Unexpected Trip

     In London I met a lot of great people I am not sure if or when I will ever see again, let alone the circumstances that may or may not have our paths ever cross again.  It is bittersweet; I had the opportunity of sharing in their company and learning from them while I could, and now have the internet to stay in touch with them.  It’s not the same as going to the pub or to the cinema with them, but it will have to do for now.

     One friend I made over there decided she was going to go to Los Angeles the month after returning, and invited me to come along.

     This was a wonderful experience.  I was able to spend more time with her, and made it to California, which was yet another thing on my Bucket List.

     For a week I stayed on Hollywood Boulevard, where I was able to walk the street and see the stars in the sidewalk of hundreds of icons, past and present.  The famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre was down the road from me, as was the home of the Academy Awards (the once Kodak Theatre, now the Dolby Theatre).  I had the chance to put my hands and feet in the cement where the likes of John Wayne, Judy Garland, and George Clooney.

     During my stay we also went to Universal Studios, put our feet in the Pacific Ocean, went on the Warner Brothers' Studio Tour (where I got to walk on the set of the Ellen DeGeneres Show!), and spent a day in Disneyland. 

Universal Studios

At Universal Studios, there was a section that was dressed like Westminster.  I felt as if I had stepped into old London, and it was wonderful!

Disneyland. Magical.

The Warner Brothers's famous water tower.

Palm trees were everywhere!

The Pacific Ocean at sunset. Beautiful!

Yes, I took a picture of my food. I really liked that there were so many burger places on the West Coast. Many were simple and easy to come by.  Some were inexpensive, which made me very happy.

     I just want to point out: eight weeks in London and I met quite a few celebrities.  One week in Hollywood, and nothing.

     I had such a good time. Hollywood did not have the same safe and homey feeling that London gave me, but it was a nice place to visit (and maybe work one day!).

Who are you Really?

     I am not going to lie.  This is a long read, but I think it is worth the time to explore a bit into who you are (I would not have written it otherwise).  This is taken from an exercise we did in one of my classes a few years ago, and I really learned a lot about myself from it.  It is interesting to do on your own, or with family or friends.

     Answer this question for me: Who are you? 

     Now I want you to think about a few things for a moment.  How did you answer that question?  Chances are you said something along the lines of “I’m Johnny Depp.”  Of course you would have filled that in with your own name.  However, if you ARE Johnny Depp, please message me IMMEDIATELY so we can have a more intimate conversation.  If not, just keep reading.

     How do you define yourself?  Is it by your name?  Ethnicity?  Religion?  Occupation?  Family?  Friends?  Health?  Accomplishments?  Aspirations?  Hobbies? Who you know?

     A completely fictitious example you’ll never know if it was based on real people or not, would be as follows:

     I’m Katrina Smith, a British thirty-five year old pediatric doctor living in Australia.  I’m from a wealthy family, I know the Duke of York, and I have chronic asthma.  I have three articles published in prominent doctorial magazines around the world, and I love to travel.  I hope one day to cure childhood diabetes.

     But who IS she?  Are we defined by these words?  These labels?  Or is there something deeper than that?  What makes us us?  We are all individuals, but there could be dozens of Katrina Smiths on the planet.  Some of them may be pediatric doctors, others could have English blood, and I’m sure a few of them have come from wealthy families or are living with asthma.  

     What makes us us?  More than that, how do we define it?

     When you get a moment, gather 5-10 small pieces of paper.  On each one, write one thing to describe yourself.  It could be your age, name, characteristics, or roles you play.  Examples are “sister,” “father,” “survivor,” “actor,” etc.  Once you have done that, read them over.

     Now I want you to get rid of one.  The thing you least identify yourself as, or the thing you are most willing to abandon.

     Now another.  You should be weaning out some of the extraneous definitions, but this could still be difficult.

     However many you had to begin with, get down to two.  What are they?  What do you think that says about you?

     Now choose the label that you would never give up (or the one you’re more willing to give up).  What are you left with?  Who are you?

     This obviously does not describe the entirety of who you are.  You may have had trouble limiting who you are down to ten things.  But this gives you insight into something that may be the most near and dear to your being.  

     Some people may have thrown their name out immediately, as they have no fondness for their given one.  Others may have kept it as their number one choice.  Some may have not even thought to write down their religious affiliation if they have one, because it is just not an important aspect of their lives.  Others may have kept that until the end, because they would be more willing to give up their possessions and even their life, than they would be to abandon their beliefs.

     What you chose to write down and which you easily discarded or struggled to hold on to, say a great deal about who we are.  Even if some of these characteristics change over time.  We are, after all, ever growing and changing ourselves.

