March 2013

This quarter, this term, has been my favourite University experience yet. They tell you that you're going to love your year abroad. That it will change you and make you never want to leave. But you always worry, there is always a worry that your year abroad won't be a fantastic one, maybe you won't make any friends, maybe you won't enjoy your courses and maybe you'll be so homesick that you won't even be able to have the effort to do anything with yourself.

Luckily, I did not have that experience. I have made friends who I hope to keep in contact with for life. I have completed courses which excite me, teach me new skills and expand my knowledge. I have joined a student organisation which has opened up new doors to me and allowed me to really go pursue my dreams to a fuller extent. I have also become a braver person...well i think so. I hope so. I also have met a certain person who has totally changed my life - making me smile all the time, making me look at life completely differently, and basically making my time here fantastic.

So soppiness over now. Just everyone know that UCSD is amazing.

Friday night was fun. Andy's apartment held a party which was good fun. I got meet his sister, Daisy, who is so lovely and it just was a brilliant night. Andy and I played wine pong at one point in the night, we were meant to play it three times but the table was preoccupied. We won! Very pleased with ourselves. There was a random rave outside at one point which was amusing...everyone was just outside, refusing to go inside despite the RSOs who began shooting students with foam. I luckily just stayed inside talking to Andy and then occasionally glancing out the door at whatever mess was going on.

The next day I said goodbye to Andy and briefly met his lovely parents. He is off to LA and San Francisco for the Spring Break. I went to my first intern meeting for Balestra Entertainment. It was fun. It sounds like it is going to be great and I am going to learn a lot, so I am very excited.

Betty and I went to UTC that evening to get some food. Everywhere on campus is closed. We went to Tender Greens, a really nice restaurant, and ate some delicious food before returning home to work on separate things but in the same living room. It was really fun. I enjoyed laughing with Betty all evening. I dragged her into Hollicester so I could literally spray a perfume on me and leave - she was very tolerant with me.

That evening I got to meet Gyorgy (Laura's boyfriend from Hungary). He is so nice. I have never seen Laura so happy - I mean I thought I had but clearly I haven't. It was so sweet to see. I felt like I knew him already from everything Laura had told me! Alas though, it was unfortunate that whilst one of my suite mates was so blissfully happy, another was so sad as Catalina's boyfriend got turned down at the border from entering into the US. Fingers crossed they get it sorted, I am sure they will.

Well campus is dead at the moment. Literally. Empty. No one is here. But I guess that means I will be more grateful for my parents when they come on Tuesday - I am excited about them coming :D

x

Finals are overrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
This caused for major celebrations. It was finally finished. Exams, work, essays...we get a whole....week...off. Oh yeah. Not much. But ah well. A week of Parents, Vegas and Cathi!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOO Could it be any better? I think not!!!....Really must start tidying my room!

So on Thursday night, Laura, Betty, Mikey, Alex, Nima, George, George's friend and I went to Old Town. It really is a magical place. It looks straight out of a set or a film or something of the sorts. I have to take my parents there to show them. It is really quite wonderful. So adorable. I seriously feel someone's going to ride down the small dusty roads on a horse with a lasso yelling "YEHA" as Indians chase him from behind.

We went to a Mexican restaurant and because I had already eaten I just ordered a drink. I felt really embarrassed just ordering a drink though, I felt it made me look like an alcoholic or something so when the waiter came round I said I was sharing with Laura and Betty. Laura KNOWS I would not share with her! She also knows how I was refusing to eat so why she suddenly looked confused at me as I tried to shake my eyes at her and she said "I don't think they'll be enough...Oh Melissa just say you're not eating he won't care." I immediately plunged my head to the table as the waiter laughed and told me he really didn't mind. I felt so bad! So I had a few tortilla chips and continued to sip my drink.

It was a lovely night. I was so glad I was introduced to Alex and George. They are lovely. They are both german and Alex speaks like she is from England - I later found out she has a British boyfriend and spent a year in England and another term in Cambridge...no wonder she sounds like she is from England. And George is a friend of Betty and Laura's who everyone swoons over...I didn't but I think that is to be expected at the moment.

