Monday, September 23, 2013

Well, we lasted 5 days!

-- Han --
I had a really good week of classes and socializing, with a few extra exciting highlights!! On Monday there was a theatre event at my school called Word Theatre and two actresses came to read short stories by this great author Jill McCorkle. The best part was: one of the actresses was Lesley Nicol who plays Mrs. Patmore on DOWNTON ABBEY!! AND I GOT TO MEET HER!!! It was so amazing, she's just as spunky in real life as she is on the show!
On Tuesday, I had three auditions for student films at Dodge and it was so hectic and amazing to go from audition to class to audition to class. It gave me a sense of what it might be like to juggle everything once I'm out in the real world and I LOVED it! The three films were each very different too: a horror film, a western, and a coming of age story. I didn't end up getting any of the roles, but each audition feels stronger and stronger and it's great experience for sure. 

When I got back to my room that night, pretty late, I had an incredible care package of goodies waiting for me from mum and Q!! It was perfect! Just what I needed, a little love, a taste of home, and a restocking of my food drawer!
I had two more auditions on Friday and other than that my classes have been great and are definitely getting more and more interesting; it was a really good week!

-- Luce --
I had a great week! On Monday I performed my Autodrama - a 5 minute play about my life - and I was super nervous! Luckily, over the weekend I had a lot of help from Hannah and MeMe and so I wasn't feeling too bad! I was performing 3rd that day and it went really well!! My teacher had very positive things to say and it seemed like all of my classmates loved it - what a relief! That success in class put me in a great mood for the rest of the week, which was relatively uneventful..! I was acting in a lot of my other classmates Autodramas so it was really fun to get on stage and help them out. I also got my care package from Mum and Q and it was exactly what I needed!
On Friday I worked on the set of a new TV show called Bad Teacher and it was really fun! Kristin Davis (Charlotte from Sex in the City) is a lead on the show and I walked past her in the hallway and she smiled at me and I smiled back and it was amazing!!! I was so starstruck! I also talked to one of the lead actors and he was very friendly and gave me a hug at the end of the day - so so cool! Definitely one of the most exciting days on set so far :)

-- Han and Luce --
On Saturday morning we were texting each other, missing each other, and both looking at having a pretty quiet day until - spur of the moment, Luce decided to come drive out and spend the afternoon/evening with Han in Disney!! It was so spontaneous and fun, we saw Mickey's Magical Map and Aladdin, went on rides, had dinner at the Rainforest Cafe with what was left of our birthday voucher, and went on the terrifyingly re-vamped Space Mountain: Ghost Galaxy.

It was a lovely top up and we both had productive Sundays and went to church in the evening! Han went to one in Costa Mesa called Rock Harbor which was very similar to Mosaic and really incredible! They were doing baptisms for anyone there that felt the urge and Chase just went for it, it was so cool to be a part of. The group of COPA people who went together all sat around chatting until 2:00am when we got back, such a special night! 

Luce went to Mosaic again with MeMe and three friends from her class and had a wonderful time. She and her friends signed up to help the church and the community and it's all very exciting! It was the perfect way to get centered and ready for the week ahead.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

So... We went to Disneyland again!

-- Hannah and Lucy --
So we realize that the blog is kind of turning into "and then we went to Disneyland" "aaaand then we went to Disneyland" BUT we went again this weekend for another event, Villains' Night on Friday the 13th and it was heaps of fun! But before we get to that, Han made an unexpected and exciting trip to see Luce this week!

-- Han --
On Monday afternoon, I'm sitting in bed doing homework, and I get a call from an LA number I didn't recognize. Turns out, it's from Central Casting and they want me to work on Criminal Minds at 6:00am the next day as a dead person body double AND I'd get a union voucher for it!! Ahh! (You need 3 union vouchers or 1 line in a union production to join SAG, so it was a pretty great/rare opportunity!) Anyway, that set my mind reeling because I had classes the next day to think about and no transportation into LA along with some other logistical challenges! I decided to go for it, though, and find a way to make it work. I committed to the job around 4:30, looked up train times, and saw that the last one from Orange to Union Station left at 5:27!! I ran around like a mad woman grabbing everything I thought I'd need, power walked to the train station, and made it there in time! Luce and Emily picked me up at Union Station about an hour later and the three of us went out to a movie! We'd wanted to see the One Direction movie but we got the time wrong and saw Blue Jasmine instead - which had a uhhh very different feel to 1D. It was kinda depressing but really powerful and the acting was amazing. We went home, had dinner and root beer floats, and got a decently early night because I had to be up at 4:00! 

