Another wonderful 8 week term of Impro has ended. After 4 shows, the 4th show was probably my best.
I finally made it into the final four and while I didn't win it all, I enjoyed this show more than any of the other three!
I'm definitely going to sign up again next term. Performing on stage has turned into an addiction!
In other news, I'll be home on Friday for 2 weeks!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
The fantasy ends..
She's engaged.
It was a shock at first, and an ending to my fairy tale in my head finally comes to an end.
She inspired some good writing, we had some amazing memories, and the kiss that I will always wonder about, fades away.
At least I learned something from that experience. Or at least reinforced something I already knew.
Just do it.
Snog.
It's fun. Especially when you find out that they're an amazing kisser. =)
It was a shock at first, and an ending to my fairy tale in my head finally comes to an end.
She inspired some good writing, we had some amazing memories, and the kiss that I will always wonder about, fades away.
At least I learned something from that experience. Or at least reinforced something I already knew.
Just do it.
Snog.
It's fun. Especially when you find out that they're an amazing kisser. =)
Monday, July 23, 2007
Gambling in London
Ironically, with all this talk about craps, this past weekend, right before a night out at the Embassy Bar in London, my mate and I decide to hit the Casino at the Empire located in Leicester square.
Nothing like starting a night out by gambling, and finally, after a long while, getting to play my favourite table game, Craps!
The Casino at the Empire promises a Vegas-Style feel in the heart of London. We'll see about that. I haven't been gambling at all since moving here, so I didn't know what to expect. How can it compare to Vegas?
Unlike in the States, where all you have to do is show your ID, you actually have to be a member before entering the casino. You have to fill out a membership form and even get your picture taken! It took a bit of time, so it was a bit frustrating and killed a bit of the excitement that was building up.
But once we entered, it didn't look bad at all! It wasn't anything close to Vegas, but hey, the layout was nice. 3 bars, different restaurants, and with the non-smoking ban in London, clean air!
Time to play craps!
We grabbed a drink in one of the main bars and walked the floor. I felt pretty lucky so I was keen to look at what the minimum table bets were. Unfortunately, all the tables were only on the ground floor, so it didn't take us long to make a round. There was a decent sized poker room, so that didn't look to bad. As we continued to tour, I started to use my sense of hearing and tried to listen for a big crowd around one of the tables. This usually reveals where the craps tables are located.
One of the first things I noticed was the amount of roulette tables. There were easily 10 roulette tables on one side of the room, with different minimums, and video roulette games occupying the other half! There were also a handful of blackjack tables as well, with minimum bets going at 10 quid. I also noticed the amount of Asians!
We continued to walk, searching for a craps table. I was really excited to show my mate how to play since he's never played! What could be more lucky than a first time shooter!
Oh what's that? Punto Banco? What the hell is that? Oh Baccarat! Strange how its called something else. Oh, what's that over there? Oh more, roulette tables! How about over there, oh.. more roulette! Oh, more Asians!
Sadly, to my chagrin, not a single craps table existed on the floor. I even walked around a few time just to double check because I couldn't believe my eyes! A few Punto Banco tables, a handful of blackjack tables, a couple of 3 card poker games, and a million roulette tables. Hey at least it was a European Roulette table! (better odds since only one "0")
Alas, how can I be in a casino in London for the first time and not gamble?
Roulette it is!
After a few ups and downs, and winning a few split bets, I doubled my money! Not bad for the first time in London. Just enough to pay for cover at Embassy! doh.
Overall, not a bad experience. They even had showgirls perform! If only they had craps tables. (I actually did a bit of research on this, and it turns out there aren't many casinos that have craps tables in London!)
The night at Embassy Bar?? Running man you say? The robot? Indeed. I'll save that for another post. =)
Nothing like starting a night out by gambling, and finally, after a long while, getting to play my favourite table game, Craps!
The Casino at the Empire promises a Vegas-Style feel in the heart of London. We'll see about that. I haven't been gambling at all since moving here, so I didn't know what to expect. How can it compare to Vegas?
Unlike in the States, where all you have to do is show your ID, you actually have to be a member before entering the casino. You have to fill out a membership form and even get your picture taken! It took a bit of time, so it was a bit frustrating and killed a bit of the excitement that was building up.
But once we entered, it didn't look bad at all! It wasn't anything close to Vegas, but hey, the layout was nice. 3 bars, different restaurants, and with the non-smoking ban in London, clean air!