We continued to have drinks and chats and it was really enjoyable. On the way back we chatted away about all sorts of things and started to plan the Friday to come. We were planning to go on a hike. We were all meant to go but Laura had work (when she said she could go in early to work to then come with us I said she could take my place in the car, but alas in the end she decided she didn't want to come with us - she will probably go with George :D)

So on Friday, we set out for this hike. We had heard horror stories on the internet about it being so steep and horrible that even athletes found it challenging...so we were a bit concerned but kind of a bit excited at the prospect. Mikey told us it would be cloudy too so it wouldn't be too bad. We hired a car in the morning - literally hats of to Alex for driving. I could not drive on the WRONG side of the road in an automatic (easy) car. Just too complicated. Especially to a place we didn't know. Betty read the map in the front (thank you Betty too! Google maps on an iPhone is killer!)

We got a bit lost. We picked up some snacks and lunch. Mine being an apple, orange and pineapple. I regretted that later when everyone was biting into bready items at the top of the gigantic mountain. And we finally got to the path. It was beautiful. It was so beautiful. I mean I cannot describe what fantastic views it had. It was one of the most beautiful places I have been too.

Now I thought I was being clever taking toilet roll to the top of the mountain - thinking ahead for everyone. Yeah it became a MASSIVE BURDEN. It kept rolling out of my bag and back down the trail - extra exercise for me...or I just waited for Catalina to pass it to me :D. And Mikey used it once to blow his nose. That was it!!! All of that for nothing. I also took my jacket...BAD IDEA. It was not cloudy, it was boiling. I got a tan! And all my freckles came out. I also took a 2.2 litre bottle of water. Apart from sounding like I was in a tank at times, I was very grateful I brought it. Even if it was heavy.

The trek was hard. It was so steep. We were silent the whole way up. It was a lot of exercise. But I enjoyed it. I was taking my time and didn't get too out of breath. Mikey, bless him, was very tired. It took us less than two hours! Take that reviewers on the internet!!! It was so hard but so worth it. We got to the top and it was boiling. We relaxed and watched the view. It was so nice. We ate our food and took some pictures. We then queued to do funny pictures on the famous Potato chip rock. This is why we hiked. For the Facebook photos with the Potato chip rock. It was funny. When I went across to the potato chip rock, it involved leaping to the stone, I twisted my ankle. It hurt a lot. But we then did pictures and it seemed to die down. It was so much fun. Our poses were fun.

Walking back down, it was fun. We slipped and fell a bit but it was good fun, chatting away. However, it took us virtually the same time to go down the mountain as it did up. Which didn't make sense. Seeing as it was so much effort to go up it seems bizarre it would be so long to go down when it was easy. It was fun though and we got to appreciate the view at last.

When I got home...that's when I noticed the swelling around my ankle...and the pain. Wooopppsss hope nothings happened to it! x

I don't particularly like it when tests are SPRUNG upon you.
Especially when those tests are finals.
Ok, maybe I should have read the e-mail probably, but you know!
Art History exam. Ouch. It was intense. Our professor was lecturing in Paris, in the Louvre, and consequently had decided to move the final to a week earlier than finals week. It was unexpected. We also had an essay due in for the same day, and at the bottom of the essay questions he had mailed to us was the little sidenote that he was going to move the final. Even though OFFICIALLY on the website, the final was still next week. Sigh. Lucky I had been prepared and was already revising. This time, I actually knew all the paintings that were up on the screen, and that we had to analyse. One included a Black Square. Seriously! How am I meant to analyse a black square!!!! Ah well, each to their own. One of the questions asked me to be an art critic and told me to criticise two artists who worked between 1900-1950. MARCHEL DUCHAMP WITH HIS STUPID URINAL WHICH HE CALLS ART!!!!

A promise is a promise. I guess. To an extent.

Sorry for being so quiet over the weekend - it was a busy one!