I woke up, got ready, and made it to set no worries. It was SO GREAT to be back on set and I was loving the extra special treatment as a body double. They gave me my own trailer, copies of the sides and call times for the day, and a umm costume? Which was pretty much just spanks, a bra, and a fuzzy bathrobe to get to set in because I had to lie on the morgue table under a sheet without looking like I was wearing anything. 
(Me in myyyy trailer at 7am haha too cool for words!)
After I got changed, I went to make-up! The make-up artist was FANTASTIC and the effects he created were so cool!! He let me take a picture but I'm not allowed to post it until the episode airs, so that'll be coming soon! 

I went to set and lay down on the table, it was a slightly uncomfortable situation, just lying there with all this action going on around me, but mostly just awesome! The biggest challenge was that I was pretty sick, so I kept having to cough... but dead bodies don't cough. Haha I was able to hold it in the whole time the camera was rolling, though, so it was totally fine - I even managed to do some serious shallow breathing so hopefully you can't see my chest moving! The cast and crew were all SO NICE, and funny too. The director had a bit of a laugh with me at one point, Joe Mantegna and a guest star chatted with me between takes, and the crew guys kept joking around and tickling my feet - it was a really fun morning. 

I was done around 9:30 so it was time for mission: Get Back to Chapman Before My Acting Class. Fortunately for me, when I went to email my IR professor that I couldn't make it to class, in my inbox from him was an email saying class was cancelled! YAY! So I emailed my professor of my second class saying I was sick (which was actually true) and set off towards LACC to wait for Lucy's break. She got out at 12:15 and we raced to Union Station to catch my 12:47 train. I JUST made it, like we got there at 12:40 and I RAN through that station to the platform. I knew I didn't have time to buy a ticket, so I just went straight there and prayed that the ticket inspector would show me some mercy! HE DID! Phewwww ahh he let me on without a ticket and I was SO grateful! It wasn't smooth sailing from there, though, because I had to transfer at Fullerton and I only had about 8 minutes. I got there, bought my ticket, and asked a guy which side of the platform I had to be on - he told me the other side, I went there, waited, looked over, THE ORANGE TRAIN WAS ON THE OTHER SIDE!! I raced over and only just made that one on time too! I made it to Orange, walked back to my dorm, got changed, grabbed a wrap for lunch, and made it to class with 5 minutes to spare! Ahh it was such a crazy morning but SO worth the effort.

-- Han and Luce --
The next exciting event of our week was the aforementioned Disney trip! The two of us and Sierra dressed up in all black for Friday the 13th - our "gothic" look ended up being more girl band, but we embraced it. We went into the park, us girls and Matthew, early with plans to meet up with a huge group of COPA people later on in the evening. It was SO COOL to see the Halloween overlay! The parks looked completely different, they did an amazing job. 
We ran around, enjoyed the vibe, and went on rides - Tower of Terror was a definite highlight!
Later on we met up with all Han's friends for a bit before heading back to Lucy's.

On Saturday we had a photo shoot together which was super fun and we learned a lot. We did three different looks and the photographer was really nice and totally chill with the fact that we didn't have much experience. Once we got over the initial feeling of "I've never had arms before" we had a really fun time and learned a lot. The photographer sent through a few pics of each of us, so here's a sample of what we did!
We just hung out and did homework for the rest of the day; Luce was kiiinda freaking out about her Autodrama which was due Monday, so we both spent a lot of time figuring that out too!

Sunday was pretty much the same, homework and Autodrama, but Sunday night we both went to church with MeMe and it was INCREDIBLE! Han loved it as much as Luce had the first time, it was truly an uplifting experience and we both left feeling inspired to be better people and do more for the people around us. We drove back to Chappy Chap and it was time to say goodbye - for at least two weeks this time! Ahh!! We'll make it, though, and we both have some fun stuff in store for the coming weeks/weekends!

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Highlights of the Week!

