I’m happy today. I feel very productive.

I went for a shoot. I went for an audition. I went shopping for a birthday present and I attended a birthday party.

Then I came home and played a few rounds of Audition. (As if I don’t already have enough auditions in my life.)

Okay, that sounds kinda mundane, actually. But I like packing several events/activities all into one day because it makes me feel very productive and also leaves my other days free for total slackage at home. Haha.

* * *

My shoot went pretty well. It only over-ran 40 minutes, which is very good by normal standards. Easy lines and minimal hassle. By 2pm, I was off and free to engage in my other activities.

* * *

My audition went pretty well. I’m sure I had quite many cringe-worthy, lousy moments, but I also had an honest moment in which I was able to cry with genuine emotion. In the past, I always had to fake it when crying was required during auditions. But I think I’ve finally figured it out, after tons of acting classes, acting books and self-assessment. It’s still not easy, but I have the confidence now to resist the temptation of faking.

This is what I think actors live to feel. To be totally engrossed in the moment. To achieve that during a shoot is great but it’s really what’s expected of professional actors, anyway. But to achieve it during an audition (with no time for preparation, no sets, props and co-actors to engage you, with the stress of being judged) feels pretty amazing.

I won’t even mind if I don’t get the role because I’m totally fulfilled by what I did today. And I know that if I don’t get cast, it’s not because I sucked but because of other reasons. Like maybe I’m not the right height or not pretty enough or my earlobes are too big or some other thing. Or maybe there’s a prettier and more talented actress. But even that’s okay because I’m happy with my own performance.

* * *

The birthday present shopping was quite stressful because I only had 15 minutes in which to make a decision and make the purchase, and because I totally had no idea what the birthday boy likes.

To make matters worse, even his mother wasn’t able to clue me in. There was a “huh?” moment when I called her to ask her to give me some ideas what to buy and she was, like, honestly, I don’t know what my son likes, hahaha. Just get anything.

* * *

The party was great, held at a condo poolside. Free-flow wine. Roti prata for dinner (the famous Casuarina prata man came personally to make fresh prata, made to order, for guests. Lana chocolate cake for dessert. A friendly, personable MP among the guests who entertained us with stories and insights.

Sorry, no photos. I’m kinda taking a break from taking photos because I’ve been taking way too many photos lately and I’m very tired out by it. I wasn’t really planning to blog about today, anyway, because it’s such a mundane day.

But I’m feeling so happy that I just feel like talking about it before I go to bed. Maybe it’s because I drank one too many glasses. Haha.

Actually, if I had taken photos, this blog would probably be a week late because processing photos is a chore I tend to procrastinate doing.

So, my work is done today.

Off to bed!