Life in Dulwich

Oh man, talk about being worked like a dog. Although, I've never seen any dogs working particularly hard, so times have obviously changed since that saying came about.

We're right in the thick of end-of-year type things - Christmas hoohah, budgets, range planning and stuff plus all the normal day-to-day meetings, travel, getting offices refurbed and so forth. I'm going to fall down dead soon. All they'll find is a little skeleton in my office where I've disappeared behind a pile of packaging, samples and leftovers from lunch meetings.

Also had to run out of the office in the middle of everything to do a casting for some new ITV show which revolves around a bunch of celebrities (doesn't everything these days) being a jury for a mock murder trial. I went up to play a forensic scientist specialising in DNA profiling. The audition consisted of improvising around the case as outlined in the breakdown. Went well, but bloody hell! I had back story and everything, but they didn't delve that deep. Thank God.

Met my mate, A, for dinner about an hour and a half late as I couldn't get away from the office. We ate at this small tapas place called El Dorado near Vauxhall which I keep seeing from the 185 bus on Kennington Lane just before it turns towards the Oval. I think it might be South American. The food was really very good. We had Spanish sausage with fabadas (beans), grilled marinaded pork, some prawns in white wine and garlic, patatas bravas, beef with crispy fried green plantain, salad and rice. With drinks it all came to a modest £17.00 each including tip. I shall be trying to drum up some business for them in future as it was almost empty. Very strange, as the service was excellent and the food delicious. Perhaps, the restaurant lacked a little in ambience but it was perfectly pleasant in every way.

Labels: acting, food, restaurants, work

I auditioned for and successfully (though some may say otherwise) won a job playing a Cambodian gardener for a charity documentary thing about holocausts. I will be travelling to the shoot in Bristol by National Express coach. It's been a long time since I've been on a coach and am looking forward to the travel sickness that has always accompanied such travel. Hurray!

Yesterday I audtioned for and most likely haven't got the part of a printer (yes, a printer!) in a commercial for a large but highly secretive software company starting with the letter A. Had to sign loads of confidentiality agreements and stuff. I care not a jot. They can sue me for all my puny assets - I have none that they would even notice seeing as their CEO must earn more than I own in an hour.

Labels: acting

At the audition, as suspected, it turns out the part is tiny, only Chinese-speaking (and not much of that) and only appears in one scene. They didn't have a script and just told us the plotline. Then came the killer question, "Are you interested in doing the part?" And, honestly, I said, "No..." (with a lot of other spiel as well). They seemed not too displeased about it and said that I wasn't the only one. However, they did say that if it transfers to the West End they might recast - so, fingers crossed, I may get to do it after all.

On another note, I see that there is a swish, massive indoor climbing centre in One Utama called Camp 5. That's exciting. They do courses and everything. Must mosey on down there next time I'm home.

Am starting preparations for cooking dinner on Saturday night for BB's friends, but I've lost my rendang recipe....! Aaargh....! All I know is that it involves copious amounts of dried chillies, lemongrass, shallots, galangal, coconut milk and grated coconut, turmeric and meat. Quantities be darned.

Labels: acting, food, Malaysia

So, I have an audition for a play. My first in about a year. Typical.

It rehearses and starts in Windsor, tours for a bit and then goes into the West End. Just in time to put paid to my nice stable PA job. BB says not to worry about it till I get offered the job but can't help it.

My agent said it was for the part of Mai-lei woman. Why can't anyone pronounce Malay around here? After all, they manage to pronounce Malaysia alright.

Anyway, not a brilliant part I'm thinking. Still, I guess I should just go for the audition.

The other thing is they're looking for someone in their forties. I have trouble scraping up enough years to look mid-thirties in my castings, let alone forty. My agent is on another planet.

Labels: acting

Am sitting forlornly in the office at ten minutes to seven which I know pales in comparison to my sister blister. However, I am only a temp and a PA so am not usually required to work long hours as am paid by the hour. I think they've forgotten me, as I'm waiting for them to come out with a chart of exciting figures to plough into a spreadsheet for tomorrow's big board meeting and there's no sign of that happening in the near future.

Sigh...

My gym and dinner plans have been foiled. I was going to get our favourite siew yook dinner from Chinatown as it's but a stone's throw from the gym. Now, I'm miles from Chinatown, starving and a bit disgruntled.