-- Hannah --
I had an AWESOME week full of socializing, classes, socializing, homework, food, and uhh, socializing! Haha dorm life is crazy and I'm making the most fantastic friends, especially in the performing arts! Hands down the best bonding experience so far was COPA midnight fountain hopping!! Fountain hopping is a Chapman tradition, sort of a right of passage, where students go to campus at night and swim in the fountains. So on Wednesday night Sierra and I, entirely disregarding quiet hours, ran around the entire floor in our swimsuits knocking on doors and spreading the word that all the theatre/music/dance kids should go fountain hopping! The response was amazing - and way more than we expected - EVERYONE came! It was incredible!! 
We went to three different fountains, then back to the first because it was the warmest and stayed for ages. It was so fun and carefree! At one point one of my friends, Chase, baptized me in the name of the stage, the screen, and the performing arts and I knew I was with the right group of people. 
This week I also had my first audition at Dodge for a student film which was a great experience. It was a really good first audition and, even though I'm pretty sure I didn't get the role, I had a fun time and learned a lot. I was also in a short film for someone else in Dodge! Yay! It was a lower level film, one about action and telling the story visually, so there weren't any lines, but it felt great to be back in front of a camera - and this time I was actually the focus of the shot!

One of the other highlights has been solidifying an awesome smaller group of friends within COPA. There're about eight of us that hang out a lot and I feel so lucky to be forming such amazing friendships! 

Friday was the best day of the week for so many reasons! One of which was: Lucy came to visit! 

-- Luce --
I've had a very busy week settling into having long days at school! My classes have all really ramped up and I am already learning so much! 

In my Voice class we are starting to learn some very relaxing yoga - it's so fun! It really helps with controlling breathing and becoming centered at the start of the day!

My Movement class has become really intense because my teacher just got back from Edinburgh and London where she directing a show!! After the calming yoga we go straight into a full-blown workout and I am starting to realize how unfit I truly am haha.

Acting class has also been amazing over the week because we've been doing exercises that form great bonds within my class and I'm discovering a lot about my classmates!

On Thursday night some girls from my class invited me over to their place for a girl's night and it was so lovely! We all talked for hours, ordered Chinese food, and watched Now You See Me which was actually a pretty good movie! I left theirs around 12:30 and got home to bed as quickly as I could so that I could be ready to go see Han the next day! Even though it'd only been 4 days since I'd seen her, I still missed her so much!! Ahhh being separated is so hard...

-- Han and Luce --
Luce got to Chapman around 10:30 and Han gave the Chapman guided tour and shouted lunch and Jamba Juice, yum! After that, the two of us and a bunch of Han's classmates went to Disney together for Dapper Day!! 
Dapper Day was so magical!! We all went looking our best and it was so lovely to see everyone else in the park dressed up too. We also ran into three of Lucy's classmates right as we were entering the park! How's that for some Disney magic?! Feeling oh so dapper, we went on a couple rides, met Tianna, then had to duck out back to Chapman for an audition at Dodge that we were both doing! 
The audition was for three student films, one comedy, one sci-fi, and one coming of age story. It was great that Lucy was allowed to audition too! We're so much stronger when we're together and it felt like a great precedent of helping each other out to set as we start a long career together in this industry. We both learned SO MUCH, there really is nothing quite like an audition to prepare you for the next one, so the more experience we can get, the better we'll be for sure!

After the audition, Han treated Luce to a buffet dinner in the cafeteria, then we decided to head back into Disney for another hour and a half of Dapper Day! We took in the ambiance of Main Street at night, went on Star Tours, then, with only five minutes till the park closed, ran across to frontier land to finish the night off on Splash Mountain! We JUST made it and Luce ended up getting SOAKED, too funny! 
Then it was time to drop Han back and say goodbye. It was a perfect little top up visit, though, and we're probably going to see each other next weekend - and we feel no shame! Thank God we ended up at schools only 45 minutes from each other, though, because this whole "getting some independence from each other" plan hasn't been quite what we were expecting...

-- Hannah --
Friday was a HUGE day and my weekend certainly didn't stop there! This was rush weekend for sororities and I loved the whole experience, it was unbelievable! I missed the start of it, which was on Friday, for Disney and auditions (shhh) but I threw myself right in on Saturday and Sunday. I went into it knowing that I probably wouldn't pledge, just because of the huge financial commitment, but rush alone was such a unique experience! On Saturday I went to five parties for different houses and learned all about them and their philanthropy. I met so many incredible women; everyone seemed really kind and genuine - in a lot of ways they broke the stereotype I was expecting. The parties were so different from anything I've ever been a part of before: all the PNMs (potential new members) got lined up in alphabetical order then walked into the room and the sorority sisters were singing and had a whole routine worked out, there were speeches, then it was time to girl flirt like I've never girl flirted before! After the six hour day, one house stood out above the others for me, Delta Gamma, and I felt such a connection with the girls there. When I narrowed down my preferences last night, DG was at the top of my list and I got lucky enough to get invited back today! There were only two parties to go to and I met more really lovely DGs and Kappas (from Kappa Kappa Gamma, the other sorority I was invited back to). When it came down to it, though, I had to say goodbye to all the beautiful girls I'd met and hope that they'll still want to hang out with me even if I'm not affiliated! Haha I'm so glad I did it, though, it was definitely one of those surreal American college experiences that I'll remember for a long time to come.



