Ten Things Thursday- Last one for 2010!!!

Ten Things I Was Reminded of by  Being Stuck in the Blizzard this week!!

1) Patience is a virtue. A Mother**!!!??? virtue!!
2) There ARE good people left in this world.  Lots of them!
3) That our city's leaders do not take care of boroughs outside of Manhattan in the same way. THREE DAYS!!! THREE MF**!! days until our streets were plowed and busses started running again!!!
4) That the cool thing about  situations like these is that you meet people you wouldnt ordinarily meet, and sometimes they end up being  really cool people!! :)
5) That some people are better at handling stressful situations than others.
6) I am deeply loved and cared about by many, many people.
7) That despite whatever challenges I may face, now or in the future, that there are people out there who  have it much, much worse.
8) That I should always, always, ALWAYS trust my instincts and NEVER trust anyone or anything that contradicts them.
9) That sometimes people exploit the unfortunate plight of others to benefit themselves. :(
10) That sometimes people can surprise you with generosity, compassion, and kindness!!! (I'm choosing to focus on them!!!! Hope you will too!)

Stay warm and safe people!!

Love,
Jenn

Goodbye 2010!!!

2010 has been an incredible year for me. So much personal, spiritual,and professional growth. I am so grateful for all of the experiences that I've had, as well as for all of the people in my life who have helped me along the way.

I cant wait for 2011. I know its going to be an even better year!!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Jenn

Unto Us This Day A Child is Born

For a child has been born for us, a son given to us…and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6


Now more than ever, may you find the contentment that only comes from the Prince of Peace.

Felicidades!!!

In Spanish we say "Felicidades!" to each other during the holidays. So, "Felicidades!" everyone! :)
We call Chrismas Eve (today) "Noche Buena"...its probably the biggest nite of the year....

My belated Ten Things Thursday is Below...enjoy!! :)


Ten of Jennica's Favorite Puerto Rican Christmas Traditions :

1) PASTELES!!!!! (yum)
2) Arroz con dulce!! (double yum)
3) Parranda!!!
4) Dancing and Singing
5) Coquito!!! (watch this one!)
6) Candle Lite Service!!
7) Regalos!!
8) Visiting Family
9) Mistletoe (oo-la-la)
10) Flan!!!!

Feliz Navidad a todos mis amigos!! Un abrazo fuerte,
Jennica

Quote of the Day

In case you have been falling into the "Comparison Trap" lately- heres an inspirational quote for you!! :)

I really reject that kind of comparison that says, Oh, he is the best. This is the second best. There is no such thing.



Mikhail Baryshnikov

Moving in NYC has got to be the hardest thing ever. It is such a complete hassle: so time, money and energy consuming, and just an overall drag. Broker fees, application fees, moving costs....it sucks! There is also something so emotionally draining about moving...it feels like I am being uprooted..it makes me feel like an orphan...I lose my sense of center and focus....at any rate, I am doing my best to stay positive thru this process and looking forward to a new home and new beginning in a couple of weeks. Step by step....

I cant wait until January because thats when Shakespeare gym starts up again- we are looking at Hamlet this time around. It will feel so good to be re-connected to all of my actor friends again and practice my skills on a regular basis. Its been a while, so I need to re-read the play over the holidays and choose some stuff I wanna work on....part of what I love about these classes is that you meet people from all walks of life...from people just out of college to people in their 40 and 50's wanting to give acting another shot...

I was talking to a coworker yesterday who is a lot older and who recently completed her first bachelors degree. Her eyes just lit up when she told me about it and I could literally feel her pride and joy at having finally reached this milestone. I was so happy for her. She will now go on to pursue her masters degree and eventually go on to more fulfilling, professional work. I am always inspired by people who do things in the "unconventional" way....it takes so much more courage to go back to school or pursue a buried dream of acting in your 40's or 50's than it does when you are younger. You face criticism from society that tells you that " by now you should be this, or you should be doing that"....it takes a lot to stick to  your own beliefs and follow your heart, even against the odds. Our society tends to celebrate youth and their accomplishments  so much, and to a certain extent, thats understandable. We should celebrate and support them. But the truth is that I am much more fascinated by people who reach a certain point in their lives, recognize a desire to do something, and then take the risks to actually do it!!! So cheers to all of you "unconventional" people out there. :)

In other news, I have been reading The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. Its one of those books that Ive been meaning to read for a long time, but never got around to doing until now. OMG, its soo good!!! I mean, its so INTENSE, but he really speaks a lot of truth about our minds, our thoughts, our egos, and how we let those things control us and our lives... he talks about our other self and our real self.....and about how we need to constantly live in the moment....I cant really do it any justice here, but I do recommend reading it if you havent already...