Had a casting for Little Britain which went well but I don't think I've got the job. Neither have I heard from the PC game voiceover that the casting director assured me I had in the bag. Pah. I need a new agent. It's not her fault I haven't got the jobs, but I could sure do with a heck of a lot more castings.

Labels: acting, work

Back from Helsinki. And what a whirlwind 4 days it was. We worked till 20:30 the first night, which was the early night, after getting off the plane (we left at 07:30 in the morning). Then the next two days we finished at 22:00 and 23:45. The structure and stories we were telling changed every two minutes and even between the two performances yesterday (which were 15 minutes apart) we were making additions and alterations. Certainly keeps you on our toes. But it all went well and all the bigwigs were happy apparently.

Security was very tight and we weren't even allowed to use wireless mikes in case someone on a ship in the harbour picked up the content of the presentations/show.

Helsinki was interesting - it has a very Eastern European feel about it. It certainly didn't seem to be a late night party city. We went in search of food on Monday night at 02:30 and could only find a McDonalds open. They wouldn't sell us chicken nuggets as it was past 23:00, so we had burgers and chips. Very strange.

Meals consisted mainly of open sandwiches, although on the first night we had a proper dinner in which I had boletus, reindeer, lambchops and sea buckthorn and birch wrack pie (dessert). There was also lots of snatched takeaway food. Surprisingly, the Chinese and Thai food was pretty good.

Alcohol was hideously expensive - upward of 7 Euros for a pint.

All in all it was a very interesting experience and a shame we didn't see much more of Helsinki than quick 10 minutes rides in the taxi back and forth from rehearsals. Maybe there'll be a next time.

Learnt eight words of Suomi, but can't spell them - so excuse the spelling. Hei for Hello, ei for no, kylla for yes, hyva for good, kitos for thank you, ulos for out/exit and the all important, yhtaus ihmseen for connecting people.

Labels: acting, language, travel

My, how time flies when you can't be bothered to blog.

Did absolutely NOTHING over Easter. Slept A LOT. Then got a sore throat - either as a result of oversleeping or was the cause of oversleeping.

Rehearsals yesterday proved to be incredibly difficult. None of us seemed to be able to pull the goods out of the bag for about 6 hours. By mid-afternoon things started moving but not before frustrating the heck out of our director. Now we're all panicked and are meeting up before the next bout of rehearsals as we only have THREE DAYS LEFT. Eek.

Went to work today to find that almost no packing has been done before our move tomorrow. Honestly - you don't go to work for two days and it seems like no one else has bothered to turn up either. Though E and M-A had packed the filing. Well, today I packed 8 crates of stationery, 2 crates of my own stuff and labelled almost everything else that wasn't pinned down. Still heaps to go though and have actual work to do as well.

BB is off to sunny Madrid with his office tomorrow. Wish I was going. Sigh.

Labels: acting, work

The Nintendo audition was most odd. We went in to the room in groups of three and one of the guys we were with had to wear reflective sunglasses because he had sensitive eyes. So they told him that probably wouldn't work and he left. Then, they got the other guy to do some breakdancing, mime taking fragile objects out of a suitcase and put them into a box really fast while looking angry/happy on command. Then he had to pretend to be various objects/animals in quick succession on command ie be a banana, a kiwi fruit, a giraffe, an egg etc.

Then all I had to do was stand very straight and take very small steps sideways quickly. On the director's clap, I had to take a big step and then resume small steps. Then I had to look angry/happy on command. That was it.

Either I dazzled them with my CV and they didn't need to see much, or they weren't interested and had to give me something to do just so I wouldn't feel entirely unwanted. Only time will tell...

Went to the Candy Bar (a lesbian bar) for E's birthday drinks last night. It was just like any slightly grungy bar. One of the blokes at work (who is straight) pulled - but not in a good way. He left soon after.

Labels: acting

I have just had possibly three of the most fulfilling days I've ever had in my whole acting life. It was very hard work - total concentration for 9 hours each day with just 20 mins for lunch and a couple of quick toilet breaks. But, as I thought at the audition, the director is very, very good. It was like being paid to do a masterclass AND we get to travel as well. We're very lucky, lucky people.

The other actors are a good bunch and am looking forward to working with them again in Helsinki. It's going to be frightening because there will be no scripts at all. Just improvisation around various situations we've thought up. Eeek. But we will rise to the challenge - which is to leave them wanting more!