Sierra and I got all dressy for rush!



The last highlight of my week was last night, after rush finished, when Sierra, Katie, and I organized a surprise picnic for Grace, Chase, and Matthew who'd been in a show that day. We smuggled desserts out of the caf, scoped out the perfect viewing spot, brought pillows and blankets, downloaded the actual soundtrack they play in the park and set up to watch the Disneyland fireworks!! It was so much fun and they loved the surprise! Katie managed to sync up the music PERFECTLY and we all put on a little extra weight thanks to our yummy goodies.
It's been a wonderful week full of so many precious memories and I'm feeling so confident that what's already incredible will only get better and better!

-- Luce --
On Saturday I was booked for background work on the pilot of the show "Faking It" that could potentially be on MTV! It was so amazing to be back on set - I had missed working so much over the past two weeks. There was a great vibe on this set and I recognized a lot of people that I'd worked with in the past which was great! One problem was that the show was set at a high school in the fall, so I had boots, jeans, a T-shirt, and a flannel shirt on but it was 95 degrees outside!!!!!!!!! I thought I was going to pass out from heat stroke a couple of times! Oh my gosh it was so hot... But there were a lot of times that I could retreat to the air-conditioned indoors so thank god for that! I had also forgotten how amazing the food is on set, so I stuffed my face at lunch - yum! After 9 hours of filming the extras were wrapped and we all got on a school bus (which brought on some serious deja-vu!) that took us back to basecamp to sign out. I went home, made dinner, and got an early night in preparation for today...

Today I had my first ever photoshoot! It was an interesting experience because everything was completely new to me..! The photographer I worked with was really nice and he was relatively new as well so there wasn't too much pressure. The location was great too - we were shooting in Griffith Park at the Old Zoo which was beautiful and very artsy! I think it went pretty well considering that it was my first ever modelling job and I had no idea what I was doing, and it definitely gave me a new appreciation for all of the people who go on America's Next Top Model and shows like that because it wasn't easy!

Tonight was wonderful too because I decided to go to church with MeMe and it was so so amazing. She goes to Mosaic church and it was beautiful! There was really great live music as we went in and the singing just elevated my spirits and made me so happy that MeMe had invited me to go with her! Then the sermon was all about healing and it just resonated so much with me - I had tears running down my face and I don't even consider myself to be a religious person! It was such a cathartic experience. There was a great message and I left feeling inspired and ready to face the week ahead.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Reunited!!!

YAY!! We had the most wonderful weekend together after surviving the longest stretch apart we've had to go through in our whole lives - almost two weeks! It was so amazing to catch up and just relax, it was exactly what we both needed. 

On Saturday morning, Luce drove out to Chapman and picked up Han, Sierra, and Katie for a trip to Disneyland!! It was awesome for Luce to meet Han's roomies and the four of us had a great time running around the park. 
 We had FastPasses for Indiana Jones and were all super excited for the ride. We got more of an adventure than we bargained for, though, when we reached the final thrilling moment where the boulder seems like it's going to crush you then - screeeech! AHH!! Everything grinds to a stop, music goes off, light's come on, and a voiceover tells us the ride's broken down! We had to wait about fifteen minutes before it got running again, and we snapped some behind-the-scenes pics while we waited.
After that, the two of us snuck off for some twin time in California Adventure for a little while and there were NO LINES!! On a long weekend?! It was amazing!! We went on all our faves then headed back to meet up with Sierra and Katie for Fantasmic! We ended up going to the later show and got PERFECT seats, right on the water's edge. The show was as full of Disney magic as we could've hoped for and it was a wonderful way to end the night! We headed out of the park, dropped the roomies off at Chapman, and went back to Lucy's.

