48-Hour Film Experience!

So, as promised in the last post, I will talk about participating in my first ever: 

48-Hour Film Experience.  

It all started a few months ago, when some of my Comm Arts friends asked me to be a part of their team as "talent" (that's what on-camera people are called) so I immediately said "Duh!" Mickey came on board a bit later as Assistant DP (Director of Photography).  I knew this was going to be a blast.

So here's the premise of this Film Experience.  Each team (or director and asst. director actually) go to this place on friday evening at 8pm and get the genre and location.  The theme was retro. Our genre was horror and location was 50s.  All teams would have 48 hours to film, edit and everything to turn it in by 8pm that Sunday.  And so it started!

That friday night several people got together to write the script/rough outline and the rest of us got info for Saturday (shooting day).  And so, after a slow start that Saturday, we were off!

That's me!!! 

We filmed (almost) everything on campus because its architecture is very 50s and it was perfect!! 

Just some of us. :)

I played the new girl out of town who's being haunted by The Clique (behind me).  

Then, everything takes a turn! Dun...dun...dun!!!

In the wee hours of the morn'. 

We finished filming that night/early morning Sunday at around 1am. We were freakishly exhausted but so excited to see the final product!!! That following morning I had to meet the crew at a local high school to shoot a shot and then we wrapped filming! Then it was crunch time! They turned it in in the knick of time.  :)

Mickey and I the last day of shooting. Bright & Early. 

Next up was the screening that week.  I was so pumped and excited! I couldn't believe all the people that were there! Even more so, all the people that were gonna see MY FACE on a BIG SCREEN! I could hardly contain myself.  I was like a little kid! 

MY FACE on the freakin' BIG SCREEN! Oh. my. goodness.
My momma would've been so proud!! ♥

Everybody's films were very nice.  Although, I did think ours was just the bees knee's.  Haha. Get it? :)

We went to celebrate after the screening at a local Mexican Restaurant.  Only in the South.  

Not all the cast and crew were able to go but it was wonderful to be able to celebrate. 

 It was actually Anthony's birthday and so we surprised him with a birthday sing-a-long at the restaurant, along with a balloon and cake.  It was a fun time!

Some of our amazing cast and crew. :)

There was an awards ceremony the following week but unfortunately we didn't win anything. BOO.  We all thought 3rd place was ours. Oh well! There's always August and December for some more film experiences.  We are all hoping to get together and hang out because, well, we're pretty awesome.  

All in all, this was an AMAZING experience.  Thank you Joel and Ysenia for asking me to be a part of your fantastic team!

 If you want to see the video, just let me know! 

(acssndr2010@gmail[dot]com)

Raspberries & Avengers & Mass

So, BIG NEWS.  I just found out like three days ago that I absolutely LOVE raspberries! It's crazy because I've always thought raspberries and blueberries tasted weird because I just assumed but I finally had the guts to try them.  My aunt had gotten raspberries and blueberries on her recent trip to the grocery store and so I thought it would be a good idea to try them.  Oh my goodness guys! Raspberries are SO much better than any other fruit.  Blueberries are really good too but they pretty much taste exactly like grapes to me.  Which reminds me, I had like 115 calories left for the day today and I had strawberries, green grapes, blueberries and raspberries.  FRUIT OVERLOAD.  So good though.  I guess it's a sure sign of summer!  Seriously guys though, they are amazing.  Try them if you haven't! Also, blueberries and raspberries have potassium! That's always good. My mom would be so happy I am still trying new things!

-So. AVENGERS. THE AVENGERS.  Seriously amazing guys. I strongly recommend y'all watch it.  I mean, c'mon, it's a Joss Whedon baby.  Need I say more? It's got a mix of action, adventure, comedy and so much more.  I loved it! I loved seeing it with my special someone too! It was his second time. :)

-I sang at the Baccalaureate Mass today and that was really fun.  It was interesting because it took place in the same venue where my high school graduation was.  It's crazy how time flies by, it's been about two years since I graduated from high school! TWO YEARS! And in about a year and a half, I'll be graduating from college.  I'll be the first in my family to attend and graduate from college.  Insane.  It got me thinking about my future and all, even more than I do already. It was nice though.

Hope y'all have a good day! Good luck with finals and such! Thanks for reading.

Here's Johnny!