Back at work again. But I have a casting for Nintendo, so that should be fun. I think I have to be a Japanese warrior of some description.

Everyone at work is ill. M-A has stomach ulcers and E can't sleep and has mouth ulcers. I hope I get more acting work and can leave.

Labels: acting, work

Hurray! I'm going to Helsinki! And Singapore and New York! I'm so excited. The audition was a four hour workshop in which we had to introduce ourselves (not necessarily by talking), start improvising with people while they were introducing themselves, dance, choreograph, improvise other things, sing, examine tension, spatial dynamic, blah, blah, blah... The director was very intelligent, coherent, funny and we had fun.

And then I got the job!

Then my muscles ached for the rest of the day. This whole jumping around for 4 hours is more tiring than I remember it.

Afterwards I walked to BB's office and had mixed meze at a Turkish restaurant with BB and colleagues. Then work. Then gym. Then dinner with friends at a pan-Asian restaurant called Katana - some dishes good, some hit and miss. Lychee creme brulée deserves a mention though.

Anyway, now I'm pooped. Busy weekend ahead also, what with meeting with A for lunch (who is going through some mental psychosis) and then BB's friend, M, is coming to stay for a week (so have to tidy up to an acceptable level of order).

Labels: acting, restaurants

I have an audition for a corporate play/show coming up. The company is a consultancy that's doing work for my company. Maybe I can get the consultants we're working with to put in a good word. It sounds quite fun - a French director is involved and for the audition they require impro skills, physical/dancing skills, strong singing, comedy skills and lots of experience. Not much then. The best bit is that it will be performed in Helsinki and, possibly, Singapore and New York. I love being paid to travel and act.

Ate 3 Tunnocks caramel wafers today. Just a few months ago, I had no idea what one was, but now I do, I don't know how I managed without before.

Don't know what was wrong with me in dance class today but I just couldn't get the routine. I knew the steps, but they just wouldn't come out in time for the music. Very strange. Maybe it's the onset of Alzheimer's. Not that I'm alarmist or anything.

We've found out the specific strain of BB's recent affliction. It's suspected Henoch Schoenlein purpura but biopsy results don't come for a week. There are truly horrible pictures of pustules caused by said purpura on the John Hopkins site about vasculitis. Fortunately, BB's was nothing as bad as that or he'd have had to sleep in a plastic bag to stop weeping on the sheets.

Labels: acting, dance, food

Did some voice work for the BBC on Thursday. Boy, they really don't pay that well. It was for a dramatisation of the Krakatoa disaster playing various Indonesian villagers, Chinese coolies, Dutch plantation owners and so forth. Apparently the Dutch speak in received pronunciation. Actually, it's quite difficult to tell them all apart when you're mainly screaming, wailing and crying. Fun way to spend a morning though. They had someone at the casting who was supposed to be the Malay expert but apart from her actually being Malay, she wasn't much more expert than the rest of us. We were all scuppered when they asked us to say things like 'clear the poopdeck', 'batten down the ropes', 'get up on the wheelhouse' etc. Mostly, it was all 'lari!', 'tolong!', 'ayuh!', 'cepat!' and 'apa terjadi?' from us.

Met a mate from days gone by who had just been for a casting for an Eskimo. Darn, I thought I had the market for Eskimos sewn up. Thought of striding into the casting but as she said she had to snog a perfect stranger, I passed on by.

There was an excellent dramatisation of the downfall of Berlin in Hitler's bunker on telly the other night. It was about 4 hours long and all in German with subtitles. I hope they bring it out on DVD. The actors were excellent - particularly, Hitler, Speer and Goebbels' wife. They were all really completely insane. I learnt the words for 'committed suicide' and 'we will not surrender' in German.

Finally, tried out the restaurant W'Sens last night. Only went for a drink amd a light snack. It's run by the Pourcel brothers who run several Michelin starred establishments in France, although I believe W'Sens has yet to get one despite being open for a while. Might be wrong. Still, the light snack was very good. My selection of amuse bouche was a rare beef teriyaki, squid satay in some kind of a sauce, an artichoke with figs and pesto. All enjoyable and amused my bouche greatly - the beef was particularly tasty and very tender. The others had foie gras, aubergine tempura and the artichoke. Unfortunately, for a Michelin star aspirant (which I guess they must be), they were rather let down by their service - often the case I feel. The staff kept moving furniture around which meant we kept having to get up and shift our chairs which eventually resulted in P knocking his glass of wine over. They also didn't bring us any cutlery or napkins despite the snacks not being finger food, forgot what drinks we had ordered (despite having written them down) and so forth. Ah well. Maybe I'm just harsh.

