Disney Vacation Entry 2!

I know this took a little longer than I was hoping, but here’s the second installment of my Disney vacation. Hope you enjoy it!

 

                Alrighty, so this is just a short (hopefully/maybe) write-up about what remained of our first official Disney day, after arriving 5 hours later than we were supposed to, of course. Getting off the plane was just fine, but since my dad bought some package through “My Disney Experience,” we had to find that specific area in the airport (which took another hour, but I won’t bore you with the details this time. In short, we did not land in the main terminal like we were supposed to, so we had a short train ride there and THEN had to find where we were supposed to be AND new shoes + running around airports= a no-go.) Anywho, we found where we were going and took a bus from the airport to our resort, which is technically in Disney. We are staying in the Sports All-Star Resort and I can’t even describe to you how epic it is. Food court, arcade, giant pool, different sports-themed buildings. I honestly hate most sports and I think it’s awesome anyway, so if you are like me and you get stuck in the sports resort, do not be concerned. Everything down to the shower curtain is a combination Disney-sports theme. The other All-Star resorts are movie, music and animation themed, from what I remember, and I can’t even imagine what they look like. When we checked in, we got the “Incredibles” electronic wristbands that you tap as a room key, credit card charge and fastpass at the parks.

                After we tried out our superhero gear (we actually felt more like Power Rangers, but you get the point), we ate at the Food Court and the food was AMAZING and not nearly as expensive as I was anticipating. Our bags were dropped off at our room when we came back from getting gelato (we never even had to go to the claim!) and we took a shuttle bus straight from our hotel to what is called Downtown Disney. We didn’t have all that much time (or energy) after our late arrival, so it was the perfect amount of activity. The bus did take a while to get there, but at least we weren’t standing like some others, since the bus was absolutely packed with people. Once we got there, it was beautiful! It was still decorated like crazy with Christmas stuff and there were carolers everywhere. There was a giant volcano thing that turned out to be a “Rainforest Café,” a steamboat that turned out to be a seafood restaurant, and giant figurines everywhere. Both the outside and the inside of each of the stores looked like attractions and there was unlimited food and shopping. The food was more expensive there, just so you know. The only issue was, it’s obviously way smaller than the parks and it’s the only thing that stays open late, so it was ridiculously crowded. Like “can’t even keep track of your family for 5 steps” crowded. Also, much of the merchandise was the same in a lot of the stores and with it being so difficult to stop and look at anything anyway, we ended up getting frustrated and leaving a little earlier than we’d planned.

                The rest of the night was uneventful. We just rode the bus home and bought some snacks from the Food Court while walking back across the resort. Tomorrow, we’re doing Magic Kingdom, which is what I’ve been looking forward to the most, so I’m sure I’ll have plenty to write about in the next section!

Making the Most of Being a "Little Fish"

                Living in Manhattan is considered one of the most exciting experiences in the world. The amazing sights, sounds, and opportunities suck in thousands of occupants and hopefuls alike. However, one can get lost in the hustle and bustle of the big city. It’s so easy for a person to feel small and insignificant when living among hundreds and thousands of goal-focused men and women. Having only been here for a few months myself, I find myself thinking quite often: what difference does my life make in such a huge and heavily occupied pond?

                What I’ve decided to do is make my life count- like really count! By trying to improve myself and therefore affect the future generations, I feel that I can make every day meaningful for both myself and those around me. Here are some of the goals that I hope to work on in the upcoming year:

1.       Be less superficial: As a girly girl, I tend to get caught up in loving makeup and tutorials- it verges on obsessive. That’s all perfectly fine, in my opinion, but it seems that my first thought upon meeting a new person (which tends to happen a lot during the first semester of school, by the way) is regarding whether they’re attractive or not. What the hell is that about? That’s not supposed to be a conscious thing you actually say to yourself in your head. I’ve begun to obsess over it when in reality, people have so much more to offer than their appearance. I hope to turn my focus on myself more to “healthy” than to “pretty” and think less about other’s appearances and more about what’s on the inside.

2.       Become my own woman!: Most women are very confident in the fact that they’re independent and don’t need a man- I’m not lucky enough to be one of those women and never have been. Every day, I just daydream about when my prince charming will get here a whisk me away. I so strongly prefer being in a relationship that I feel that I am very emotionally dependent on another person, whether a consistent friend or boyfriend. In moving to the city, I’ve already taken a step toward independence and as of being recently single as a result, I hope to continue the independence on an emotional level, as difficult as this can be in a new environment.