Johnny.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have picked up my violin and played it for the first time in a year! I am helping my friend Cassey with her recital in the fall semester coming up and we had our first practice this past week.  I was seriously surprised I didn't completely suck.  It was nice to play Johnny (my violin) again.  It was kinda weird too that this was my first time playing the violin without my mom listening.  I know she'd be proud though.  Oh and by the way, my violin's name is Johnny because the first piece I played on him was When Johnny Comes Marching Home.  :)

I saw Titanic with a special someone and oh dear did I cry! I knew the parts I would be sad at because I've seen Titanic so many times and it was my mom's favorite movie but this time, it was way worse.  I mean, it was in 3D people! I guess what also got to me were the credits with Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On because it has sentimental value to me and it just was absolutely beautiful.  I'm really glad we went to see it.  It's crazy to watch a movie again after not seeing it in a long time, it really opens your eyes to things you never saw before.

-Happy Easter y'all!
-I've started looking at classes I will take during the summer and fall semesters and I feel like there aren't that many options for some reason.   A lot of the classes available are for graduate students, so I'm hoping they can change that.  They already made minor adjustments to the summer schedule but not enough to influence me.  It's nice, though, to be able to plan.  I already had my dream classes figured out, now all I need is for them to be there.  :)
-School will be over in less than a month!!!!
-Tomorrow I'm going to help someone with their video project, I will be acting in it and I'm so happy!!!! I already helped someone else with their video project for the same class, I helped with a voice over which was really fun as well.  I love performing!!!! :)
-I've lost 12 pounds!!!!

Well, I think that's it for now. Have a great day guys! Happy Easter!

Lots of catching up!

Yum! 

So I've experienced the typical college thing of not having enough time, which is why I have not been able to blog for a while. With that being said, there's a lot to catch up on! List time again!

-Thanksgiving wasn't that bad. It was kinda nice, we played Mexican Train game with my aunt's and uncle's neighbors and their family.  I did have a baby meltdown before but it was fine, I moved on.
-Finals are next week! I'm a bit stressed but thankful everything else in my life is okay.
-We have our Fall Concert this Sunday.  (Choir) I'm a bit worried about it because it's my first concert without her.  I really miss her guys.  It's difficult sometimes to explain the pain I feel when it really hurts but I guess I'm doing fine.
-I got some stuff from these two stores and they are amazing!
-I'm trying a lot of new things lately, it's pretty wonderful to be able to do stuff spontaneously.  For example, this week alone, I went to a workshop with this advertising company, I went to a dress rehearsal of my school's production of A Christmas Carol and a friend's wedding after party thing (we're in Italian together and we did this amazing oral exam and made a video and everyone laughed, it was magnificent!).  Everything was pretty much spur of the moment kind of thing! It was nice.
-I know y'all have been drooling over the picture of Tiramisu.  Today some of my friends and I went to this one restaurant (it was amazing!) and my friend got Tiramisu and we shared a bit! Fact: I don't like sweets.  Desert.  Chocolate.  None of it.  But, Tiramisu is one of those things that are just TO DIE FOR! Seriously, it's amazing! If you haven't tried it, I strongly recommend it!
-My friend let me borrow his copy of 500 Days of Summer and OH MY GOODNESS! So adorable, sweet, and fantastic! I loved it! I strongly recommend this movie! I mean, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel? Yeah, so wonderful!
-We moved out of the "new apt".  It was pretty difficult because I kept on thinking about all the things that didn't happen.  All the opportunities we had that aren't needed or going to be used anymore.  It's been a bit over two months and there are still moments when I think she's still alive.  Not gonna lie, it sucks.
-The other day I wanted to get an extra copy of my ad for my WFTM class and I thought in my head "Yeah, get another one so you can show your mom".  Then I stopped myself because obviously, it's not true.
-I feel like she's happy though, you know? She's seeing me live my life and learn things on my own.  I make decisions, I make plans and most importantly, I plan about New York and my future.  <3
-Today I saw two tarantulas! YES, MY FRIENDS, that's right.  TWO!!!!!! If you know me, you know I'm not a fan of insects, bugs, etc.  I mean, butterflies scare me! That's how weird this phobia is for me so it was amazing I didn't run screaming!  I was thrown off by the first one though.  That's for sure.
-I feel like I'm missing stuff but I got the highlights.  I wanted to add more pictures but it isn't working.  Oh well, maybe next time!

Happy last week of school for my fellow peeps! Haha. Just kidding.

9.

[9 Loves]

1. My mom.  She is my hero and she is the strongest person I know.  She is funny, my friend, yet a parent first.  She knows how to make me feel better when I'm falling apart, she is simply amazing!