Labels: acting, food, restaurants, television

Well, surprise, surprise... I did get called for the Billy Elliot audition after all. Fortunately, I had the foresight to bring some sheet music into work with me, but no make-up. Had to dash to the gym to practice singing in the studio and then bummed make-up off everyone in the department. The office is a surprisingly make-up free zone. Put on a motley range of green eyeliner, blue eyeshadow and rouge with lip salve for lipstick.

Arrived at the audition to find I was in competition with about 4 Kims and 3 Gigis from Miss Saigon. What was I doing there? I don't know. The only consolation is that I was the only who was actually Chinese and could do a passable Northern (of non-specific area) accent.

Still, I feel actually being able to sing might count for more. The casting director was very nice and said 'Well done... no, really well done'. She said it was nice to see me again as she hadn't seen me for so long. I thought - well, that's because you cast musicals mainly and I can't sing. Anyhow, I didn't disgrace myself and left with dignity replete.

Work was duller than a dull thing in dull land Arizona. I wish I was starting in Billy Elliot tomorrow. Sigh....

On the bus home today, the lady bus driver's voice came over on the tannoy asking, "...the person playing music loudly on their headphones so that it annoys everyone on the bus to please turn it off." She then said, "Or if you're sitting next to the person, please tap them on the shoulder and tell them." It was very gratifying, although a tad big brotherish. She was ignored, of course.

Labels: acting, London

Back from Cologne. It's not that beautiful a city. The Dom is very large and imposing but also black and semi-coated in scaffolding - as many cathedral buildings seem to be these days.

Still impressed by all things Germanic - everything runs on time - even the buses during rush hour, when you go to eat a bog standard cheap place you get far more than you bargained for and it's just all efficient and well thought out - and still cheaper than London.

Filming consisted of sitting round for 5 hours (unsurprisingly) and then 45 mins on set. They were very apologetic, as though having to hang around for hours is not the norm when shooting something. At least I had my own room and lots to eat. I brought the Times (for the crossword and Sudoku), Glamour magazine and crisps, water and chocolate brownies. After filming, the director gave a big spiel about how he had come to London to audition me and the part was much bigger and was cut (I didn't know that), and how he was really grateful that I had decided to do the part anyway as I was such a fantastic actress and how the crew had been very noisy and rowdy until I came on set, blah, blah, blah... and then I had to stand there while everyone applauded. I didn't know what to do except look like I wanted to sink threw the floor. It's all very strange.

On my day off before my flight back to Blighty, I went to the Claudius Therme and hung out with naked Germans. It's all very civilised with no nasty bods leering. Lots of hot mineral baths with water massage jets and was very relaxing. However, the baths were almost impossible to get to. I looked at the map and it looked like the best place to get off the U-Bahn was the Koeln Messe. But you can't actually cross the railway bridge there, so I had to walk right round back past the Messe and then all the way along a very deserted looking park (Rheinpark) by the river to get there. Was not unlike looking for the holy grail. Anyway, turns out there's a bus from Deutzbahnhof/Messe so fortunately didn't have to walk on the way back.

Whilst in Germany I had sausages, sauerkraut and kartoffelpuree with suess senf and Koelsch and a very good Japanese tonkatsu that came with rice and two vegetable side dishes of green beans and cabbage salad, with crispy tofu and green tea. I also bought some bargain boots for Euro 45. I was most chuffed - although the shop only took cash. If I had room in my bag I would have bought more shoes. Also, went to Starbucks as it was the only place open late and the cheesecake was not like the cheesecake what you get in London. It was very good and probably German. There was a mouse under a pouffe at the next table but I left it in peace.

At the moment am cooking sausage, cabbage, potato and chickpea soup for dinner (the sausage hot off the plane from Germany).

My agent called to see if I was interested in being in Billy Eliot - starting rehearsal tomorrow. Two drawbacks - I have to have a Northern accent and sing. Haven't heard back from them unsurprisingly.

