Wednesday 12 March 2014

What in the World Am I Thankful For?




What In The World Do I Have To Be Thankful For?

Sometimes I think we take everything we personally enjoy for granted. I’m not talking about possessions – happiness can’t be counted in ‘things’ and money. I was thinking to myself the other night, what in the world am I thankful for? I came up with a ton of stuff! So here are 100 things I came up with that make life worth it even when I’m feeling down, disheartened or stressed; what I am thankful for, and what makes the world the best place to live. They’re in no particular order...

1)      My mum, dad, brothers, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.

2)      Acting

3)      Seeing a real traditional Isle of Wight native witness a really flamboyantly gay man.

4)      The word contrapuntal.

5)      Matthew McConaughey and everything he does.

6)      Sometimes my feet get ahead of themselves when I walk, and it makes me laugh.

7)      Men that love their mothers more than anybody else in the world.

8)      Chris O’Dowd’s face.

9)      Hearing the British public complain about the weather.

10)   When people use obscure song lyric references in everyday conversation.

11)   People laughing uncontrollably.

12)   Having a video player still.

13)   Hearing somebody whistle ‘Mysterious Girl’ by Peter Andre

14)   Marilyn Monroe

15)   Peaches, because they’re the best fruit – no arguments.

16)   Ranting.

17)   Seeing your words strike chords with people in a beautiful way.

18)   Paul McCartney’s eyebrows.

19)   Nature and knowing that I will never understand it all, but being able to appreciate its beauty.

20)   Having weird dreams.

21)   Blurry photographs that make your face look all stretched. They make me laugh so much.

22)   Making people jump.

23)   Making my dog jump.

24)   Old people enjoying something rude – like the old couple watching ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ next to us last week.

25)   My Mad Fat Diary.

26)   Dorky men with good bone structure.

27)   Steve Urkel.

28)   Doing Stewie and Lois impressions.

29)   Seeing people cooing over/playing with their baby in public.

30)   Walter Matthau in ‘Grumpy Old Men’

31)   Really bad jokes.

32)   When people make sitcom references and you get it.

33)   Spotting lookalikes and sound-alike’s.

34)   When American people are obsessed with Britain, our culture and British TV

35)   Adrian Edmonson and Rik Mayall’s existence.

36)   When a comedian makes a joke and you relate to it, instantly making it a billion times funnier.

37)   Bob Ross and his happy little trees – I don’t even paint; I just like to listen to him while I work.

38)   My skinny little spaniel, King Charles II.

39)   Shakespearean insults. Damn you a beef witted, gleeking bum bailey.

40)   The atmosphere at music festivals.

41)   Donating to charity and feeling good about it.

42)   Spotting innuendos in children’s shows – like this scene in ‘Rainbow’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgbcQIT7BMc

43)    Horrible Histories.

44)   Reading 50 Shades of Grey while drunk with your best friend. Best thing ever.

45)   Someone asking for directions and not knowing the way yourself.

46)   Spinning around in a flowing dress.

47)   Places with funny names.

48)   Looking through all of my old schoolwork and notes between my friends.

49)   Motivational speeches.

50)   Being as sarcastic as possible at any given moment.

51)   Going to the cinema and coming out when it’s really dark.

52)   The fact that Richard Osman looks like Fireman Sam.

53)   The banter between Xander and Richard on ‘Pointless’.

54)   Having long curly hair.

55)   Sparkling wine in the summer, sitting in the garden.

56)   Men who are openly feminist.

57)   Talking in a stupidly dramatic voice to make a point about something petty.

58)   Joan Baez’s guitar playing style.

59)   Singamajigs. I want one SO much.

60)   Aching for ages after a workout. You know you really hit it that day.

61)   Imagining the house you will have in the future, and where you’ll live.

62)   Doing the David Brent dance at any given moment.

63)   Having super long baths.

64)   Wearing clothes that have just come off of the radiator.

65)   Leaving champagne on your tongue so it fizzes.

66)   Pencil skirts.

67)   Crossing off the last thing on your to do list.

68)   Having lots of books to read throughout the summer break.

69)   Immature ‘69’ jokes.

70)   Being in absolute awe at an actor when they create a phenomenal performance – like Chiwetel Ejiofor in ‘12 Years a Slave’ or Jeremy Sheffield in ‘Hollyoaks’.

71)   Those Starburst Cake Bars you used to be able to buy and my memories of eating them on primary school trips to Osborne House.

72)   Smelling someone else’s dinner as you walk home to have yours.

73)   Wearing no bra under a sweater.

74)   Baking, in every sense.

75)   Inside jokes.

76)   When you say something at exactly the same time as your friend.

77)   Cluedo.

78)   Smelling cigarette smoke when someone else is smoking.

79)   Playing Slender while drinking.

80)   Lambs.

81)   When you smell your perfume on yourself and demand that the nearest person smell you.

82)   Knowing the Duke of Edinburgh exists.

