THE ASIA TRIP BEGINS! July 30th, 11pm

I know it is not July 30th, this was written in a no internet phase of my life and so is being copied here from my journal!!

Having found the last 2 benches in KLIA (Luala Lumpor International Airport), Ainhoa and I greedily stretched out. A 2 hour tube ride, 7 hour flight, short bus ride to another 7 hour flight later and we are in Asia! Our final destination just a short 13 hour lay over and 3 hour flight away! We left our flat in London, in the evening of the 29th and the epic journey began. All of our things carefully packed in the attic, to make room for new tenants, we left our keys and kissed Debden goodbye forever, one can only hope. The train to Heathrow was packed and we stood for most of the way, but it just so happens we stood right next to Lavender Brown from the Harry Potter movies! At least I believed it was her... She was the spitting image! Upon eavesdropping I heard the words audition and premiere, ergo she is an actress, ergo she must be Lavender Brown.

We reached Terminal 4 and checked in insanely early and headed outside to enjoy the last 2 beers that were left in our fridge at home. This particular terminal at Heathrow was designated for Middle Eastern flights and air companies and as Ramadan is starting on Monday, the place was bustling. Ainhoa and I sipped our now warm beer as women in burqas and men in long tunics rushed around us with large cases of luggage and children in toe. I've never seen so many women in head scarfs or burqas before. We were amazed at how wearing all black and covering your entire body could still leave you with style options, but it seemed these women weren't going to let a little thing like fanatical religion get in the way of fashion. They were beaded, in different expensive looking fabrics, I saw one woman with a full face covering (not even eye holes) beneath which you could just make out the Gucci logo on her sunglasses. And they ALL had designer purses. My favorite was the Louis Vuitton head scarf, classic. Heading through security, it seemed Heathrow was determined to prove they don't racially profile and I was padded down head to foot as my luggage was emptied and investigated. In the end I was cleared, but my sunscreen was confiscated.

Ainhoa and I were not next to each other on the plane and both of the people next to me refused to switch with us. The woman on my right stayed on her cell phone until forced to put it away by a flight attendant, at which point she turned to me and began to recant her entire life story. I learned everything about her sons (we looked through pictures and watched some home movies) her divorce and how as a Kuwaiti woman that had shamed the family, her fathers recent stroke, her brother who an engineer for the oil company, and the reason she was leaving London - her break up from a man she had been seeing for the past 2 years. This was a 7 hour flight, I slept for about an hour or two, this woman had a lot of feelings that she needed to get out. I really didn't mind too much, her life was interesting and so different from mine I couldn't help but continue to ask questions. We exchanged information and I promised to call her the next time I come to Kuwait or Dubai. I wish her all the best.

We landed in Qatar at 5:20am London time, so 7:20am local time and were bused from the plane to the terminal. It seemed no one was actually staying in Qatar, just catching a connecting flight somewhere else. Buses, shuttles and limos (carrying first class customers) carried people from one plane to the next and I only stepped inside the airport for 30 seconds. You have to give it to them, they are very efficient. It was kill me hot weather and I thought of all the women in their giant black drapes and wondered if they had built in fans as I am tolf Disneyland costumes do. Probably not, but that might not be such a bad market to tap into! Safely on our next flight, this time sitting together we settled into our in flight entertainment before the plane even started to move (I [played Who Wants to be a Millionare for way too long, giving up only after winning 500,000 pounds! Imagine! Though the wealth of Qatar is sp great that they could probably afford to actually award everyone who plays that game on their airways). Perhaps I'll return to Qatar for the FIFA World Cup in 2022, they are already advertising for it. Qatar was an interesting country to see from above. It lookedalmost artificial, as if someone had pilled sand just high enough to reach above sea level and then put a number of tall business looking buildings at random around it. There seemed to be a few resorts along the beach side, but these too looked oddly out of place in the barren land.