Have a great day everyone! :)

Todays Quote of the day

It is not the length of life, but the depth of life.


Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ten Things Thursday

Ten Male Celebs I think are VERY HOT!!!  :)

1) Leonardo Dicaprio


2) James Franco


3) Ashton Kutcher


4) Ben Affleck


5) Mark Ruffalo


6) Matt Damon


7) Derek Jeter


8) Nellie


9) Mark Wahlberg


10) Paul Rudd

Thursday Thoughts

"Ten Things" coming up next, but first....a few thoughts...

Last week I was running late for work and the bus was taking a really long time. I decided to take a taxi to make sure I got there on time, and this old lady with a ton of shopping bags asked if I would share it with her, as she was headed in the same direction. I grudgingly agreed  (I'm super insecure around strangers,  even if its just to take a cab, and I thought she was going to hold me up and make me late). Turns out, this woman is an acting teacher and she was on her way to a rehearsal for an upcoming show that she was directing. She told me all about what she does, and about the show, and she invited me to go see it. And when we got to her stop, she was actually the one who insisted on paying the cab fare!!!

I ended up going to see her show yesterday, and it was so good. Granted, it wasnt a Broadway level production, but it was really enjoyable nevertheless. The cast consisted of men and women over the age of 70, all performing songs from famous Broadway shows. My favorite was this one guys rendition of "Some Enchanted Evening". So touching!! It was such a nice treat to beable to get out of the cold for a little while and just enjoy these simple yet heartfelt performances.

Julia Cameron talks alot about "synchronicity"- about things happening unexpectedly..like little "miracles". She says that when we are doing the right things, and thinking the right way, that we automatically set this synchronicty in motion. Another term you could use, I guess, is karma. "What you give out comes back to you." I've found this to be true thruout my life... almost all of my "breaks" in the biz, as well as in life, have happened in surprising and unexpected ways.

Someone recently made me question my ideals and doubt myself. He was responding to an action I took that was to help another person out, because I was concerned about him and wanted to help in some way. I gave up something of mine in order  to help him out.The guy who made me question myself said that it was not a smart move, that you have to "look out for yourself first" and that "he woudlnt have done the same for you".

Of course, I know that he is absolutely right. That guy probably wouldnt have done the same for me... its a "dog- eat-dog" world out there. Most people woudlnt think twice about stepping on one person to get ahead.
At the same time, is that what really matters? Should that be what determines whether or not we do good things for others? Does the fact that "most people" wouldnt have done that mean that I should be like most people??
Well, I dont think I want to be like "most people". And I dont want to be led by a "what will I get out of it?" mentality.
Its Christmas, and we are celebrating the birth of Christ....Christ, who most certainly was not led by a "what will I get out of it?" mentality.... who gave his life for us....and are we not called to follow His example?

OK...off to do my five things...have a great day everyone!! :)

jenn

Tis the Season!!

Three Christmas parties down, about a million more to go to.....had so much fun at the staff party Monday nite....drank way too much sangria..and was voted "Messiest Ketchup Marrier", lol.....
Sang "I Will Survive" to thunderous applause at my sisters holiday party last week, and at last nites party ate way too much...

I know I owe you all some pics from Thanksgiving up till now, but dont know how to download from my camera to here. (its not my computer). Hopefully will get them up soon for your entertainment. :)

Have two auditions this week, and will be at work ALOT this month.

Todays Quote of the day is:

"The Future Depends on what we do in the present"- Gandhi

Stay warm and go plant some seeds!!! :)

Jenn

Todays Quote of the day

From one of my favorite writers, CS Lewis. Has anyone seen that show btw?
Jenn



Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival.



C. S. Lewis

How familiar is this scenario? :)

I was at an audition yesterday, one of those auditions where you walk into the room and your heart sinks. There are what looks to be a million people waiting to be seen, and they are all drop dead gorgeous. You started the day feeling pretty good about yourself: your hair is cooperating, you have your favorite outfit on, you found the place with no problem. You think to yourself, "this is gonna be a breeze, I'll be in an out in no time".

NOT! The wait time is at least 45 minutes, and during that time you do everything you can to distract yourself so that you're not focusing on all of the competition...you read, you listen to your ipod, get some water, get some more water...until finally, mercifully, they call your name. :)

It wasnt all bad though, which is why I chose to blog about it. The good thing was that at this audition, I ran into an old friend of mine from college. I actually hadnt even recognized her, she called out to me. I couldnt beleive it was her. She looked the same, but different. (I know, that makes no sense, but thats the best way I can describe it). So we spent some time just catching  up, seeing what we each had been up to in the past few years, sharing what we knew about other friends whereabouts. So many of them have dropped out of the business and chose to get married and start families...

