First Day of Castings

Today we left around 9am to head out for a day full of castings. The first casting was at the modeling agency so before it started I got a chance to say hi and catch up with the bookers and agents. Theyre always happy to see me and wanting to see my walk. They say my walk is perfect, which makes me happy because I practiced a lot. When the casting started I met two designers who specialized in bridal gowns and they looked through my book and said they like my look, so that's a good thing. After that we went to several other castings. Luckily none of them had an extremely long wait. After the last casting, I stopped by the grocery store to pick up milk and grapes and now I'm back at the apartment. I'm so tired, we've been walking around all day!

Arriving In NY

I got into NY at 8pm. I met up with Josh and Lauren and then we took a taxi to the apartment. The taxi driver was really weird. He offered us cookies (to which we said no) and even asked to see my phone to look at a picture I was talking about with Josh and Lauren (And I said no again) I was glad when we got inside. I saw all of the girls and talked to them but I was just ready to unpack my things, shower, and then go to bed.

NY Here I Come

Tomorrow I'm leaving for New York Fashion Week and I'm so excited! I always love going to New York because it's such a fun and lively city. I am confident that this season I will book a lot of shows because I've been working hard on improving my walk and my personality. Hopefully when I come back to school I'll have plenty of pictures and stories from my experience during fashion week. :)

Accept The Challenge

I watched another of Eric Thompson's TGIM videos called 'Accept The Challenge' today. You have to think of the new year as your year.  The first point was that you have to see pain as something positive. Pain is just a weakness leaving the body and it is later replaced with strength. The second point is that you have to embrace the challenge and stretch your limits. Make your weaknesses into a strength. The thitd point is that you have to not only do things in excellence but become excellence because there's always going to be someone out there that wants your spot.

Don't Cheat Yourself

Today I watched another episode of Eric Thompson's TGIM videos called 'Don't Cheat Yourself'. Basically, he was talking about how if you work hard and do what you're supposed to do during first, second, third, and fourth quarter living, you will reap the benefits. His first point was that whatever you want in January of the new year is based on what you did for the last 12 months, so you have to start working towards your future now. His second principle is that you are where you are because of what you did yesterday, but what you did yesterday will not help you next year. You have to be constantly improving if you want to see change. The third point is that you don't get out of life what you want, you get what you earn. No one will want for you to be successful as much as you want for yourself to be successful so you have to invest in yourself before you expect someone to invest in you.

Hamlet The Movie

Today in English class we watched the movie Hamlet. The good thing about the movie was that it was very close to the book, I hate when movies are different to the book and they have completely different scenes that change the whole story line. The bad thing about the movie is that it was hard to take it seriously because they made Hamlet seem extra crazy. Everyone in class was laughing and making jokes so it seemed more like a comedy, but that's what made the class fun so I wasn't mad.

Start Small To Get Big

Today, for some reason, Eric Thomas's TGIM videos popped up in my head so I decided to catch up on them. We don't watch his videos in class anymore for some reason. Unfortunately, I don't think people took it seriously in class or realized how powerful his words really are. To this day, they still help to keep me motivated and have a more positive perspective on things. The episode I watched was called 'Using Small To Get Big'. There were a lot of things that he said that really stood out to me, one of them being that some people use their sight but don't have a vision. This means that people just accept their surroundings and their lifestyle and don't believe they can do any better than that when you really can. His first of the three principles were that if you do something, you have to do it well or don't do it at all. The second principle was that you have to do things right the first time because you don't know if there will be another time to do it right. The third principle is that you have to give small a chance to be big. Overall, I learned that you have to make every single second count.

Effie Trinket Has A Facebook?!

Yes, you heard right. Effie Trinket now has a facebook! Today in AVID, Dona and Mr. Carney assigned everyone a character from The Hunger Games based on the person having a relatable quality to us and I was given Effie Trinket. At first, I was confused as to why and I wasn't too happy about it. I thought I would be given someone like Rue or Foxface. But looking at it from an outsiders perspective, I guess Effie is like me in some ways. We're both really appreciative of good manners, promptness, and respect. She is also very happy and always tries to say everything in a positive and uplifting way, even if it is bad. However, Effie is very oblivious to people's suffering, unlike me. It was very fun to make a Facebook page for Effie, thinking and posting things as if I were really her. Click the link and check it out for yourself! --> http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003379823043

Lights, Camera, Fashion.