Time to play craps!
We grabbed a drink in one of the main bars and walked the floor. I felt pretty lucky so I was keen to look at what the minimum table bets were. Unfortunately, all the tables were only on the ground floor, so it didn't take us long to make a round. There was a decent sized poker room, so that didn't look to bad. As we continued to tour, I started to use my sense of hearing and tried to listen for a big crowd around one of the tables. This usually reveals where the craps tables are located.
One of the first things I noticed was the amount of roulette tables. There were easily 10 roulette tables on one side of the room, with different minimums, and video roulette games occupying the other half! There were also a handful of blackjack tables as well, with minimum bets going at 10 quid. I also noticed the amount of Asians!
We continued to walk, searching for a craps table. I was really excited to show my mate how to play since he's never played! What could be more lucky than a first time shooter!
Oh what's that? Punto Banco? What the hell is that? Oh Baccarat! Strange how its called something else. Oh, what's that over there? Oh more, roulette tables! How about over there, oh.. more roulette! Oh, more Asians!
Sadly, to my chagrin, not a single craps table existed on the floor. I even walked around a few time just to double check because I couldn't believe my eyes! A few Punto Banco tables, a handful of blackjack tables, a couple of 3 card poker games, and a million roulette tables. Hey at least it was a European Roulette table! (better odds since only one "0")
Alas, how can I be in a casino in London for the first time and not gamble?
Roulette it is!
After a few ups and downs, and winning a few split bets, I doubled my money! Not bad for the first time in London. Just enough to pay for cover at Embassy! doh.
Overall, not a bad experience. They even had showgirls perform! If only they had craps tables. (I actually did a bit of research on this, and it turns out there aren't many casinos that have craps tables in London!)
The night at Embassy Bar?? Running man you say? The robot? Indeed. I'll save that for another post. =)
Thursday, July 19, 2007
8 years ago..
I started working at the same place I am today. I celebrated that momentous occasion by working an 11 hour day.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
So when do you cut your losses?
Inspired by Bri's posts on craps..
Let's say you start with $100 and bet on the pass line. Perhaps you play the odds, make some place bets, but the table is just too cold. You take out another $100. Lose that. Then pull out $200 just in hopes of turning it around, and at some point, all you want to do is break even. It doesn't happen. So what do you do? Do you walk away, cut your losses? Play the dark side? Do you embrace your gambling problem, and decide to walk over to the ATM and pull out that extra $400 you didn't plan on gambling away in the first place?
You invest time and effort on something and its not turning out the way you want, when do you walk away? When do you realise that enough is enough and its time to cut your losses? Or do you keep the faith and hope there's a shift in the wind that will blow wind into the sails? Maybe change the strategy? Play the "Dark side?"
I just came back from the ATM and put money on the "Don't pass line." Guess what?
Come out roll turned out to be a 3.
Could things be looking up?
Parallelism on relationships? Perhaps. Cryptic? Indeed.
Portuguese
Let's say you start with $100 and bet on the pass line. Perhaps you play the odds, make some place bets, but the table is just too cold. You take out another $100. Lose that. Then pull out $200 just in hopes of turning it around, and at some point, all you want to do is break even. It doesn't happen. So what do you do? Do you walk away, cut your losses? Play the dark side? Do you embrace your gambling problem, and decide to walk over to the ATM and pull out that extra $400 you didn't plan on gambling away in the first place?
You invest time and effort on something and its not turning out the way you want, when do you walk away? When do you realise that enough is enough and its time to cut your losses? Or do you keep the faith and hope there's a shift in the wind that will blow wind into the sails? Maybe change the strategy? Play the "Dark side?"
I just came back from the ATM and put money on the "Don't pass line." Guess what?
Come out roll turned out to be a 3.
Could things be looking up?
Parallelism on relationships? Perhaps. Cryptic? Indeed.
Portuguese
Thursday, July 12, 2007
I love you... I love you... I love you...
Class this week focused on how impro shouldn't be about "thinking" what your "offer" should be, but just trusting your instincts and what comes obvious. One of the exercises was using a mantra to distract your mind.
By distracting your mind, you don't sit there and analyse what your next "line" should be... with the distraction, you tend to just say what comes to you more naturally...
Luckily this class included a new student. A really beautiful, blonde, English girl. Let me tell you, I was dying to do a scene with her.
Fortunately I got my chance.