83)   Jeremy Irons’ voice.

84)   When Daffodils make their first yearly appearance.

85)   When my dog’s been lying in the sun on my bed and his fur is super warm.

86)   Liza Minnelli.

87)   Looking out of the window at night to watch the sun go down.

88)   ‘Homer...sexual’ and other obscure Simpsons quotes/references.

89)   Knowing that everyone unanimously agrees that a cover version of The Beatles is never going to be as good as the original.

90)   That my best friend’s boyfriend knowing all the lyrics to ‘Wannabe’ by the Spice Girls and ‘Talulah’ from Bugsy Malone.

91)   Sharon Tate.

92)   Telling people why you admire them.

93)   The Hugh Hefner and his love of strawberry ice cream.

94)   The character Neely O’Hara from ‘Valley of the Dolls’.

95)   Receiving knitted gifts.

96)   Good old fashioned musicals.

97)   Yankee Candles.

98)   Wearing a dressing gown around the house on Sundays.

99)   Knowing that Viking helmets didn’t have horns, and other petty historical trivia that nobody cares about.
100) Hearing someone in Britain over-pronounce a French word.

Think of all the little things that you’re thankful for. What cheers you up when you’re feeling low? Make a list and practice positive thinking.

Love, Eloise.

@MissEloisabeth
 

Monday 10 March 2014

Universe, You've Done It Again Baby

So, I’m going to let you in on a little secret.

*Whispers* Sometimes, I set aside a little time in the day to devote to talking to people that perhaps aren’t on this planet anymore. I speak to my heroes; the people that inspire me that I’ll never get the chance to meet so that I can try to receive true guidance from them. I speak to Marilyn. I speak to Travis Alexander. I speak to George Harrison, Sharon Tate, John Lennon – anybody I admire for their abilities, strengths and insight.

This may sound weird, but bear with me. I experienced a few miracles recently in the face of what some would consider a pretty disheartening time.

February 20th, 2014.
I’m sitting in my bedroom late at night, panicking about the audition at Manchester Metropolitan University Theatre School that I have in 2 days time. I turn to my poster of Marilyn, those beautiful, childlike eyes watching me from her temporary place on the floor. I start to speak to her. I just talk to her about acting. I talk about Michael Chekhov; I ask her ephemeral questions I know I won’t get an answer to. Most importantly, I ask for her advice. I ask for her help with my acting, performance anxieties and to send any message or sign she can to let me know that someone is looking out for me and sending me some positive energy. I thanked her for what she did during her life and being such a huge inspiration to me and I turned out my light.
So, I set off the next day for Manchester, thinking I would be spending the coach journey finding it difficult to remember my lines – just like my Rose Bruford audition. Surprisingly, my lines ingrain themselves in my head quicker than I think I’ve ever learnt a 2 minute monologue in my life. I thought nothing of it, except that I was super glad my lines were learnt and somehow sorted for the next day.

Now, I didn’t think anything of my one sided conversation with Marilyn until after the audition – even after the dream I had at the hotel the night before the audition.

I went to sleep, and I had a dream about the house I lived in until I was about 2 years old, I think. It was in Sandown, Isle of Wight, and I lived with my Mum, Nanny and Granddad, and Round Nanny (Great Nan, to everyone else). I vividly remember, even 39 days later, that my Great Granddad was in the dream – a man I never met in life. This wasn’t incredibly remarkable – I mean, I’d seen a photograph or two of him before.

But, sat in Dominos after my audition, I told my Mum about my conversation with Marilyn, and my plea for her help and support. I told her about Great Granddad in my dream the night before. Out of the blue, she asked me what he was wearing. I said he was wearing a brown cardigan. Mum told me he used to wear that cardigan all the time, and I was later shown a photo of him wearing it. That was ‘ahaa...’ moment number 1. The second moment was when she was asking how he was standing. I vividly remember him standing at the edge of the room in the doorway – not intruding into the room. He was leaning on the doorframe. Mum told me this time that he used to lean all of the time due to his breathing difficulties. For me to see all of this in a dream, when I’ve never met the man before; I think that it was a sign that I had someone supporting me and sending me some positive energy.

But despite this positive vibe around me, I still had that thought in the back of my mind. I was still thinking ‘I got rejected from Rose Bruford, my first university audition. What if I get rejected from MMU too?’ I didn't think the audition went particularly badly; in fact I thought it went really well compared to Rose Bruford, where I messed up my lines. But that niggle just wouldn't shake...

You know what happened? Eureka, I got rejected again. This won't happen with LIPA this Sunday though, because of what I will go onto discuss.

Here comes Recent Miracle #2.

10th March, 2014.

Coming home from sixth form early, I decided to watch a documentary on Netflix. I’m studying them in Film Studies anyway, so I thought I could analyse the codes and conventions while I was at it. I scanned through the ones I had saved on my list, stopping on one called ‘The Secret’. It was about scientists and philosophers discussing this secret. You know what The Secret ended up being?