3.       Make the most of my time in college: Real moment: college is super expensive, so I want to get as much out of it as possible! For me, that means figuring out if I want to minor in something and also to be 100% sure that this major is for me by taking a wide variety of classes about many different subjects. I also want to stay focused on my acting without turning into the typical cut-throat, competitive aspiring actress. I want to find a balance between doing what I love in studio and still having time for truly experiencing New York entirely.  I want to discover what I REALLY love. Originally, as most of you know, I thought my calling was in the realm of musical theater, and I obviously love acting with all my heart, which is why I accepted changing my focus with open arms. However, as I’m learning more about myself, I’m realizing that I adore kids, weddings, fashion, writing for you guys (both articles and stories) and so much more! I’m hoping to figure this out through studio and NYC, which combination makes me happiest.

4.       Find balance between new life and family: I absolutely had to leave home to follow my dream and I completely understand embracing independence, but my family has always been super close. My new goal is to go home for one weekend every month, but it’s already been more frequent than that. I really hope that it will eventually become a relatively even balance of time and effort.

5.       Read books: The best sense of satisfaction accompanies finishing a good book, especially one that you’ve wanted to read for a long time. Although it might be a challenge schedule-wise, I hope to revisit favorites and classics and read great books that I’ve heard of, but never had the time to read. This is another way for me to learn through my own devices and choices.

6.       Only reach out to my true friends: College is all about meeting new people. It’s totally okay to have only superficial friends at first, but I eventually want to get to a point where I’m only putting in effort to genuine, loyal friends, both from home and school. This will assist with my visits back home as well because it’ll still be nice and everything, but old fake friends won’t hold me back. I will therefore be able to let go of negativity in my past and move forward in my new life on an emotional level.

7.       Find a way to help people: As much as I love acting, it’s always felt like a very self-serving profession. I’ve recently found a way for it to be less selfish (which I will talk about later, in case you’re interested), but I also try to reach out and help others through my writing. I’m interested in a little volunteer work on the sides as well. It doesn’t seem like much, but a small difference in the world around you is still a difference and you have no idea who you could be affecting.

8.       Broaden cultural horizons: Coming from a small town, I experienced little to no cultural diversity in my lifetime and the furthest I’ve travelled is Maine. NYU is incredibly diverse, and if I’m able to go abroad, I will be able to open my mind to new experiences and people. This one’s pretty self-explanatory, so I’ll move on to the end. (I think y’all have read enough at this point).

 

In general, I’m trying to figure out a way to make my life more meaningful every single day and I hope to inspire my readers to join me on this journey. You may be a little fish, but that doesn’t mean you can’t make a big splash, both personally and for others.

A Friendly Warning

Hey guys, long time no talk!

(Just letting you know, I wrote this a long time ago, so keep that in mindJ)

                This weekend, I went home for an event at my old high school that tons of alumni go to. I was so excited to see all my friends that were coming home and to be doing something with my sister. I was just really looking forward to it! Then, on Thursday night, I was having a talk with one of my best friends from home who conveniently goes to the same college (it’s always nice to have at least one….you know, girl emergencies and such) and she was really upset that I was going home for this event that we knew my ex would be at. She said even though there was only a small chance of a direct run-in, I had made so much progress since we broke up (after 2 years together, in case you didn’t know). She also didn’t want me to look like “pathetic ex-girlfriend running around the old high school,” but I could care less about that.

                All night, I could not figure out what my friend meant. Did she think that although I’m not totally over it, I would regress back to being a total basket-case? That I would go back to changing the radio station every time any type of love song came on? That would go back to posting everything I did on Facebook to show him how “happy” I am and how great my life is? Well, I still sort of do that, let’s be honest. But really, does she think I’m that weak? Ladies and gents, I now know EXACTLY what she meant. The hole is back in my chest, the sinking feeling back in my stomach, the choking sadness back in my throat. Just from seeing him…and him not even acknowledging me. Awkward encounter is one thing, this was a whole new kind of hurt.

                When you think of 2 months after a break up, you picture someone moving on with their life, or even someone who’s perfectly okay when they reflect on their relationship, even someone who’s friends with their ex. I have realized that I am nowhere near this stage. Why does it feel like in the ending of relationships, I’m the only person who can’t let go?

Apples and Oranges

Hello again!