2. Babies.  No guys, I don't have baby fever, I've just always loved babies.  Grant it, I'm not a fan of their funny smells and snotty noses, but come on, you gotta admit they're adorable.  With that being said, I'm in NO rush to have them, I want to wait 'till I'm married and able to provide for them.  I love babies though, ugh, I just love 'em.

3. Animals. I love animals, not bugs, animals.  My favorites are cats, pandas, penguins, capuchin monkeys, small dogs, and pretty much any small animal.  There is a Humane Society like 10 minutes away from our new apartment so I'm excited to do help out once we both move in there.  Also, I want to work at a zoo because my mom did the same and I feel it would be a great experience to work at a zoo.  I feel like animals are amazing because they don't judge you or put you down.  I saw this on facebook: animals > people and I completely agree. :)

4.   Television.  I feel like most people watch television, even at a glimpse, every day.  There is so much that television shows us.  There is plenty of negative, unfortunately, but there is plenty of positive as well.  As an aspiring television producer I love watching television and getting ideas.  My favorite television shows are shown at the left under "All Time Favorites".  I'm serious guys, these are amazing! Shonda Rhimes is amazing as well! (Ahem, Grey's Anatomy!)

5.  Movies.  Lately, I haven't been able to watch many new movies seeing as we are living at the skilled nursing facility but we did watch Madea's Family Reunion.  It was pretty good. My favorites though include You've Got Mail, One Fine Day, Harry Potter, While You Were Sleeping, oh dear there are so many others as well.  My favorites are romantic comedies and also movies from the 90s. :)    

6. The smell of fall.  I love it.  It's a reminder that the holidays are near.  My favorite is that first time you smell "fall" in the year.  I love it!

7. Seafood.  I love scallops and tilapia and orange roughy and shrimp and clams and lobster.  Aaah! My favorite restaurant is Red Lobster.  Yum!

8. Volunteering.  I love meeting new people and helping out.  I love helping with little kids especially, they are just so fun, they make me miss my childhood but I get to relive it with them.  They make me happy.  I love volunteering.

9. Performing. I love dancing, singing, acting, or playing the violin in front of people.  That doesn't mean I don't get nervous though, I definitely do but I still love it.  I especially love the feeling right after you're done and people clap and cheer, it gives me goosebumps.  I also love the feeling right as you start and you realize "wow, I love doing this".  I LOVE performing. :)

Please keep praying for my mom. Thank you.

How I Miss You So

One of my favorite things in the world to do is watch movies from the late 80s/90s/early 2000s.  I wanted to share two.  I recently saw one of them and it reminded me how much I loved it. The other one just popped into my head because it might be my favorite one in the entire world.

First one: What Women Want

[It's not Oscar-worthy or anything like that but after watching it you just feel warm and fuzzy you know?  I guess it's just a typical chick flick but what's wrong with that?]

It's wonderful. I love it so much.  :)

I love the apartment she buys in the movie.

I love the dark wood in his apartment (in the movie).

I also love where Nick (Gibson) works.  It's so pretty!

Here is the other one: One Fine Day

[I love this one because I've seen it so many times and yet I never get tired of it.  It's so sweet.  I also love the kids in this one.  *The little girl is Mae Whitman, from PARENTHOOD, one of my favorite television shows!* I just love this movie, I love everything about it.]

THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES IN THE ENTIRE WORLD!

I'm loving the ginormous cell phone.

I think here they are running towards Bethesda Fountain.  :)

Other news: We are looking for an apartment.  My mom starts the new chemo thursday.  I'm about halfway done with my summer class.  Things are crazy.  Please pray.

I hope you enjoyed this pretty positive blog post.  :)))

How Do You Know...?

First of all: This past weekend I saw How Do You Know with Paul Rudd and Reese Witherspoon (thanks Deidra for lending it to me!) anywho, and this one thing bothered me: Isn't "How do you know" a question? If it is, which I think it is, then why didn't they put a question mark at the end of the title? I know that's totally pointless but I find weird things like that (not that I use correct grammar all the time, haha).  Besides that the movie was interesting, I really liked the ending.  It was sweet.

Okay so other than that I've got some important news.....DRUM ROLL....

TOMORROW IS MY MOM'S BIRTHDAY! Yey! I think we may go to this pizza place they mentioned on Food Network. Whoohoo! :)

Other random stuff:

-I had some seriously bad allergies this past weekend, like super super sucky.  Full on sneezing, coughing, runny nose, yeah, pretty gross, but my allergies are gone now! 