Today was another exciting day full of taking pictures but this time, it was a fashion shoot. The whole crew was great. The stylist brought all sorts of amazing dresses but sadly I would only be shooting in one of them but I still really liked the dress I wore. The photographer was really fast and easy to work with and my favorite of all, the hair stylist, was quite a character. Not only did she have a great, positive, and enthusiastic energy about her but she has done the hair of supermodels (and my role models) Chanel Iman, Arlenis Sosa, Jourdan Dunn, and many others. I felt so lucky to be working with someone like her. She was really nice and kept me laughing through out the entire shoot. I would love to work with everyone again some time.

Beauty Time!

Today I woke up extremely early, at 4 am to be exact, to hop on a bus to New York City. I'm always excited to go back and I was especially excited to be going back today because I would be doing a beauty shoot for my show cards. The bus left around 5:30 am and I arrived in NYC at 8:30 am. I then walked to the apartment from the bus stop, it was kind of cold but I figured I might as well get used to it since I'll be walking around all over the city for fashion week castings in a week. When I got to the apartment, two of the girls (Allison and Madeline) were there and we just talked and caught up on everything. After unpacking my bags, Madeline was leaving for a shoot and I was kind of hungry so Allison and I decided to go have breakfast. By the time we went back to the apartment, our chaperon, Josh was there and it was time to leave for the shoot. I had worked with the photographer before and he works really fast and always gets a good picture and the make up artist was very creative. The make up was crazy and colorful and honestly I can't describe it in words but luckily I took a before and after picture!

Before...

After!

Can't you just Imagine how much fun this was to take off? Not!

Almost Time

One more day until I leave, I'm so excited! I've packed my bags, checked once, twice, and even a third time just to make sure I have everything I need. It's only a two day trip but that requires a lot more things than you think. I don't want to use a suitcase just so I can keep it light and easy to take with me so I'm just going to bring an oversize shoulder bag. I'm also excited to see the other girls, we always have a fun time when we're together. :)

NYC Bound

Today I learned from my agent Jules that they will be needing me to go to New York for photoshoots on the 22nd and 23rd. With fashion week coming up, they're going to need new pictures for the show cards. I can't wait, I haven't had a shoot in a while so it will be fun to get back into the swing of things. I'm sure I'll be in good hands and  the pictures will turn out amazing. :)

Last Day Of The Quarter

Today was the last day of second quarter and I think my grades are pretty good. I have an A in Fine Arts, an A in AP English, and A in AVID, and a B in AP Photography. That B is an 88.2% and I'm hoping the assignment I did today can boost it up to an A but if it stays at a B, I guess I can't be too mad. I still have to upload pictures for some posts on my blog but other than that there is nothing left to do but enjoy my weekend and relax. I'm glad I pulled off boosting my grade in AVID by getting documentation on my college applications. I was a bit worried that my proof wouldn't be enough but it was and I now have a 109%. (:

What A Relief

Today I finally sent out all of my college applications by using Edu, Inc, which enabled me to apply to 36 colleges for only $35. Now my grade in AVID can finally be fixed to an A. I'm really glad I got this over with because it was really stressing me out. Also, while I was surfing the net, I found today's google logo to be really funny and I learned something I didn't even know was going on. Apparently congress wants to censor the internet, which is absolutely ludicrous to me because the internet is a place where people should be able to express themselves and say whatever they want.

The internet should not be censored!

Working

Today I worked from 6-10 and it was a very slow day. It would get busy at times but most of the time I was just refolding clothes to make sure everything stayed neat. Now that Christmas is over, the mall isn't as busy but a lot of stores are still having sales to get rid of their winter merchandise. I personally think it's the best time to shop for winter clothes while it's still winter.

