Shower Thoughts...

Evening! :) How is everyone today? Going well?

 It's been a busy day down here! Doing school work, going to the library, running down to circus... Plus waiting for a friend to come and pick something up, but she was rude enough to not come at all, but I won't dwell on that for too long. :P

  Also finally got my book back from my friend. :P I'm currently feeling very protective of it, I got it for my birthday and then didn't see it for another six months. But it's back, and that's the main thing.

 Anyway, back to the main reason I'm making this post. I was having a shower the other day and kept thinking about something I saw on Facebook, which was something about putting blankets out for people who were homeless since it's been pretty cold in some of Australia this winter. For some reason that reminded me of something my family and I did last Christmas, where we gave a homeless person about $100+ (I forgotten how much it actually was XP).
 A few days later I started thinking about both of those things, because I was reminded by the fact that Christmas is only four months away and that I need to start preparing Christmas Carols to sing for busking. And it gave me an idea...

 You see, I feel that Christmas has lost it's spirit. Once, a long time ago, Christmas was about giving. Catching up with family. Connecting with people. These days, I feel that Christmas is just about how much companies can sell and how much people can buy. Everyone wants more and more. But that's not what Christmas is about.
 I think that I kind of realised this back in 2010, at Christmas time. I remember walking through the Mall on Christmas Eve, doing some last minute shopping, when we were surrounded by a group of thirty or so office workers. They gave us $350, and explained that every Christmas they get together, chip in some money and give it to someone who looks like they could do with a bit of cheer. And then they just kinda vanished back into the crowd, leaving my parents, brothers and I standing where we were, utterly surprised and shocked. I will never forget that day.

 So, this Christmas, I've decided that I want to re-introduce the Christmas Spirit. Once a week or more, starting in November, I'm going to do good deeds, whether it be helping someone carry their shopping, smiling at a person, giving compliments, etc. At the moment I'm putting money aside to give to some the week before Christmas.
 All my blog posts when I'm doing this will be called "Spreading Christmas Spirit: ______" So if you see one of them it'll be telling what I've done for that week to spread the spirit of Christmas. And feel free to join me in doing this. Whether you're a blogger, facebooker, youtuber, or user of any other type of social media, you can encourage others to do the same. :)

Official hashtags for the task will be: #SpreadingChristmasSpirit #SpreadingChristmasSpirit2015 

 It doesn't matter how big or small your deed is - you could give a homeless person blankets to stay warm, or hand out little cards to people with compliments written in them. 

 See you all soon, and have a great weekend!
Spinj xoxo

Youtube Video

Good evening! :D How are all you this fine, cold day? :P

So I meant to post this yesterday, but everything went out the window and I didn't end up doing it. XD And I would've done it earlier today, but I've been at WAAPA all day, and I only got back home a few hours ago. :P

 So my friend and I are not going to make a joint Youtube Channel, which is rather disappointing. However, we are going to make videos, and post them on my channel. We actually made a mini movie video thing, which was Leilani mucking around giving me directions. We edited it as best we could, we couldn't cut out her voice from the video, so that was disappointing, but we still made a cool video in the end.

 We'll be making more, and will (hopefully...) improve our editing skills in the process. XD We might be making another one soon, about a time travelling girl... ;P

Yeah, so I hoped you liked the video, if you did please like it and subscribe to my channel!
 Love ya guys, stay safe, and I'll be back soon with another post.
Spinj xoxo

Music Monday + Rant

 Hallo everyone! :3 How's school going? I'm using my lunch break to write this. It's been fun so far, started planning what I'll do for science (I have to record the weather and show it in a graph).

 So, it's Music Monday! I actually wasn't going to post anything, but I remembered a video that I quite like. It has some swearing in it, so it's probably not advisable to watch if you're under 13, but it's very good. I remembered it because I'm learning about more Chords in music, and I am always surprised at how unimaginative people are when making new songs. You'll see what I mean...

 Like, c'mon, why must [some] pop songs use the same chords?! 
 
 And I have another rant, inspired by my "Why I Want To Do Performing" post. And today seems a fitting day to do it.

 Some people think that being a musician is really easy. All you have to do is listen to some pop songs, sing them as best you can, and go onto the X Factor or something like that if you think you're good enough. And if you win? Instant fame and a career as a famous musician.
 However, most people don't seem to realise just how much hard work is put into becoming a musician. We spend hours each day, doing warm ups, practising repertoire, finding new songs to play. We spend years practising to become good enough to get work.