Teacher asked for two volunteers. She stood up and I quickly followed.
We were to focus on using this "mantra" technique. Basically, we were to choose between two mantras.
1. Repeating "I Love you.. I Love you.. I Love you..." over and over again inside your head.
or
2. Repeating "I hate you.. I hate you.. I hate you.." inside your head.
While you are performing the mantra of your choosing, you are supposed to "push through" your lines while you repeat this mantra in your head.
We first had to perform the impro scene without the use of the mantras. That was fun. Nothing like an excuse to talk to a beautiful blonde but to perform a scene with her!
Next, we have to perform the scene again, but this time repeating our Mantras! Our teacher asks us to pick between the two mantras: "I love you" or "I hate you" but we weren't supposed to reveal it to the class or to people in the scene. In this case, the beautiful English chick.
Ideally, by repeating these mantras, it really shouldn't make a difference right?
I chose the "I love you" mantra. So I repeated it over and over again in my head right before the scene started, and continued until it ended.
As I started the scene, can I just tell you how big of an affect that makes! My body language, my speech, and my mood completely changed!
As I was reciting my lines aloud, with the mantra "I love you" repeating over and over in my head, I really felt the difference in my performance. I swear I could have just started snogging her if we were alone!
As the scene continued, we locked eyes intensely, and I started talking to her like she was the love of my life. She returned the favour and looked at me like I'd just come back from fighting a war. I know it was all acting, but man, its been a while since a woman has looked at me like she had during that scene. It was so hilarious because we busted out some nervous laughter during the scene.. but man was it intense. It was so much fun though!
At the end of the scene, the class had to guess the mantras we picked. It was too obvious that both of us picked the same one: "I love you."
So next time, if you have a bit of trouble talking to the opposite sex that you are interested in, try and pick a mantra that you think will help that confidence!
By distracting your mind, you don't sit there and analyse what your next "line" should be... with the distraction, you tend to just say what comes to you more naturally...
Luckily this class included a new student. A really beautiful, blonde, English girl. Let me tell you, I was dying to do a scene with her.
Fortunately I got my chance.
Teacher asked for two volunteers. She stood up and I quickly followed.
We were to focus on using this "mantra" technique. Basically, we were to choose between two mantras.
1. Repeating "I Love you.. I Love you.. I Love you..." over and over again inside your head.
or
2. Repeating "I hate you.. I hate you.. I hate you.." inside your head.
While you are performing the mantra of your choosing, you are supposed to "push through" your lines while you repeat this mantra in your head.
We first had to perform the impro scene without the use of the mantras. That was fun. Nothing like an excuse to talk to a beautiful blonde but to perform a scene with her!
Next, we have to perform the scene again, but this time repeating our Mantras! Our teacher asks us to pick between the two mantras: "I love you" or "I hate you" but we weren't supposed to reveal it to the class or to people in the scene. In this case, the beautiful English chick.
Ideally, by repeating these mantras, it really shouldn't make a difference right?
I chose the "I love you" mantra. So I repeated it over and over again in my head right before the scene started, and continued until it ended.
As I started the scene, can I just tell you how big of an affect that makes! My body language, my speech, and my mood completely changed!
As I was reciting my lines aloud, with the mantra "I love you" repeating over and over in my head, I really felt the difference in my performance. I swear I could have just started snogging her if we were alone!
As the scene continued, we locked eyes intensely, and I started talking to her like she was the love of my life. She returned the favour and looked at me like I'd just come back from fighting a war. I know it was all acting, but man, its been a while since a woman has looked at me like she had during that scene. It was so hilarious because we busted out some nervous laughter during the scene.. but man was it intense. It was so much fun though!
At the end of the scene, the class had to guess the mantras we picked. It was too obvious that both of us picked the same one: "I love you."
So next time, if you have a bit of trouble talking to the opposite sex that you are interested in, try and pick a mantra that you think will help that confidence!
Monday, July 09, 2007
It's over.
I guess it wasn't meant to be. At first I didn't know what to expect, but it was worth trying anyway. It was something new. Something I hadn't experienced for a while. Going into it I didn't know how long it would last. It was complicated. I would honestly think about it a lot and sometimes it was torture. I didn't know how faithful I was going to be, but I had to end it this weekend. The situation presented itself, and it just felt right to do.
I ended it all in Gundel!
I mean seriously? What better place to end it all then one of the 1000 places to see before you die? How could I leave this place without ending it?