The Law of Attraction.

In the first ten minutes or so, they started discussing how if you dwell on the fact that you currently don’t have any money, that’s where you’re going to be stuck because the Law of Attraction states that the type of energy you send out comes back to you – in this case, your sending out of negative thoughts about your monetary situation will only come back at you negatively. Whereas, if you send out thoughts such as ‘money is on its way’, or if you can visualise yourself with a little more money as the end product of your nearest goal then the positive energy will help you on your way to finding the path to earning that money. You don’t have to worry about the method; imagine yourself at the end product and your life path will lead you in the direction to earn that money.

Now, I knew that my best friend Sophia was worried about money, and had been asking our very good, sadly absent friend, Travis Alexander for some positive energy due to her money problems. He had been through money problems during his life and come out successful at the end of it, so he was probably the best person to ask. I texted her, demanding she watch this documentary right now.

I didn’t expect her to be so overcome with inspiration, emotion and rapture towards this revelation I had just discovered.

After the documentary finished, I was doing some work and all of a sudden a message pops up on my phone. It read:

‘omg Eloise omg omg omg!!’ with a link. It was to Travis’ final speech – 24th April, 2008, just over a month before he was killed. We hadn’t seen this speech before, and by chance Sophia was YouTubing around. She was going to type in ‘Jodi Arias’, but backtracked and deleted it, searching instead for ‘Travis Alexander’. This speech we had not seen before was one of the first results she found, and so she sent it to me.
I started to watch it, and I was overcome with this profound emotion. I found myself nodding along to Travis’ words – he was just so charismatic, so fascinating and insightful. His words were striking such incredible chords with me and I was just so overwhelmed that I cried, I clapped along with the audience in my bedroom and I couldn’t stop smiling. It was beautiful. He also mentioned the documentary we had just watched that evening at the very end of the speech.

I wouldn’t have called this a Miracle if I hadn’t realised a little something...

The night before, I had stood at my window and spoken to Travis. I had thanked him for what he did with his life and how his words and ideas have inspired me. I apologised that I wouldn’t be able to read his *slim* book due to not having a kindle, and wished that I could have met him and spoken to him just once before he was taken. Sophia had also been asking Travis for help, bear in mind, but was worried that he wasn’t hearing her as she didn’t think she had received any guidance or answers to her questions.

What amazed me is that I had chosen that documentary out of a choice of hundreds on my Netflix list. I had also debated texting Sophia, as I worried she would be too busy with sixth form work, etc. But I did. Something drew me to that particular documentary that day, and something told me to tell Sophia. Something told Sophia to type into YouTube ‘Travis Alexander’ rather than the name of his murderer, ‘Jodi Arias’. She chose to focus on the life of this wonderful man, rather than the complicated death and court case that followed. She finds his final speech, where we hear Travis discussing ‘The Secret’ in the final speech he gave – a speech that we had both never found on YouTube before, but had suddenly made itself apparent to us that particular day, when we had both watched that particular documentary.

If that isn’t someone telling us he is listening and helping, then I don’t know what is. That’s too many coincidences – and as Sherlock says: ‘the universe is rarely so lazy’. I think that somehow, Travis was using me to tell Sophia he was listening to her, and there is a way for her to stop worrying about money. I don’t know if you all will believe that, but I certainly think that he was here with us that evening, trying to help and teach us.

“We don’t know when our last day will be” Travis said in his final speech – Travis didn’t know in the end, of course, but through his death he has reached more people than he may have been predestined to in his lifetime. Maybe his death was supposed to lead us all to become better people, to realise that one simple thing – to ‘go to bed better than you woke up’. For someone so insightful, with such a beautiful soul, I personally don’t think he was finished yet.

Separate yourself from the masses to achieve and succeed – don’t just settle for a mediocre life and job. Separate yourself, work hard and achieve it. Stop dwelling on ‘I’m so in debt’ or ‘I have no money’ or ‘I’m fat’ or ‘I’m ugly’ or ‘I have no talent, I won’t succeed’ – start waking up and saying thank you straight away. Set ten minutes aside everyday to start thinking about the good things in your life, and how grateful you are for it. This will help you to practice positive thinking - realising the love that’s already around you that you don’t perhaps realise. Then start visualising yourself in abundance, with love all around you, with the success you strive for, working the job you want, being with the person you want to be with, living in the house you dream of, meeting a person you want to meet – whatever! If your mind can visualise and imagine it, you can achieve it. You can do it. ‘The human mind is its own place, and in itself can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven’. John Milton said that, by the way. This is exactly why, when I go to LIPA on Sunday and audition for the course I want to do, I won't think of the past two rejections I've faced. I need to think of myself as an accepted student, or visualise myself graduating.

I believe in you, and you need to believe in yourself. Energy never dies; it is always there, within and without, travelling from vessel to vessel learning and growing each time. Send positive energy and receive positive results; it’s that simple.

Love,Eloise
@MissEloisabeth