Good Way To Start The Week

Today was a pretty good day at school. In art class we are starting a still life drawing that we will be working on for the next three days to emphasis how much we've learned about shading, light, and proportion. The challenge with this assignment will be that we are working a lot larger than usual, on paper that is 18 x 14 but I am confident that my drawing will come out nicely. After art class, I had a test in English on poetry, which wasn't too hard, although there were 75 questions. In AVID, my friend Kalyn let me borrow 'Catching Fire' which is the second book of The Hunger Games trilogy so I was reading that the entire time. Then, in photography class, I edited my digital joiner photo using Photoshop CS3, which was really fun. When it was time to leave and walk home, it was really nice outside and kind of warm so I was glad about that. :)

Burning Money

Today I read a story about a man who survived being lost in a blizzard for two days on Washington State's Mount Rainier by digging out a snow tunnel and burning dollar bills for warmth. I think it is especially amazing that he survived because of his age, which is 66 years old. It was a good thing he was a fast thinker and had emergency supplies with him or else he could have froze to death. Sometimes I watch survival shows that show you what to do if you ever get stranded or lost in bizarre places and think things like that would never happen but stories like this show that they can.

Studying

Today I will be studying and working on my homework assignments, no time to slag off with the end of the quarter being next week! I'm hoping to achieve straight A's again. Seeing this in the front of the school every morning makes me happy and encourages me to do my best everyday! (:

Get It Done

Today is Friday but I don't have school so it's like yesterday was my Friday and I get a four day weekend! I could really use it to go through my usual end of the quarter checklist since second quarter technically ends on the nineteenth for me since that's the last A day. Only two more days left! I did pretty good. I feel safe with what I have in art, photography, and english but the college applications are holding me down in AVID! Sigh, theres always at least one thing to stress me out before grades close. However the rush gives me adrenalin and the urgency to pull it off so I think I will be fine. We'll see though..

I Was Chosen!

Today my name was called during the reaping for the very first time and lucky for me and my house members, I usually write pretty lengthly posts and my blog was up to date. I actually didn't think my name would get picked even though it is in the bin 6 times. The first few draws I was crossing my fingers not to get picked and the more I observed that I hadn't been, I just felt as if I never would. This kind of made me want to be chosen after a while, just to show off my blog. Of course, I wouldn't feel this way if I was really at risk for being chosen to fight for the death in The Hunger Games. I finished the book over winter break and now it's my new favorite. I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy!

Look Who Stopped By!

Today I got up early to clean up around the house since that's what I have to do on the days I don't have school. It gets pretty tedious but it's my responsibility. :P Luckily, to break from this boring routine, my grandma stopped by. I always love seeing her because she's an amazing person and she always makes me laugh and has tons of stories to tell. Unfortunately she left a little earlier than she planned to because it started to rain and she doesn't like driving in bad weather so she hurried home. She called me when she got home to assure me she was safe. I don't know what I would do without her. <3 (:

Me and my grandma. :)

Greene Turtle Fundraiser

Today, AVID is having a fundraiser at the greene turtle. I wanted to go there for dinner so all of my family could eat there but my dad wasn't getting home until late so we just ordered a pizza and my mom decided she would take me there for dessert. I had never been to the greene turtle before but I had heard mixed reviews about it. I ordered the molten chocolate lava cake and it was pretty good, I only wish it came with some vanilla ice cream but it didn't. :(

The Solution

Today I finally found the solution to how I would apply to five colleges. I think everyone in my class has applied to there schools of choice but since my situation is a little different, I wasn't exactly sure how I would get it done. I am taking a year off after high school to pursue my modeling career full time so at first I thought I was going to apply to the schools of choice for if I do have to go to college in New York but the five forty dollar application fees were a problem since I don't want to pay that much money if I'm not really going there this year. And it would be easier for me to get New York state residency by staying in New York for a year so that I would pay in state tuition since it is much cheaper than out of state tuition. Luckily Mrs. Casele, my guidance counselor, told me about Edu Inc., where I can apply to up to 35 schools for $35. This makes it much easier for me and since the colleges I've selected don't require essays, it'll be a much faster process. I am hoping to finish this before the end of the quarter to boost my grade up to the A I deserve. :)

Ballin'

Today I went to my sister's school basketball game. When we got there, it didn't seem like there were many people in the stands since my mom and I were practically the only ones cheering when my sister's team made a point. There weren't many people cheering on the other team either. It was honestly the quietest, most boring game I had ever been to and to even more disappointment, her team lost. Although it's not all her fault, she was in the game for almost the whole time and she's one of the best shooters so my mom and I asked her what was going on that she couldn't have done better. She says she was tired from playing two other games earlier in the day (which is understandable) but one thing she said surprised us. She says she goes into the game already expecting to lose because apparently the team isn't as good as the one she's used to being on which is completely false. I believe you should go into anything you do with confidence no matter what.