One look at the buffet display and I was like...
How could I not eat meat in Budapest? Let alone one not eating it in one of the nicest restaurants in the city?
And man it was good... I forgot how filling beef/veal/pork could be!
The first thing I noticed was the texture! Yeah, it was only a little over 3 weeks, (if you don't count the one time I cheated) or 10 straight days, but still!
Yeah, perhaps I should have cut out the fish and ate less pasta/noodle dishes, but hey, I opened up my appetite to dishes I normally wouldn't have tried!
I think I'll try it again one time.. next time perhaps a true "vegetarian" (no fish, embracing vegetables) instead of a "no meat" diet! =)
And don't get me started on dessert...
I ended it all in Gundel!
I mean seriously? What better place to end it all then one of the 1000 places to see before you die? How could I leave this place without ending it?
One look at the buffet display and I was like...
How could I not eat meat in Budapest? Let alone one not eating it in one of the nicest restaurants in the city?
And man it was good... I forgot how filling beef/veal/pork could be!
The first thing I noticed was the texture! Yeah, it was only a little over 3 weeks, (if you don't count the one time I cheated) or 10 straight days, but still!
Yeah, perhaps I should have cut out the fish and ate less pasta/noodle dishes, but hey, I opened up my appetite to dishes I normally wouldn't have tried!
I think I'll try it again one time.. next time perhaps a true "vegetarian" (no fish, embracing vegetables) instead of a "no meat" diet! =)
And don't get me started on dessert...
Friday, July 06, 2007
I don't want chinese food.
I think this vegetarian thing has really hit home tonight. I met up with an old friend Carol tonight and decided to eat at my "go to" Chinese restaurant, Jade Garden.
It was a group of 4 and guess what everyone decided to get? The good ol' set menu which included the aromatic duck with pancake.
Can you say torture?
I stood my ground and announced that I was practicing the art of being a vegetarian. I watched in agony as they enjoyed one of my favourite dishes - Aromatic duck with vegetables, wrapped in a nice pancake with hoisin sauce! They continued with their meal with plate after plate of non-vegetarian dishes. What did I get?
I ordered the sweet and sour prawns with special fried rice.
Special fried rice you say? It was an innocent choice.
I forgot it had pork. Oops.
But I was true to my word and picked out every single little piece of pork out of the fried rice. Its amazing how many pieces of pork add up after you pick every single one out! In the end, I had a nice pile of pork right next to my rice bowl. It was not very appetizing quite frankly.
Oh the sacrifices I make. 8 days and counting.
It was a group of 4 and guess what everyone decided to get? The good ol' set menu which included the aromatic duck with pancake.
Can you say torture?
I stood my ground and announced that I was practicing the art of being a vegetarian. I watched in agony as they enjoyed one of my favourite dishes - Aromatic duck with vegetables, wrapped in a nice pancake with hoisin sauce! They continued with their meal with plate after plate of non-vegetarian dishes. What did I get?
I ordered the sweet and sour prawns with special fried rice.
Special fried rice you say? It was an innocent choice.
I forgot it had pork. Oops.
But I was true to my word and picked out every single little piece of pork out of the fried rice. Its amazing how many pieces of pork add up after you pick every single one out! In the end, I had a nice pile of pork right next to my rice bowl. It was not very appetizing quite frankly.
Oh the sacrifices I make. 8 days and counting.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
My 4th..
Nothing like spending my July 4th with other Brits!
I spent the evening in the pub with a couple colleagues including the big boss. It was good catching up with them and I'm glad I didn't just go straight home.
Its so funny because we talked about the weather a lot. Its a bit crap. It feels like November. I'm wearing a fleece in July for heaven sakes. I complained about the summer last year, when in fact, it was probably the best summers in England for a while. This year would be a typical summer.
It wouldn't be July 4th if I didn't get pissed. (drunk) I had about 5 glasses of white wine which took its effects as the night went on.
Hungry for food, I went to my "go to" place and ordered Thai at Laughing Buddha. Vegetarian dish of course! Its cool because they know me now by first name.
Anyway, I proceeded to drunk dial a few friends. Apologies for those who I hung up on and those who I left "pleasant" voice mails.
Pretty fun considering I didn't spend it with any Americans!
I spent the evening in the pub with a couple colleagues including the big boss. It was good catching up with them and I'm glad I didn't just go straight home.
