and I think I would be good at it.

I like this new perspective I gained, and it was really needed. Plus, it was also fun seeing some real celebrities on the red carpet like Patricia Heaton, Matthew Perry and the man who played Rev. Camedon on 7th Heaven. I love to look at them because they have made it. All of them are normal people, so if they can do it, why can't I? I feel reassured once again for at least a little bit, and I want to change my attitude in the way I see my definition as Staff Assistant. It is actually a great start.

My First Money Mistake? Yes or No?

I am usually sooo good with my money, actually, about all the time. I only spend it if I have too. I have my savings and then I have my little spending money I allow myself; I am just frugal by nature, up until now at least. It seems I may have just made my first money purchasing mistake, but I am trying to debate why it is a good thing.

I went to try LA Fitness for the afternoon on Sunday, and I ended up liking it a lot. So, I immediately signed up for membership. The deal was 30 dollars a month for all access to California LA Fitness Gyms, I can bring 2 friends for free any time I come, attend all classes with no fee, unrestricted access to pool, sauna, weights, the whole deal, etc. Sounded great, so I got it. Thirty bucks is definitely do-able.

Well, here is where I get in trouble. They had a 1 hour session with a personal trainer free for joining and I took it. It was so good! I literally got my butt kicked. I had not worked out that many muscle groups in a long time, and I am soooo sore! It felt so great, but now I can barely walk.

After the session, I was so out of it, and they started talking money for the personal trainer program. I knew I could not stretch it, or at least hate spending the money on it. Then after refusing for a bit, they gave me a "deal" for 100 bucks a month to get me 4 training sessions. 25 bucks a week? Not too bad, if you think about it, that is about a trip to the movies and a drink, which I do normally. Then again, I am now paying 130 bucks/month for a gym! Ahhh! I thought I could cancel anytime, but I just got an email saying I was committed for 12 months and my only option to "cancel" within the next year is to "freeze" my program.

What if I absolutely cannot afford it!? Plus, I have no idea if I will even be here in LA for a year. What happens if I do have to cancel before the 12 months, do I have to pay it all in full? I read the fine print before I signed, as anyone should, and based on what the trainer was telling me, it seemed I could cancel as long as I give a 10-20 day notice before my next billing period.

Is this paying for a personal trainer good or a mistake? I know I can only get in shape from it, so for that, it is great. I need a trainer to push me; it is the only way I respond and challenge myself. I am able to be healthy by myself, but I need a coach to stay in shape (not just healthy), I respond better to structure and and outside force motivating me when it comes to excercise. I have come to see this "purchase" as an investment in myself. I will pay the money for a better me, to help me reach my goals, and feel good about myself.

However, I am afraid with not having a set job and other expenses just to cover, I am not going to be able to afford this. I just hope I can keep it going. The thought of $1300 a year for a gym scares my half to death because that seems like my entire life's savings! Do I even make that much?! haha, no, seriously! If it is so good for me, why do I feel stressed about this decision, as if I am throwing money down the drain?

I know I will have to make some cutbacks, but the thing is, I do not have much to cut back on! I only pay for gas, rent, food, and some fun. This July was so expensive for me in terms of those basics along with a car checkup, plane flight home, and contacts with eye exam. I know I need to start helping my parents out with my health and car insurance, and here I am signing up for a PT. I think I will cut back on my going out/fun habits, which would be my drink a week, weekly subway sandwiches, occasional movie, etc.

On a side note, I am also trying really, really hard to get to Orlando! I am sooooo close to booking a week flight in October, despite the job situation because I need to get my seasonal cast member hours done asap. That expense alone (plane flight + food) will be around 500 bucks.

Can you tell I am feeling a little stressed by this decision? What do you think? Is paying for the Physical Training sessions a good investment in myself or a mistake? I cannot wait for the day in which I have the means to afford a great lifestyle.