Labels: acting, food, spas, transport

Haven't written for ages as life actually became too interesting and had to go and live it. My boss resigned and then left 3 days after the official announcement. We kind of knew it was going to happen but didn't realise things would suddenly just escalate the way they did. It was pretty sad as she's just about the only real long-term boss I've had all my life. It was all hush hush and then suddenly a mad scramble to tell all the right people and make sure all her stuff was packed and all the things that you have to do when ordinarily you think you have a month to leave, when you actually only have three days. Now, we're all in limbo wondering what's going to happen to us.

In the meantime, I got the docu-drama job for Discovery channel and am suddenly off to Germany in a week's time to film in Cologne. Also had an audition for the Leicester Haymarket but probably blew the job by saying that I thought I was too old for the part and that all the characters in the play were just foils for the main character to bounce off and weren't really interesting in their own right. Perhaps honesty is not always the best policy.

Also have to prepare a tape for a top secret new children's programme that needs voices for the characters. Then, my temp agency calls up and asked if I would like to go work for some other company in the same field, for more money. They're going to find out if they'll let me carry on going to auditions and stuff and, if so, then I'm off.

All in all, I can't complain. About to embark on a weekend of celebratory meals for Chinese New Year and that's very good too. Have my Chinese snacks, cherry blossom and decorations and might even tidy up too.

Labels: acting, festivals, work

My agent has resurfaced mysteriously and is full of hot air about how they thought they'd paid me ages ago and how they haven't answered their phone for 3 weeks because they are in the middle of moving and how the cheque will be in the post by end of the week. I'm not holding my breath. I am encouraged by the fact that I've managed to call them two times in a row though.

Have just got a voicereel edited together and it sounds alright. Now all I need is someone decent to flog my wares, so to speak.

Am very happy because I have managed to track down that dress I wanted. Hurrah! The shop that was holding it for me rang up to see if they could sell it to someone else. Are they mad? After hounding the manufacturer in Denmark, the UK distributor and every single shop that might sell the dress in the UK - they want to give away my dress? Sheesh. Not that I'm obssessive or anything.

Labels: acting, shopping

My worst fears have been realised regarding my voiceover agent. They have absconded with £500 of my money without a trace. Equity doesn't know what has happened with them but just that they know they were in trouble. Thanks for letting your members know!

So now have to try and obtain a copy of the contract from the company that I did the work for, so I can work out how much more they owe me. Sigh....

Labels: acting

I saw Jonathan Ross outside the office getting into his car! He waved and everything!

I have a horrible suspicion that the agent through which I did a voiceover earlier this year has gone out of business. I am therefore out of pocket and extremely p**d off. Hopefully they hadn't got the money from the company that I did the work for yet. Why is life so complicated?

Labels: acting, celebrity

...is how I'm feeling at the moment. I can't go to the gym because of ailing ankle, I'm fed up of work which is so boring I keep dribbling on my keyboard, I'm being recalled for a profit-share play which will do nothing for me or my career, I ache and am generally weary. And it keeps raining in the middle of blummin August. Can't wait for winter - should be a cracker.

Plus point is Malaysia Airlines has super cheap deal for next May. So, see you in May, family mine!

Labels: acting, work

Gee whiz! Glad to be home and just pottering about. Two weeks since I posted anything. Shows how I've esconced myself thoroughly back at work, temping at the old familiar places. It's also been a whirlwind of social activity - well mainly going out for post-work drinks for birthdays, leaving dos, barmitzvahs etc. (Well, not the last one).

Got an acting job at last - doing a voiceover for a new computer game. Just two hours work but pays pretty well. Hope it's a good game. I play a Chinese journalist with a strong HK accent (surprise, surprise).

Also, possibly, another voiceover in the pipeline for a company in Burbank, California. It's for a theme park on Lantau Island in Ngong Ping, which is going to be about Buddha and Buddhism. I'll be telling stories about his life and teachings. Hope I get it - should be fun. It'll probably be done by hook-up via ISDN, but it would be cool to go to California.

Nothing much to rant about. Have been trying to do Sudoku - the "new" puzzle craze that seems to have hit the UK. It's great! The interminable hour bus journey to and from work just whizzes by when my brain is being scrambled.

But boy am I am glad that today I'm not driving out to see cousin's extensions, hoiking halfway across London to birthday parties and forking out £15.00 to park in an NCP because they'd covered up all the Pay and Display machines and parking meters in town and so forth. Just dance class today. Hurray!

Labels: acting