Its so funny because we talked about the weather a lot. Its a bit crap. It feels like November. I'm wearing a fleece in July for heaven sakes. I complained about the summer last year, when in fact, it was probably the best summers in England for a while. This year would be a typical summer.
It wouldn't be July 4th if I didn't get pissed. (drunk) I had about 5 glasses of white wine which took its effects as the night went on.
Hungry for food, I went to my "go to" place and ordered Thai at Laughing Buddha. Vegetarian dish of course! Its cool because they know me now by first name.
Anyway, I proceeded to drunk dial a few friends. Apologies for those who I hung up on and those who I left "pleasant" voice mails.
Pretty fun considering I didn't spend it with any Americans!
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Living in the Moment
My mind is constantly in motion. There's so many things going on in my head that I'm beginning to think its not normal. I think about work the next day, where my next trip will be, what I'm going to do when I go back to Chicago, what my next blog post will be... etc. But before I scare you any further, let me try and focus.
Ah yes. Living in the moment.
Stop reading and simply take a look around you. What the hell are you doing? Why are you wasting your time reading this damn post anyway? Take in your surroundings. Perhaps you are in the comfort of your own home, sitting in your bed with your laptop, or maybe you're slacking off at work, looking at the clock, hoping the day will end soon. But for one second, take it all in. Live the moment.
I only bring this up because I've had conversations with a couple people about this exact topic.
I think living in the moment, for me, is something I really need to work on.
Rewind a month back. I was on holiday with my closest friends. And, yes, now I think about it, I wish I took more of an opportunity to live the moment.
What's my interpretation? What's "living in the moment?"
Clearing my head of any thoughts of the future or past. Being in the present. Focusing at what's happening at that moment in time. Appreciating it. Enjoying it at that second. Visually capturing it. Remembering and loving it in hopes to share that exact moment as a story with others years from now.
That's what comes to my mind initially. Granted, you can't "live in the moment" for every moment. Its not like you can really "live in the moment" when you are sitting there waiting for the tube to arrive. But you get my drift.
I mention this because I know I should have done it more often while I was on holiday, and I hope to focus on this moving forward. I think its really powerful because I distinctly remember when I was "living in it" a month ago.
Perhaps that's what makes the most memorable memories... when you consciously are, in fact, "living in the moment."
Ah yes. Living in the moment.
Stop reading and simply take a look around you. What the hell are you doing? Why are you wasting your time reading this damn post anyway? Take in your surroundings. Perhaps you are in the comfort of your own home, sitting in your bed with your laptop, or maybe you're slacking off at work, looking at the clock, hoping the day will end soon. But for one second, take it all in. Live the moment.
I only bring this up because I've had conversations with a couple people about this exact topic.
I think living in the moment, for me, is something I really need to work on.
Rewind a month back. I was on holiday with my closest friends. And, yes, now I think about it, I wish I took more of an opportunity to live the moment.
What's my interpretation? What's "living in the moment?"
Clearing my head of any thoughts of the future or past. Being in the present. Focusing at what's happening at that moment in time. Appreciating it. Enjoying it at that second. Visually capturing it. Remembering and loving it in hopes to share that exact moment as a story with others years from now.
That's what comes to my mind initially. Granted, you can't "live in the moment" for every moment. Its not like you can really "live in the moment" when you are sitting there waiting for the tube to arrive. But you get my drift.
I mention this because I know I should have done it more often while I was on holiday, and I hope to focus on this moving forward. I think its really powerful because I distinctly remember when I was "living in it" a month ago.
Perhaps that's what makes the most memorable memories... when you consciously are, in fact, "living in the moment."
Eat, Pray, Love
Bri beat me to this blog post, but I'll post it anyway. (psychic bastard)
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.
I can't put this book down. I read it waiting for the tube, I read it when I'm in the tube, I read it when I'm going up the escalator, and I read it during my freakin' lunch hour.
I'll leave it to you to decide what you think, but for me, she serves as an inspiration.
I'm behind on my blog postings as they are all in draft mode, but I'll publish soon.
July 4th you say? Yeah. I have to work.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.
I can't put this book down. I read it waiting for the tube, I read it when I'm in the tube, I read it when I'm going up the escalator, and I read it during my freakin' lunch hour.
I'll leave it to you to decide what you think, but for me, she serves as an inspiration.
I'm behind on my blog postings as they are all in draft mode, but I'll publish soon.
July 4th you say? Yeah. I have to work.
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