At the end of last week, I was editing a lot. Editing which stressed me out a lot too but ah well. Friday evening consisted of going over to Andy's and having a Back To The Future Marathon. Beforehand however, we watched Pierre and Edu get annihilated at beer pong by Joanna and David. Also, because Joanna had slowly drinking more and more, she became more and more gangster, which I assure you is a hilarious thing to witness. Betty and Cata also turned up which was nice and they all seemed to playing a real funny game. Pierre's reactions when he was loosing were pretty priceless - don't make French people mad!!!

We watched Back To The Future the whole way through. I can't believe Andy had never watched the movies! They are fantastic. Although, as we pointed out, if they think by 2015 we are going to have flying cars, hover boards and suits that dry themselves I feel we might let them down by quite a substantial amount. So when 8.30am rolled around, I was rather tired but still, not tired enough to go sleep.

Laura and I had another Spa date planned (thank you once again amazing Laura for organising it). This place was only an hour away and we met no weird drunkard homeless guys! So it was fine! On our way there we did have a bit of trouble thinking we weren't going to make it in time because we had missed the bus and the previous bus driver had said "Oh you definitely can't walk there from here" - however, alas, it was the American meaning of  "you definitely can't" meaning "You definitely can if you are in anyway capable of walking".

The massages were brilliant, in a really professional establishment (so a tad different to last time) and yeah, it was just brilliant. I will definitely be going back there again.

Back at home, I went straight to bed. Literally fell in bed. I slept for a few hours before waking up and doing that awful thing were I thought I had slept the whole night. I was so worried. I felt awful. How could I have slept the whole night? Then I looked at my phone. Nope I had only slept for three hours, and there was a text from Andy saying we could meet at six. What was the time? SIX! I jumped out of bed, my hair was a mess from the bunch of lotions that the masseuse had put in it so I briefly tried to wash my fringe and one side of my hair, before changing out of my pjamas, looking half decent and just about being ready when Andy knocked on the door (I had quickly texted him to say I'd be a little late). It was like a comedy sketch - and would only happen to me. We went to see Beautiful Creatures. Which was actually rather good. I really enjoyed it. Emma Thompson was just incredible. However it threw me a little when the main boy protagonist was saying he was sixteen...and he looked about thirty. However, it was really good. I would recommend you go and see it. Before going into the cinema we joked about outside as Andy hates trailers. So we were seating on the baby seats outside. We then got frozen yoghurt from Ralphs and went back to his apartment.

About midnight, Pierre, Edu, Cesar and Victor marched into the room and began setting up beer pong. Quickly, Joanne, David and Jesus joined and once again it was Pierre and Edu vs David and Jesus. TILL THE DEATH. Pierre could not stand loosing so they continued to play and play and play (inbetween trying to put Joanne in the freezer). It was hilarious. Andy and I then watched Easy A and Run Fatboy Run. Once again, it was a late night and the hour change threw us of a bit.

I'll stop there as this is pretty long. Sunday was interesting but I'll update you on that the next time! This week will be filled with me working so I'll be searching for something to write.

Below is a video my friend Michael created as his intern project for Triton TV. It is so beautiful. So definitely watch it. It is about UCSD. So if you are considering applying to UCSD or want to look at the campus or something like that. WATCH IT!

Excuse me while I go die in a corner. Ok yeah, maybe I am over exaggerating. Maybe. But seriously. STOP SMOKING DRUGS! I just can't handle it. I went to the studio this evening to edit some footage to help the station out and they just started smoking up. And in a teeny studio - yeah. I could feel my skin recoiling. I just hated it. I held my nose (openly - I didn't just hold my nose, I put my hand over my nose). The footage I was editing was TRAGIC as well. The sound of planes was so prominent and the key speaker who I was meant to be editing was looking off into the distance (at another camera I presume - a camera whose footage had totally disappeared) and his sound was dire. It sounded like he was whispering. You can imagine how surprised I was when he said he was a theatre professor. Really?