The thing about these moments, moments  when you run into people from your past, is that they somehow make you feel less like a number. They are a reminder of who I am, what I do, and where I come from. They make me feel connected and grounded, like I am a part of something. Even after a lot of time has passed. Not just a random person walking aimlessly thru life.They also remind me that I am not alone in this journey, that they are out there pounding the pavement, just like I am.

I met another actress  friend for lunch the other day too, and I remember feeling the same way. That feeling of support and community. I felt uplifted and inspired after my meeting with her. 

Hope you guys have a chance to meet up with some old friends and get that same affirmation, and maybe give it to someone else. Makes a great gift. :)

I'm off to go buy a new phone- I lost mine last nite, which really sucks because it means Ive lost all of my contacts phone numbers... sigh...

Cheers!!!

Jenn

Todays Quote of the day

‘Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.’ ~Victor Frankl

Ten Things Thursday- Belated

Another  late nite at The River...better late than never....

Here you go, and hoping that this inspires you to reflect on this past year and all of your accomplishemnts and successes. Feel free to share yours here too. We can tend to be so hard on ourselves, its helpful to look back and gives ourselves a little pat on the back for all that we have done this year.

Ten Things I Accomplished this Year that Im Really Happy About:

1) Trip to PR to see my family, including my two nieces.
2) Signed with a legit agent ( the one I really wanted and had my heart set on for so long.)
3) Booked two commercials
4) Performed in four shows
5) Major progress on my film trailer
6) Major progress on my physical goals
7) New jobs that support me and allow me to pursue my artistic goals.
8) Increased Financial Solvency
9) Continued service to my community thru church involvement, community service, and other activities.
10) Continued taking  classes to hone my craft and stay on top of my game.
***Bonus***- Learned to play a sport (football) and be part of a team! :)

Today a good friend of mine really hurt my feelings and made me want to cry. :(  Argh!!  The funny thing is that I dont even think he knows he hurt me. He just said something w/out really thinking it thru first.
I know that in my post last week one of the things I said I want to get better at is being less sensitive, so I guess here is my first opportunity to practice that. Its also an opportunity for me to practice the way I speak to my friends so that I dont make them feel this way. So here's to brushing it off and keeping the flow going. :)

I continue to work hard at my trailer. Its a challenge to work consistently on it while at the same time juggling other obligations like work, moves, family/friends, and life in general. One of the things I realized that was holding me back was that since I used a voiceover, I was sort of becoming a slave to it, trying to match images to what the words of the voice over were saying. So we've begun to mute out the voiceover and focus only on image. I'm also finding that every session, I get a new idea and want to change everything!! :)

I remember being in the editing room with LD when we working on Precious. It was soo tedious. I am trying to apply his technique with my project. He focused on every possible detail. He didnt care how long it took, how many sessions we had to do. He didnt stop until it was EXACTLY what he wanted. And so it must be...

I've waited on some famous people at work in the past few weeks, which is always exciting. I try not to "sweat" famous people too much, because at the end of the day, they are just people, like you and I. I learned this during my time LD. You spend enough time with all of these famous people and you begin to see that they are not quite the gods we can sometimes make them out to be. Even still, though, its a little hard to wait on these stars and not have your vocie get a little shaky when you are telling them what the specials of the day are. :)

I saw Due Date last week, silly movie but funny. Check it out if you are feeling the stress of the holidays and need to take a breather.

O- and beginning today, I will end each blog entry with a quote. A little food for thought as you go thru your day:

"If nothing changes, nothing changes".

Have a great day and stay warm.

Jenn

Ten Things Thursday

Ten Things I Want to Get Better at:

1) Saving Money
2) Working out (get stronger and healthier)
3) Being more Patient
4) Be more Forgiving
5) Cooking
6) Being Kinder to myself (less critical)
7) Trusting in God as my source (not money, career, relatinoships, etc)
8) Organizing better
9) Time Management
10) Being less sensitive

So, I survived the holiday. An entire week with my mother here and NO incidents. I want a lollipop. Our visits continue to consist mostly of news from Divorcelandia, but there are signs of growth. Step by step. And a week of insulin  shots and "shooting pains" in the nite have got me back on the eating right wagon. That will not be me.

Have an audition today, then gym, and a bunch of errands to run. I have an editng session for the trailer on Saturday (hopefully the last) and need to prep for that. Hoping to have something to send out by the time the holidays are here.

Cant believe its freaking December already!! Hope you all have a great day, despite the rain.

Jenn