School Year Begins Again

     Where I am, it is time for another year of school.  The “year” runs September through June when you are on that sort of calendar.  The summer break has once again come and gone away.  What are your plans for this school year?  It is okay if you are no longer in class, but you can still set goals for yourself to learn something new or work on a skill.

     What do you want to accomplish?

     My goals are usually quite similar from year to year.  I want to try my best, stay on top of my work, and improve.  I also want to be a bit healthier in my lifestyle, and to continue to go after my dreams.

     This summer has been fantastic!  I have achieved so much that I thought was (not impossible), but was further out than it was.  I went to my first movie premiere(s), lived on my own in another country for a few months, was an extra in a film, jumped off of a cliff, and was on TV.  It has been wonderful, and what I hope is only the beginning of a beautifully triumphant life.  I never would have gotten where I am today without my dreams and determination.  If you don’t have either, I hope you find some.  They are the easiest road to becoming successful.  Good luck to you, and have a fabulous school year.

Magnanimity

Magnanimity - noun - a noble generosity; the virtue of being great in heart and mind

Donating your pay check to save the bees was a selfless thing to do; your magnanimity is humbling.

Johnny Depp Grants a Make-A-Wish

Johnny Depp as Barnabas Collins and Katie Vandrilla (Make-A-Wish recipient). Photo by Peter Mountain

By Katherine Vandrilla

"The Make-A-Wish Foundation gives children facing live-threatening illnesses the one thing they want most. Never did I expect to be on the receiving end of this immense generosity.

As a teenager I was diagnosed with leukemia, a blood cancer, and was told that I qualified for a wish. I knew instantaneously what I’d choose: to meet Johnny Depp. If you know one thing about me, it’s that Johnny Depp is a huge part of my life. I discovered him at the age of 12, and have never looked back. 

In the beginning, he was my favorite actor and the reason for my dream of acting. When I got sick, he became so much more than that. He gave me something to look forward to. I had to meet the man who had brought so much joy to my life.

Mid-September of 2011, after four years, my family told me that Make-A-Wish had called and we were being sent to London to meet the man of my dreams. Within a few hours my parents, brother and I were half across the world.

The whole experience was surreal. A limo picked us up at our hotel and we were taken to Pinewood Studios where Johnny was filming Dark Shadows, a movie based on the TV show of the same name. In the film he plays Barnabas Collins, a man who was cursed by a witch to spend eternity as a vampire. He was then buried for 200 years until he is accidentally unearthed in the year 1972.

At the studio we were shown props from the movie by the man who created them—and someone whose work I’ve admired—David Balfour. We also had the opportunity to watch them filming next door via a monitor. Then came the big moment. The moment I had been waiting for eight years. It was time to meet Johnny. But it wasn’t only him; Tim Burton, the director of the film and my favorite one at that, was also with him.

No words could ever describe how meeting them felt. To be in the same room as the man of my dreams was unbelievable. It was magical and utterly perfect—much more than I had ever dreamed it would be. There were a couple other Make-A-Wish children, and we were able to speak with Johnny and Tim for a while. We also had some one-on-one time with each of them.

I have never been as happy as I was on that day. I spoke with Johnny about acting, and told him how much he has meant to me. It is an experience I will never forget, and has given me precious memories for a lifetime.

After the day of my wish, my family had a few days to explore the City of London, with just enough time for me to fall helplessly in love with it. The foundation also sent us to Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, as well as took care of all of our expenses.

After our walk among the stars, it was time to return to real life. I can never say enough good things about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, or Dark Shadows. It was the happiest week of my life, and I am so glad my family was able to share it with me.

Dark Shadows comes to DVD on Oct. 2. For more information on the Make-A-Wish Foundation, visit http://www.wish.org/."

This is a clip of an interview I found about the Wish: (not the best quality, but oh well!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNZ15_2kZeM
It was originally found here (but I think the link is not active anymore; sorry!)
http://www.ctnow.com/videogallery/71915507/News/One-Girl's-Wish-To-Meet-Johnny-Depp-Comes-True 

The original story was taken from here: (the link is no longer active; sorry!)
http://www.myrecordjournal.com/berlincitizen/article_efaf12e0-ead1-11e1-aae5-0019bb2963f4.html#.UDKRo7USxRs.blogger

And an update about Katie can be found on the Make-A-Wish website:
http://wish.org/wishes/wish-nation-blog/2015/august/from-wish-kid-to-wish-granter#sm.0000rrtn451ahbefwwsmyembbvp1w