Anyway, on another note, I really enjoyed these last two days. I haven't been feeling too well. Like this afternoon I went to bed and totally shocked Laura when I came out of my bedroom at 6 in the evening. I was completely disorientated so when she screamed and asked me why I was there, I answered with something along the lines of "I'm always up at this time, usually I'm up early." She looked really confused until I said "Hang on, isn't it eight in the morning?" For some reason, I thought it was eight in the morning and I had slept all night. In reality, I had had a forty five minute nap and it was six in the evening. I went back to bed for two hours after that because I had a headache. Then I went to the editing studio - made my headache wayyyyy better as you can imagine!!! Laura nicely gave me an Advil because for once I was the one who was void of medicine! (MUM BRING DAY NURSE TO AMERICA PPPLLEASSSEEEE) Catalina deems that it is because I am in love *insert giggle here* .....apparently that makes people ill :P

Anyway these last two days have been great. I've the total of one meal a day :D. Due to Andy. We have been going to OVTs and just been having the best of times. He has always paid! So I'm insisting on taking him to the cinema this weekend :D. Should be fun. We have just been chatting away and laughing loads. I think we beat our record today of staying way past when a dining hall closes. We were at OVTs till 4pm. It shuts at 2.30pm. No one told us to move though. We joked we should have stayed till 5pm when dinner started. We have been talking a lot about interships in the summer. And I have started applying. One at Disney looks incredible so I am going to apply - but I have to go and get a Social Security number so that'll be a bit of a chore. Plan of Action for tomorrow perhaps. I also had my last cycling lesson today. I had been to the gym before hand to so I was shattered and my knees were in so much pain! But it was worth it. Definitely doing it next term.

On another note, yesterday I had to edit something for the AS Student Services here. I helped film it too but when I looked at the footage it was all different tones and the lighting was all different. The sound was also really bad, as one of the actors just WOULD NOT SPEAK LOUDLY. And he kept eating chicken nuggets. However, I'll link it below because I think, just, it turned out ok. I'm not sure. The lady I did it for has been pestering me all week for it and now I have sent it to her she hasn't said a thing. Is that a good or bad thing?

Bystader Intervention from Triton Television on Vimeo.

I wasn't the clumsy one today!

For once I didn't trip up. Touch wood. Quickllyyyy....

I just thought I'd share this as I did find it highly humorous.

At lunch today, Catalina seemed unable to carry objects. She came back to our table and tripped, sending cookies and cake everywhere. Onto the carpet - which she proceeded to clean up by rubbing the cake into the carpet and quickly sitting back down. I don't know why but it was just so funny. Particularly when we stood up to take our plates to the washer part of the restaurant and the plates seemed to fly out of Catalina and sit fry and some meatballs and salad ended up on the floor. Betty and I were in fits of laughter. Lunch was definitely fun. Betty, Catalina and I started to plan something really funny and cool we are going to shoot for TTV (but my lips are sealed) and it was just a really fun day.

My roommates are all off to Taco Tuesdays tonight. It's weird being underage when I am so used to not being in England. But I don't mind. I like listening to their crazy nights out and I was never that much of a clubber. Particularly as Pacific Beach is so far away that people often have to take buses back at 11. I think I am just a bit too lazy. But hey, if I am still here in the summer then maybe I will get to experience drinking US style. I am getting quite serious about applying for internships but I know it is extremely hard. Fingers crossed hey :D

Here is a new video I made. it is quite different to previous ones as I do not use just the lyrics of the song to explain the emotions going on -

It was a brilliant weekend!

However, I am shattered. So shattered that the last two afternoons I have climbed into bed and slept. Zzzzzzzzs. I never nap. I NEVER NAP! So this is a rare occasion. This is rare rare occasion. But for the last three nights I have gone to bed at 5.45am...occasionally 6am. Yeah. Sorry Mum - I know this would make you angry. I have been doing my eye exercises! I promise!

I have been watching movies and spending time with Andy in his apartment. He has completely spoiled me so I feel very guilty - buying my dinner EVERY NIGHT! Despite my protests! But it has been so much fun. One of the funniest moments of the weekend was when Andy, Arunav and I were watching certain movies at the weekend. Arunav's commentary just makes me crack up laughing. We were watching Anastasia and his favourite phrase was 'what would you do if..." and it was always concerning like if the dog and the main character got together or something along those lines. When we watched The Holiday he was saying "WOW CAMERON DIAZ IS SO FIT!!! Why don't we watch Chick flicks more often?"