On Sunday we went and visited Chambers - and didn't get a parking ticket this time! - which was really nice. It was kind of surreal, actually, as if nothing had changed and we were still living and hanging out together in the city. After a great morning at bootcamp, we went out for teriyaki chicken for lunch and headed home for the afternoon. We had a productive afternoon doing homework, had fro yo at The Grove, and watched the gorgeous James Marsden in 27 Dresses!

Monday was an errands day but still fun because, cheesy as it is, we were together. Luce did laundry, Han did homework, we wrote the blog, went to Trader Joes, and Meme treated us to Starbucks coffees, yum! Too soon it was time to drive Han back to Chapman and say goodbye. We were a little melancholy about it all day and we're still working on adjusting - this goodbye was just harder because now we actually know what it's like to be apart and miss each other! The weekend was great though, and it made us realize that we really are close enough to be able to visit regularly. We both settled in for another week of classes - luckily a shorter one, thank you labour day! - and are already excited to see each other again soon!

Monday, September 2, 2013

College Life!

-- Hannah --
This week was my first week of classes! It was such a busy week, with some ups and downs, but I made it through and I'm loving my classes! The three that stand out are Intro to Performing Techniques, Literature Mirrors Society (about Latin American literature), and Film Aesthetics. The subject matter is fascinating and the professors are so engaging and knowledgeable - I'm really excited to learn from them!

I've been riding my bike around and I'm feeling really comfortable with where things are on campus. The food is INCREDIBLE and I'm definitely getting a start on that Freshman 15! Exercising is really fun, though, because there are heaps of options for fitness classes like Zumba, kickboxing, and hip hop! I'm trying to take advantage of everything there is to do here and just throw myself into life on campus.

Having made it through the school week, it was time for Whiteout!! This was the frat party I won tickets to with my limbo prowess and it was SO FUN! Sierra and I got all dressed up in our white outfits and went over to the club with a big group of friends!

The venue was awesome! We owned our under 21 status and headed onto the dance floor!
There was blaring music, smoke machines, neon lights, and SO MANY people! Ahh it was completely crazy and we had a ball!
It was a great finish to an exciting, stressful, rewarding, and fun week! It's been hard being away from Luce but we've been chatting on the phone most days and we got to spend the weekend together, YAY! So there are more fun stories to tell in the next post - stay tuned!

First Week of School!

-- Lucy --
Last week was my first week of school!!! It was very overwhelming and exciting! 
On Monday MeMe woke up early to go to school with me and take me to my first class which was so sweet!! I would've been freaking out if she hadn't come with me! I met a bunch of people in my class and they were all very welcoming and nice. My first class was a voice class and the teacher is wonderful! She is completely wacky and amazing and I am very excited to learn from her. I then had some theory classes and an acting class that I love! After the school day was over I was completely exhausted so I went home, talked to Han for a while on the phone (because I was missing her so much!!) and made dinner and went to bed.

The rest of the week followed the pattern of getting used to new classes, new people, and new places while also trying to learn and focus on classes. I've made some really lovely friends and have learned so much already!

Thursday was a cool day because the people in their last year at the school held a "Tea" for all of the people in their first semester! When I heard there was going to be a Tea held in our honor I thought it was going to be a very civilized event but it turns out that the tea was actually a semi-embarrassing initiation ceremony! No one in my class had any idea of what to expect so I was really nervous! When 4:00 came around, a bunch of the older students came out in togas, capes, and gladiator-style clothes and yelled at us all to line up in a straight line. We couldn't talk or turn our heads - it was equal parts hilarious and terrifying! We marched into the theatre (where all the students and faculty were watching!) and then had to jump over a pile of mats, strike a warrior pose, introduce ourselves, and answer one random question! I managed to do it without completely humiliating myself - thank god! It was so much fun and it really felt like we were being accepted into the school :)



On Thursday night, Emily and I decided to go and see 2 movies (because she gets 4 free tickets!) First we watched Mortal Instruments and it was pretty terrible haha, I wouldn't recommend it... But after that we saw Short Term 12 and it was AMAZING. Such great acting, a beautiful story, I was blown away! It was the perfect way to end my first week of school.

I have most Fridays off school, so Emily, MeMe, and I all went to see The Butler at the movies in the morning! It was another really fantastic film. After the movies we all went thrift shopping which was fun and then we went home where I prepared for my first college party! 

The party was super fun and it made me really excited to get to know my classmates better :) I stayed the night then left early in the morning because I needed to drive up to see Han and go to Disneyland with her roommates!!! There will be another post soon describing the wonderful weekend that Han and I had! So wonderful to see her :)