-I had this random dream that I was working on my left splits which made me miss dancing.  (When I was in high school I was in my school's Pep Squad and Drill Team/JV Dance Team, and I had left it so I could work on my technique but then that summer was diagnosed with cancer. In a way, it's like I left because I didn't make the dance team so I wanted to work on the technique myself, like in a dance studio but then my mom was diagnosed.  Which makes me realize that everything happens for a reason.) Anywho, I'm excited to start the Country Western Dance class for my PE credit, hah.

-Finals week is next week so I'm a bit stressed...!

-We have our Chorale concert on Sunday!

I think that's it for now.  Please keep prayin' for my momma! (the 28th is her 2nd round of this new chemo thing but she'll have lab tomorrow :( , I think we'll see the oncologist on the 28th so pleaseeeeeee pray!)

Thank you guys for reading! 

✌♥

We Meet Again

Well hello dear readers.  Today is a better day.  Today is my mom's first day of her pain patch, which means that her pain is under control for the most part. Yey! Yesterday she had the new kind of chemo, it was kind of weird though because it was more like a push...? Like a chemo push...? I am not sure. So we are of course praying like crazy that this chemo works.  Interesting fact: this new chemo was like just approved by the FDA in 2009 or 2010 so it's super new.  I'm praying it works.  She will have her second round of the chemo this coming thursday.  Oh! My mom's birthday is this tuesday!!! She's a taurus.  You know what sucks though? She is going to need to get lab that day, but I'm hoping it won't be painful.

If you guys use facebook, I would truly appreciate you guys "liking" the page: Please pray for Amy's mom , thanks!

Another thing: I wanted to personally thank Alex for writing that wonderful post, it really meant a lot.

Okay so other news: I had mentioned in my last blog post that I didn't get all of the classes I wanted but it turns out that they added that one class I needed so I do have all the classes I wanted! Yey! I also got a haircut today, it feels good, it's shorter but it's perfect! I only have to go to school 8 more days! It's crazy to think that I'm almost done with my first year of college.  Oh and I'm done with my Anatomy & Physiology I Lab! Freedom!

I think that's it for now.  Thank you guys for all of your support! Please keep praying! ✌♥

Totally random: I am listening to Somewhere Only We Know by Keane and oh my goodness, I just love this song! Listen to it guys! (I first heard it in the movie The Lakehouse with Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves and it's so sweet!)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Way We Were

Okay so things have still been super crazy so... list time!

-First of all, my mom is doing okay.  She had her appt. with the oncologist this last time (well NP to be exact, Nurse Practitioner) but anyway, she only needs two injections of the shot that boosts her white blood cells! Yey! Now she also needs an injection of the shot that boosts her red blood cells but that's okay.  Her next lab is in about three weeks and it's going to be more extensive, so I'm a bit more scared about that. I won't focus on that now though.
-My aunt apparently has a carcinoid tumor in her lung so her treatment is a bit unclear but she'll be okay.
-The induction for Alpha Lamda Delta Honor Society went well. :)
-School will be over in less than two months!!!!! :) (and then it's summer class time but that won't be so bad)
-Oh, that's right, this weekend my mom and I saw One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Way We Were.  The first movie was oh my goodness, amazing, super sad ending though but very very interesting, Jack Nicholson's eyebrows scare me though but he was sooo amazing! The second movie was nice, ehh, I do really like Barbra Streisand though :)
-I have been working on BILLIONS of scholarships, okay no, not really, but there are a lot (5).
-I have so much to do but I'm done with the FAFSA! (and my mom and I are done with our taxes!)
-I am looking forward to Spring Break so I can get so much stuff done. (5 MORE DAYSSS!)
-Anatomy and Acting are super interesting right now. Who would've thought that I would actually find Anatomy interesting haha.

*Interesting Amy fact no. 2: I love watching movies, all kinds, except for super racy ones.  I am always interested in watching new/old movies that are amazing and/or funny [suggestions are welcome :) ]*

Please keep praying guys! Thanks for reading.

Deja Vu

Okay so these past eight days have been not so amazing at all. (If that makes sense)
I am not a person that deals well with death, I don't think anyone does really, but I am the kind of person that is really scared of it and hates it.  I know it probably sounds weird, but I hate it. My friend's dad passed away this past weekend and it has seriously affected me, I wish I could help her and I tell her if she needs anything, I am here for her, but it makes me so angry sometimes, I mean, she does not deserve this.  I just hope and pray that she will be okay.  Another thing, on fridays I have choir at noon, and this past friday I heard four ambulances in the course of less than four hours and it made me sad.  I wish I could help people and I wish there was less pain in the world.  (As cheesy as that sounds) This past weekend my mom and I watched two movies on demand: Life as WE Know it (in my last blog post I put Life as I Know It, that was wrong) anyway, Life As We Know It with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel and it was a really sweet movie and You Again with Jamie Lee Curtis and Kristen Bell and it was nice.  I guess I usually turn to movies and television to get distracted.  ( I recommend watching Life As We Know It, it's really worth it)

I found this online and I liked it.