We also played on Andy's game forever! It was fantastic. For one of his courses he had to design a Kinnect game (Andy designed a game where you stand up and the computer detects where you are and you run around trying to collect all the balls, climb buildings and fly). It was so much fun! It was a proper workout. My arms hurt so much!

On Saturday, I had a great adventure! Laura and I bought these vouchers ages ago to go to different spas in San Diego. We hadn't used one of them! Just because the site was a bit dodgy - one spa I have tried to book an appointment with doesn't exist anymore. Yeah. We were conned. BUT Laura (goddess that she is) rang up one place and booked massages for us this weekend. It was by San Diego State University and therefore, at the weekend, took us three hours to get there and three hours back. It was amazing though. I haven't had a massage in ages and my back, once again, was in absolute bits. I felt like I was going to break there was so much cracking. However, it was very fun and I a m very grateful to Laura!!!! We were both on cloud nine when we left!

The bus home was...interesting. We first had drunken men get on opposite us, they smelt, were leering at everyone with a slight female hormone and began to try and sell us alcohol. It was so awkward because they were the type of people you knew if you caught their eye they'd try and talk to you so Laura and I just faced each other awkwardly (hair flying everywhere) and chatted away. When they finally got off - and we could stop holding our breath - on came a cheerful looking man who recognised another friend at the back of the bus next to us. They began talking about all the places in San Diego they'd been recently - all the JAILS they had been to recently. Brilliant. One of them was talking about how he had just left jail. The day before. How great freedom smelt. Laura and my eyes were like saucepans as we tried to contain our laughter at how ridiculous the situation was! Then they began selling each other drugs at the back of the bus. Seriously.....

But it was a great adventure and definitely something to talk about! I felt like I was floating when I got home! :D

x`

I started my first official shoot as an intern for an video entertainment company based in San Diego. We were filming the opening of a restaurant in San Diego called the Souplantation. It had actually been around for thirty five years but had had a complete refurbishment and new menu added. All the food was fresh and made in front of your eyes and it consisted of a huge salad bar, unlimited amount of soups, made exotic types of breads and an ice cream factory.

It was amazing. The feeling of the restaurant was so homely and it was packed with families and children, and the food looked delicious. All of the managers were so nice and friendly. I had to repeat my name quite a few times, as my accent and my name meant they didn't get it the first time.

My instructions were to follow people around with the camera and to try and get as many shots of children having a good time as possible. I was given the GoPro to start. Now the GoPro is so tiny, it doesn't actually scream PROFESSIONAL COMPANY. More like, when your following small children around with a tiny camera, sometimes shiftily putting the camera at knee height so you can follow the children around at their height...well it screams PERVERT. I got extremely red faced and would stand stock still the moment an adult started to come near. Which, to be honest, probably made me look even more shifty.

I was allowed to work a Canon 6D after a while with a shoulder rig attached. Now, people couldn't help but notice me. It was huge. But for some reason, seeing as I could hide my head behind a massive black camera, I felt a lot safer about following people around. Although, if a parent caught my eye I still would pretend to be checking my settings. However, I got over this when filming the children at the ice cream section. They would lean over and start using sprinkles on their ice cream, and one Dad picked his little girl up so she could reach and decorate her ice cream. It was so cuuuuuteeee. I think the camera gave me more confidence as well as it looked professional, rather than some weird woman with a teeny camera following children around, seeming to appear to try and hide the camera from adults view by holding it at knee level. Instead I was holding professional equipment with a massive rig on my shoulder, and appearing to be part of a film crew.

It was really fun and such good experience. I am really looking forward to more shoots I will be able to do with my internship. Apparently there is wedding coming up in May! That will be so much fun!! But on another note, I really want to try out the Souplantations food. It looked like such a lovely place and so homely. The bits I tried were very nice :D.

x