                If there are any of you that don’t read my personal blog, although you totally should (shameless plug), there’s something you should know before I proceed: I want to be an actress. Not very practical, but it’s what I love and am going to school for, and it’s what sparked this post in the first place. With that being said, everyone knows how cut-throat the acting business is and how greatly your looks play into your success. Without going too far into the depths of my confidence issues, I have always wondered whether I was pretty enough to be a professional actress or if people would just laugh at me for thinking people would actually want to look at me in  T.V show or movie. Naturally, I then began comparing myself to celebrities that are gorgeous and have obviously been extremely successful in the business (as many of us tend to do). Suddenly, an idea hit me: why? Why do all girls want to be beautiful like celebrities? Why is this our goal and how did we start comparing ourselves to women who we have never even met?

                What do we do to look more like these females that we idolize? We go on insane diet or exercise programs, we change our makeup and our hair, our clothes, and it consumes use to the point that we eventually crave their lifestyle and everything that they have. And of course, we become depressed when we see that we can never have any of it. As a part of my recent realization, I asked “why” once more because, as we tend to forget, they’re just people like you and me.

                Another thing that we tend to forget about celebrities is what their money and connections yield for them: such as personal trainers, stylists and photoshop, just to name a few. All of this is to ensure that everything that we see is flawless, which we then mistake as always being real. They’re not actually “perfect” people, so why strive to be just like another person that is merely our equal? Celebrities get famous for being unique or special in some way, which tells us that we should be embracing our own quirks instead of trying to capture and repeat someone else’s!

                In short, why compare yourself to another person when you’re completely different? It will only cause discouragement and disappointment for basically no reason whatsoever. What I suggest is to turn our obsessions that we are constantly comparing ourselves to into inspirations by embracing the aspects that we can learn from them to improve our lives in some way. For instance, I LOVE Audrey Hepburn, but instead of focusing on how skinny she is and how I will never be able to achieve that look, I can watch how natural and believable her acting is and use it to help me grow. You can do this with music, dancing, modeling- learn from these people without constantly comparing your appearance to theirs. This mindset is difficult at first because of today’s media, but it feels so good and rewarding once you get the hang of it! Comment about some of your icons and how you learned from them!

Peace and love!

Emmy  

More Like "Abecrombie and Bitch!"

Hello all,

                I have a whole list of things that I’ve been wanting to write about and just have not gotten around to it, so just bear with me, because a few of my topics are going to backtrack a little bit…like this one! This is a very sensitive topic, so I would value anything any of you beautiful people have to say about it.

                One topic in the media that actually got a genuinely real reaction from me was the whole “Abercrombie and Fitch” situation. You know, the one in which the president of the company (or something like that) essentially said that he didn’t want larger people wearing their clothes because he doesn’t want “those types of people” representing their brand? I have only one thing to say to this….are you freaking joking??? Talk about isolating clientele!

                First of all, this is really concerning to me because in today’s society, young teenagers don’t need to be pressured about their bodies any more than they already are by the media. And who are basically the only people you know that buy and wear Abercrombie and Fitch clothing? Middle and high schoolers. It just so happens that this is also when body image issues arise and are the most intense! Trying to shop at a store so you can fit in at school and then being told that they don’t have your size because they don’t want larger people representing their brand would be absolutely devastating to a 13 or 14 year old. In addition, they only sell XL sizes in men’s shirts (for more muscular men), but they don’t carry any at all for women. One word: sexist. And we all know how small those clothes run. If anything, they’re just cutting down the number of customers that could purchase their clothing. How much sense does that make?

                Let’s also keep in mind that all of this bullcrap is on top of them only hiring the equivalent of super models to work in their stores. Trust me, I get it. Your looks are almost always a part of your job, or at least to a certain point. I don’t know about you, but the only thing that it does for me is make me feel like shit whenever I go in there! And not in a “I want to buy your clothes so I can look more like her” kind of way. I know they’re not the only store that does this, but it’s why I choose not to even go into Hollister or Gilly Hicks either.

                My main question is: Since when can a store tell us, paying customers, whether or not we can wear their clothing based on our body type? What does it say about our country that, knowing this, people still shop there and their stores are thriving? It saddens me that a store’s “image” can dictate which customers are good enough to purchase their products. Please let me know of your opinions about this. Being a somewhat larger girl all my life, I know I feel personally offended by this on so many levels. Anyway, feel free to talk to me!

Is Less Really More?- The True Makeup Story

Hey everyone!