 Not only do we spend years perfecting our art, we also spend thousands of dollars on equipment, lessons, etc. We try to get the best coaches, he best instruments, the best equipment, and the best servicing groups as we'll have the best experiences learning, and then we'll have good equipment for life.
 One thing that especially bugs me is the way people react when you tell them how much it'll cost to get you to perform for them. I was hired to sing at a wedding at the beginning of the year, and when I told the lady how much it would be, I could literally hear all the excitement from her voice disappear in a flash when she said "oh, right". I'm not just singing a song. I have to practice the song that you requested, travel out to the location, find the equipment I need, etc.

 I've done unpaid work, but I intentionally volunteered each time to do it. The two shows I've been in recently were for the Gilbert and Sullivan Society, which is a not-for-profit group, and I knew that I wouldn't be getting paid, but it would give me experience which I need at the moment. But once I'm doing this professionally that will change.
 And the people telling me to go on talent shows. Yes, it's nice you think that I would go really well in it, and it's great that you'd vote for me if I went on, but first of all, why not just support me by paying me properly or giving my a few coins when I'm busking, and secondly, those talent shows aren't there for the musicians, they're there for themselves. So while it's nice, I think I'll pass.

 OK, rant over. Hope that gave you something to think about...

 I'd better get back to school. See ya, and stay safe,
Spinj

Omg it's cold....

 Argh, it's so cold. I think I'm going to start freezing. ;~; Well, actually, it's not that cold, its only 11 degrees outside, but I had a shower last night and I now have a cold neck. :P

 I've been pretty busy at the moment. I was sick for a few weeks, so I didn't get as much of my stuff down as I could have. I've been doing extra singing and music work to catch up on where I'm meant to be.

 I had a singing lesson on Friday, and it was loads of fun. I've started learning two new songs - one in English, the other in Italian. The Italian one has been a little hard to practice, because I can't speak Italian, but I'm working on it. xD
 My coach is also going to help me get a few more gigs, and she said that the next time that the WA Opera need kids for a show that she'll put my name down as a suggestion. Whoop!

 I haven't heard back anything yet about whether or not I've been shortlisted for an audition for "Breath", but I was talking to a friend who works in the filming industry and she said that there's a good chance I'll get cast in it, as I've got the right look for the film. So fingers crossed!

(^^ that picture is so freaking awesome!!!)

 Demon Road comes out soon, and I'm so excited! Derek Landy is such an awesome author, and he creates some really badass girl characters, so I have high expectations for this book. xD I've requested the book from my local library, and I'll be the first to get it when it comes in. :3 It's gonna be awesome. X3

 One of my friends and I might be starting a Youtube Channel, where we'll post up some cute and some crazy videos. It's because She wants to be a film director, and I want to be an actor, so we figured we should come together and make some stuff up ourselves. It's gonna be fun. And we're catching up on Tuesday, so I'll let you know what the plan is on Wednesday! ;)

 I'm having fun writing Guardian Angel at the moment! I'm at 30,000 words, and I'm feeling very proud of it so far. I made a cover (which is above ^^) which isn't too great, but it's also not the 'final' one. XD
 My friends are saying that I'm killing off too many characters in the story, but it's set in a revolution, so there are going to be casualties. And if you want too many deaths, go read the Game of Throne series by George Martin. XD
 Yeah, so, I'm hoping to get this book published, but first off I have to finish writing it and see if it's any good. So yeah, that's been going along nicely in it's own way, but I've ran out of notebooks again... ;~;

 Speaking off books, I lent "The Name of the Wind" to my friend at the beginning of the year. And now she's decided to stop talking to me. She had better give me back mah book or hell's gonna break loose. That book was a birthday present.

 Well, I had better sign off now, I got stuff to do... like getting that book back. Be good guys, and I'll see you soon.
 Spinj xoxo

Why I want to do Performing

Ok, I really need to get this off my chest, so I'll do it here.

 The most common things people say to me when I tell them that I want to be a Singer/Actor/Performer is either "You must be talented" or "Are you doing that because they're well paid?".
 To the first one, I normally say "I suppose so" or something along those lines, because I have no idea if I'm actually as talented as I'd like to think I am. That said, if I was that talented, I'd probably be semi famous right now. So probably not.
 To the second, no, I'm not doing it for the money. In fact, I always thought that being a performer would be one of the worst paid jobs.

 I wanted to be a performer in late 2010. I had finished performing in Hansel and Gretel, and I had loved rehearsing, going to Wardrobe for costume fittings, and then performing on stage for the audience. It was a rewarding experience. I learnt new skills, and I gave pleasure to the people watching, as I had helped bring the Opera to life along with my twenty or so friends in the Children's chorus. And when the Opera was over I decided I wanted to be a performer.