These past eight days, like I said, have been pretty sucky. I don't want to sound emo or anything like that, but it feels like I've cried everyday.  I am working on thinking positively but it's hard, that is part of the reason why I have not blogged in over a week, I just didn't feel like bringing others down.  I was doing a bit better today until I got some other news.

I mentioned a while ago, that my aunt was going to have a lung biopsy because they were mostly sure it wasn't cancer, but today we found out that it is.  They looked at her lung today, during the surgery of course, and it's cancer.  This was seriously like a deja vu for me.  I mean except for the fact that my uncle told my mom and I and that my mom and I were at home.  It just sucks you know? I mean, it's not like it's genetic or anything because my aunt and my mom aren't even related.  I just hate it.  Then, we found out that it is most likely Stage I which means that it was caught early but it doesn't make it make me feel much better.  I feel like these eight days have been a ginormous nightmare and that I just need to wake up, but obviously I am awake because I am typing this.  Then I start thinking, it's my aunt, you know, not some wimpy little person, so I pray that she'll okay.  My mom and I talked on the phone with her today and she sounded good (she was on pain medication).  Even as I am writing this blog, it still has not hit me (the sucky events that happened these eight days).

My mom is doing okay, so so.  I feel like she is doing better than in the last chemo she got, so we are praying that everything stays okay.

Please pray for my mom and my aunt and my friend.  Thank you.

Long time no see?

So yeah this past week was superr crazy.  Here's a brief summary, in list form:
-My mom had chemo this past thursday. It wasn't too hard on her.  It was kind of nice because we both took naps there.  There were plenty of chemo chairs empty so I sat on one of them.  It was (as weird as this sounds) a nice little bonding moment.  I just hate the situation, you know?
-My mom isn't feeling too well now, well it kind of goes up and down, the roller coaster thing again.

Yeah, I know. :)

-I don't know if I mentioned this or not but like two weeks ago I found out I got this scholarship from an online magazine! Yey!! Well, anyway, I just found out today that I got this other scholarship too!!! :) Oooh and I get to go, along with my mom, to the ceremony!!!
-I got a 98 on my Anatomy Lab :)
-I am starting to get my classes ready for the next semester
-My mood has been all over the place, it's weird, I get superr excited when something good happens (like the scholarship stuff) but then I get superrr upset when I see my mom in pain.
-Oh that reminds me, my mom has begun to use her "chemo hat", which means, bye bye hair.
-Acting is still super fun, I actually had to go see this one play for class and it was really nice.
-I have A LOT of stuff to do.  :(
-The job situation is still ehhh.
-Oh! Today was/is Valentine's Day!
I guess I'm doing okay.  I really want to see "Life as I know It" with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel (on Demand)

Anyway, please keep praying for my momma.  Thank you.

Almost there!

Okay so today my mom got her clam-like cast-ish thing off her upper arm!!!!! WHOOPEEE! She was super duper excited, as was I.  So she drove a little bit for the first time in over two months! It was good.  While we were at the ortho oncologist's office we saw a girl, about 10 years old, coming out of the inside part of the office with crutches.  She started lifting her right pant leg up because it was too long and I noticed that she had her lower leg bandaged and didn't have a foot.  Honestly, it made me sad because she is such a young girl, she came out saying "Thank you Dr. Williams!" with a bright smile on her face and it just tightened my heart.  She has a good spirit and that is amazing, I pray that she will be okay.  (She had gotten some kind of infection or something like that).  She is such a strong girl.

I am starting to become very very very overwhelmed with my media projects because I don't have a Mac computer and it's basically all we use in my major.  It's crazy, but I'm so proud of myself for finding ways to work around this issue.  I downloaded this music converter thingy ALL BY MYSELF (and it works too!) after all this work of searching for the right program to solve this issue.  I know this probably sounds weird and maybe conceited but I am still pretty proud.  Oh also, the picture to my right is of a Mr. Pricklepants stuffed animal, it made me smile :]  I love Toy Story 3, it's an amazing movie!!!  Well, thanks again for reading and have a pleasant tomorrow! (I've been watching too much SNL-Weekend Update with Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon, haha)