                I know it’s been a while- I've been on a crazy summer job search for the last few weeks (which I will talk about later), but I've also been spending tons of time with my best friends who are all home from college, too. Seeing as most of them are females and absolutely all of them are stunningly beautiful (I’m not even exaggerating- every. Single. One), I've been thinking a lot about the topic of makeup and I was really interested in what you guys had to say. Makeup: is less really more?

                For years, I've been going back and forth in my daily makeup routine between rocking the “naturally beautiful” look, and just going with what I've always done without concern about it being obvious that I’m wearing makeup. Believe me, there is a HUGE difference between the two. I usually wake up one day and realize that I am not one of those girls that can pull off the “hardly there” makeup look and go back to my old layering on eyeliner days.

                However, the conflict comes into play when I see my friends (as I said, completely beautiful) that either have no makeup on or extremely minimal makeup and, of course, look great and still get attention. To be perfectly honest, when I don’t have eyeliner on, I feel like I look like a turd, but on the other hand, it really doesn't look natural at all and makes it very obvious that you have makeup on. I feel like other girls who are big on makeup must feel this way about certain products as well.

                Now, the conflict intensifies even further when male opinions come into play. Men always seem to say that they prefer women who are naturally beautiful or who don’t need to wear a lot of makeup to look good. For those of us who aren't naturally all that gorgeous, this makes us automatically resort to the phrase “forever alone” and gives us the urge to purchase at least two cats in a single pet store visit. But, let us remember the most popular ideal women in men’s eyes: Kim Kardashian, Megan Fox, and even Marilyn Monroe. Yes, they are also pursued for their bodies, but are these women considered “natural?” Not at all. Well, not to us ladies, anyway, who know that they have professional makeup artists, stylists and hair stylists that use an endless supply of products on the every time they leave the house. And then there’s also the fact that if you’re in any kind of semi-serious relationship, the person you’re with is going to see you makeup-less at some point anyway! Do you really want them to be shocked? That sounds too awkward to even imagine. I would really love to hear any of your opinions on this issue, seeing as I keep flopping back and forth on mine! Thanks!

Peace and love, 

Emmy

Be Your Own Leading Lady

Hello Readers!

     I'm sorry it's been so long since my last post, but I didn't want to write about something boring just for the sake of writing something, so an idea finally hit me and I'm interested to hear your thoughts!

     My inspiration for this post came from the movie "The Holiday," starring Kate Winslet (aka the love of my life), Jack Black, Cameron Diaz and Jude Law. Now, if you haven't seen this movie, don't panic, I will get you up to speed. Also, you should definitely watch it. Just saying.
     Anyway, "The Holiday" is about a woman living in England named Iris (Winslet) who wants to go on a vacation as far away as possible for Christmas because her boss, Jasper (who she dated, who cheated on her, who she continues to do favors for and who she's still in love with) just announced his engagement. Amanda Woods (Diaz) is an emotionless woman working on film trailers in Los Angeles who breaks up with her cheating boyfriend and also wants a distant vacation away from all men. These women end up meeting online and agree to trade houses/lives for two weeks. They each meet a local man, fall in love, blah blah blah....
     Soooo, when Iris tells her new retired director neighbor, Arthur, about her experiences with Jasper, he tells her that she's been acting like a supporting character when he can tell that she's meant to be the leading lady. Obviously, Kate is a leading lady, but this still got me thinking (because of course, I always think of real life in "acting" terms). This really seems like such a simple concept, but many of us go about our lives never even thinking about it. As the girl who has always been known as "the loyal friend," "the wing woman," "the confidant," I began to wonder if other people felt like this, too. Are there other real-life sidekicks? And what kind of a storyline do we get?
     When we look at some amazing fictional stories, take the "Harry Potter" series for instance, many times the sidekick becomes the favorite. (Ron Weasley....he's the best, hands down). However, his story never gets the attention and detail that Harry's does. So what do we deserve as sidekicks? Why should we get anything less, just because we're more loyal friends? I say, we embrace our roles and perform them to the fullest...and then proceed to go outside the lines of typical "sidekick." Embrace the fact that people like you and can rely on you, that's what a good friend is! But when it comes to your own life, don't take a backseat: make it about you! Don't settle because you're the main character and you deserve the best too. Take charge of your own journey, make your own plot. In short, to your friends, they may see you as the sidekick, but your life and your dreams and achieving them is just as important as theirs. Grow to be the main character of your life story.

Peace and love,
Emmy


Joey Richter/Ron Weasley's transformation in this song....exactly what I'm talking about. Spot on!