Serene Saturday

I enjoyed a very relaxing day at home and basically just lounged around all day. I know that sounds bad but sorry! I am off from work for a while but I feel ready to go back but my manager hasn't scheduled me to come in. I find it funny how when I am working, my co workers need me to fill in for them but when I'm not working (like now) no one needs me to fill in for them! Hopefully I'll be getting back to work soon, it just doesn't feel right having nothing to do!

Me and my cat, Stitch. It's so hard to take a picture with him since he won't stay still but I got one!

PDQ- Pretty Darn Quick

Today in AVID we gathered into our house groups and played the game PDQ, which is short for Pretty Darn Quick. We get three random letters in which we have to make words from in three minutes, but in chronological order. For example, if we got the letters C, A, and T the word we make from it has to go from C to A to T or the reverse, T to A to C. We came up with words like category, catastrophic, tactile, cautious, and intact to name a few. In the end, we earned second place but we still had fun. (:

More School Work

Today I spent my time working on homework assignments and writing my essay on Hamlet for Mr. Taylor's class. Since there are only three weeks left in the quarter I want to finish strong and get honor roll again like I did during first quarter. I can't believe we're half way through the year already. And only four more months of school left. Wow, time really does fly by...

A Toast For Change In 2012

Today in AVID, we did our annual toast for change, an idea inspired by the film 'Freedom Writers' about what we plan to change about ourselves by breaking destructive cycles, experiencing paradigm shifts, and improving ourselves to the best of our abilities. We all went around the room sharing what our changes would be and a lot of people we very brave to share extremely personal things that I would never have guessed they had a problem with. My toast for change was to be more assertive and go after what I want instead of being the quiet girl in the background. As we say in AVID, I have to act now for now is all I have. Success will not wait. If I delay, success will become wed to another and lost to me forever. This is the time. This is the place. And I am the person.

Slow Day @ Work

Today I went to work and in order to avoid traffic, we left the house an hour early. I used this extra time to go to Macy's and spend the money on my gift card that my uncle gave me. I couldn't find much so I just bought a simple t-shirt and I thought I would spend the rest of the money later. It was a very slow day today and hardly any customers came in. The plus side about this is that I got to leave an hour early, which some of my co-workers were jealous about because they had been there longer than me but oh well. :)

New Year's Resolutions

I know people usually don't stick to there new year's resolutions but I am going to try not to be one of them so I made a few small, simple new year's resolutions for the year of 2012. :) My first resolution is to smile more. Since I am shy and quiet, the fact that I don't smile all the time may make it seem like I am an unfriendly person, when I am not so I want to smile more often. A lot of my friends have told me that before they got to know me they thought I seemed like I would be mean which really makes me laugh because I'm always nice to everyone. Another resolution of mine is to keep my grades up through out the year. And my third, and possibly hardest resolution is to get out of my shell and be more outgoing. A bubbly personality doesn't come naturally but I am a very positive person so I think that will help.

New Year's Day

Happy New Year! It's 2012 now, it sounds kind of scary but this year will be really special for me. I'll be graduating this year, I'll be going to senior prom, and it'll be my first year being on my own after high school. I'm very excited! I woke up very late this morning because I stayed up until 2am last night. Today, my cousin Renee will be coming over again to celebrate with us. Around five o'clock we ate the big New Year's dinner my mom took all of yesterday to make and it was very worth it. She made black eyed peas with rice (which are supposed to be good luck), collard greens, honey ham, potato salad, curry chicken, and Renee bought brownies and cookies for dessert. It was so good. (: Afterwards, we played Just Dance 3 until Renee had to leave. It was a very fun way to spend the first day of the new year. :)