  Many people assume that the reason I'm doing it is because I like the attention. And I do like the attention. But the actual reason is because I enjoy bringing the Character/Story to life. There is nothing like reading a book, loving a character/characters and the plot and what not, and then seeing it become a great Movie, or a Musical. It is so thrilling.
 Also, you have to think about how to actually bring the character to life. Find out as much as you can about them. Wonder how you can copy that without making it look like you're acting but also without looking like you're just say lines.
 I like a challenge. If I didn't think that I was going to be challenged that much, then I probably would've just stayed with my original idea of being an author.

So no, I'm not doing for the money. I'm doing it because I enjoy bringing characters and stories to life.

From Sunday to Thursday

Morning everyone! :D How are you all this fine day? :3

First of all, I won't be writing down everything that happened, just want to tell you guys a few things that have happened/are happening. :3

 So on Sunday I went to the WA museum to look at the Remember Me: The Lost Diggers of Vignacourt exhibition. I didn't really want to go, but I went (I was glad about going in the end though).
 There were lots of old photos, all mainly of Australians, of before they went back to fighting. The photos were all from the "Lost Collection", and one could tell if a photo was from the collection because of the backdrop used in the photo.
 The photos were fascinating, but it was rather sad to look at them and realize that many of the people in the photos would die in battle and never come home. There were quotes from letters and diaries around too, my favourite of which was this one:

It's so sad... :'(

They also had a replica of the original backdrop, and I got to have a photo against it.  I had the choice of dressing as a nurse or a soldier, and being me, I went with the soldier. xD My dad even took the photo in sepia, so the photo looks slightly old fashioned!

 Yesterday I had my first Musicianship lesson for the year, and it was pretty good. The class was smaller than it used to be before I left, but it was the first day of term, so maybe not everyone had turned up. We did rhythms, and had to tap one rhythm on the floor with one had and the other with the other hand. It got pretty confusing pretty quickly!
 Before I went to my class though I went to the library to borrow some stuff (mainly books for school, but also the Kane Chronicles) and ended up with a free notebook, bubbles, and found out how the loaning system used to be. It was pretty complicated.
 So you filled in a form, and would be given four "tickets" - two green (for fiction books, I think) and two yellow (for non-fiction). And... I remember the rest, but I don't know how to explain it... and I call myself a writer XD

 And on Monday I sent in an application for a role in a movie called "Breath", which is going to be directed by Simon Baker, and it's based off the book written by Tim Winton. I haven't heard back yet, but hopefully I'll be shortlisted for an audition. I'll keep you all updated! Who knows, maybe Spinj will become a movie star! :P
 The funny thing is that I'm not interested in the fame side that much. I'm actually more excited about the experience that the would provide. I've been on set for a film for about four hours before, but I could be on site for the movie for a few months, depending on how main the role is. Also I'll make some new friends! I could do with some friends who have the same interests as me.

 I should probably go, as I have another 1,000+ words to write for Guardian Angel (for Camp Nanowrimo). I'm also planning on getting it published, so that I'll have a bit of an income when I'm at Uni.  Here's an excerpt:

Like it? :3
 Also, we have some friends coming over to our house soon, so I'd better go. XD Be good, stay safe, love you,
Spinj xoxo

Music Monday Again

Hello everyone! How are you since I saw you all yesterday? :P

 It's Music Monday. Again. Yeah, sure, I don't write that many Music Monday posts, but I only have so many favourites!! Plus I feel as if I have to do the whole Music Monday thing because I run a blog. Or maybe it's an excuse to go on the computer more. I really don't know any more xD
 But yeah, for me it goes: Music Monday, Tune Tuesday, Writing Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, Flashback Friday, and the the Wonderful Weekend (well, the weekend one isn't really one, and MMon and TTues are practically the same thing, as are TTurs and FFri. But whatever. Who cares? :P).

Anyway, I'll give you two songs for today. First is... The Salley Gardens!
 It's an Irish song, arranged by Benjamin Britten for an orchestra. I only learnt it recently, and sung it yesterday at my audition. Unfortunately I couldn't find a recording of it that I liked on youtube, so no video for this one! D:

 Next is... aw, can't pick - The Last Goodbye, sung by Billy Boyd. It's a very sad, but sweet and wistful, song from the last of the three Hobbit movies. It's definitely a song that get's right into the feels...

 Well, those are my two songs for today! I hope you liked them, and I might be back again on Wednesday... with writing tips xD

 Stay well my friends!
 Spinj xoxo