We tried to sleep for most of the next flight, mostly unsuccessfully. I started to feel like a baby, constantly being fed snacks to keep me quiet, after which the lights would turn off indicating it was nap time. There was turbulence so I needed permission to go to the bathroom and at one point I found myself telling a flight attendant, 'I'm sleepy, can I have a glass of water?' I half expected her to burp me after dinner. All the flight attendants were gorgeous - young, fit, with perfect hair and make up - as if Qatar is building up their own army of Steppford wives. The flight went on, our eyes burning at this point from lack of sleep. With a little over an hour left an announcement was made (first in Arabic of course and then in English, though they sounded very similar when mumbled through a PA system) that said 'we will be spraying disinfectant throughout the cabin, we advise that you cover your mouth.' Ainhoa and I exchanged confused looks. Was the disinfectant for us or for the plane? If it was for the plane, surely they could have waited for us to leave first? Before these questions could be answered, 2 Steppford Stewardesses came marching up the aisles (it might as well have been a cat walk for the attitude they put behind it) holding spray bottles over their heads emitting a steady flow of antiseptic that then rained down on us all. Ainhoa and I could not contain our laughter at this point and broke down into delusional hysterics.

When we landed, we realized that we had made no accommodation plan and knew we were destined to sleep in the airport until our next flight. So here I am, already 1 night without sleep sitting on an uncomfortable bench next to an Indian man who is snoring. The prospects of tonight's sleep seem dim. Oh well, I'm in Asia, I can't really complain!

The Real World is Coming! Better Grab my Clown Nose!

So to start, here are some awesome, inspiring, creative things!

Blown Glass by Chihuly!

Dancers in their natural habitats.

Also, I saw the best piece of theatre I may ever have seen this last Sunday here in London. It was Richard III at the Old Vic with Kevin Spacey. At first I was making fun of Kevin (we're on first name terms) for casting himself as the lead role. But ok, he's allowed to cast himself in anything as far as I'm concerned, there wasn't a moment where he did not deliver flawlessly. It's a touring show, ending I believe in New York (not in California) but I would suggest it to a friend if there are any tickets left! Great to see American actors on stage in London as well!

To continue the disjointed theme of this post. This is my last weekend at East 15 Acting School and that really only hit me today. I walked on campus and everyone was sitting out on the lawn, lounging in the sunlight (rare), doing cart wheels, dressed up as clowns (not so rare), and I realized how lucky I am to be in such a wonderful environment. As I embark into the 'real world' and face adulthood I kind of wish I could do it with a clown nose on. Think of how much more fun the little annoyances of life would be if they could be made into lazzis?

Money Spent Today:
3.60 pounds for lunch!

Artistic Goal:
Spend time usually devoted to facebook stalking to writing/ memorizing!

To re-apply to be Mother Mary or not to re-apply?

Whilst in the bath tub yesterday, I reached for the shaving cream my boyfriend left at my apartment and realized that there wasn't too much left. As shaving cream is a luxury item in my life I pondered how important it was for me to shave my legs for the next day. Should I save said cream for a big event? It is London in July, meaning it is on the verge of raining always, so dresses are out of the question. I eventually decided to shave. I also decided to start a blog on being an artist and being poor. Somehow I have managed to get 3 degrees, go through 5 years of higher education and be no more qualified for a job than I was in high school. The reason? I followed a passion and got my degrees in acting. It's cool, I don't regret it, but it does make rent paying difficult.

I just spent the past 20 minutes applying to amazing jobs on spotlight that I will probably never hear from again. One of these days, right? I was surprised to see a post for a TV movie I had already put myself up for. The role? The Virgin Mary. Mother of Jesus. I guess they are having a hard time casting this as they have really let their standards drop (age range they are seeing has now doubled and they will see any ethnicity with any hair color or eye color). Also, the filming takes place in Tunisia, I hear it's really nice there right now. So confused as to why they can't cast this. Little do they know I am dying to play this role! Ever since my visit to Tierra Santa, the Christian experience theme park in Buenos Aires, I have held a secret desire to play out this beautiful ancient story (please see images of the park here!!!). I am re applying for sure.

Money spent today?
- 0.60 pence on some Lamsip, medicine for a sore throat I am nursing.

On the artistic agenda for this week?
- Performing in Oh What A Lovely War at the East 15 Loughton campus. (Shaping up to be an awesome show!)
- Trying to write anything for a new script I'm working on!