Chinese New Year and Latin Dancing

Kung hei fat choy!

Today marks the Chinese New Year and 2014 is the Year of the Horse. 

Being a Horse myself, as well as a total horoscope fanatic (I was raised on it, like a second religion) I was curious to know more about the meaning behind this mystical celebration...

• There are twelve animals in the Chinese Zodiac: the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Ram, the Money, the Rooster, the Dog and the Boar.
• According to legend, Buddha invited all the animals on Earth into his presence, but these were the only twelve to show up. The reason for his invitation varies; from his death, to a race, to a banquet. Whatever the cause, the above order is that in which the animals appeared.
• Chinese New Year can be traced back as early as 2600 BC. 
• It always falls on the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice. 
• Much like the Modern Zodiac, your date of birth aligns you with a symbolic animal, which gives an indication of your personality. The Chinese refer to it as, "The animal that lives inside your heart."

Horses are supposed to be popular, cheerful, wise, talented and real flirts. I'll leave it up to those who know me to decide whether this is an accurate description!

We're also most compatible with Tigers, Dogs and Rams. 

(FYI Eddie Redmayne is a Dog, I'll add that to the PILE of evidence I have already assembled that proves we are meant.to.be.)

Whilst doing my research I also discovered that Benedict Cumberbatch is a Dragon, which seems very fitting after his recent role as Smaug in The Hobbit.

Superstitions: Do's and Don'ts for Chinese New Year

DO

• Wear red - the luckiest colour as far as the Chinese are concerned. If you're really dedicated you're supposed to paint your doorways and window ledges in a bright hue, but I settled for wearing a little red ribbon tied around my wrist, which was a gift from a little girl at work...

• Pay all your debts - it's believed that if you don't pay your debts today you will end the year in debt also. I can't say I really did this one, but I paid my rent and a good portion of my student overdraft and I'm gonna say that counts.
• Clean the house, to wash away any ill-fortune from the previous year. However, make sure not to do any sweeping today as this is apparently bad luck.

DON'T

• To counteract what I've said above, don't be lather-rinse-repeating today as washing hair is said to wash away good luck. In a similar vein, no haircuts or use of sharp implements as they may 'cut off' good fortune.

Being superstitious I've followed all of these, although it's unfortunate that I'm not allowed to wash my hair on the day of my first Zumba class!

I've got to say, I'm already addicted. It felt so good to be dancing again, I haven't busted any proper moves since I graduated from University. Tomorrow I'm booking in for next week's class! Emma Watson and Natalie Portman are both fans, so it goes without saying I was going to love it. It's taken a while for me to act on my resolution to live a more active lifestyle, but I think the impending bikini weather of Florida has been a real motivator for me ;)

Can't wait until next year, when I'll be celebrating the Year of the Ram at the China Pavilion in EPCOT.

Walt Disney World Cultural Representative Program: Application Advice

Hey guys! 

So ever since I announced to the world that I'm going to work for the Mouse at Walt Disney World in Florida, I've been bombarded with questions, one of the most frequent being
"How did you manage that?!" 

For that reason I've decided to do a series of blog posts to help those of you who, like myself, fancy earning and learning at the Happiest Place on Earth.

My Disney journey started when applications for the program opened on August 1st 2013. They were supposed to open a month later on 1st September, so I was freaking out a bit that what I planned to write hadn't been as obsessively drafted and re-drafted as I had envisioned in my head in all the time leading up to the applications. However I'd had plenty of time to stew over what I was going to say and do my research, as I'd decided to apply in March soon after I'd broken up with my boyfriend.

My first BIG tip is - read CRP blogs! They are an invaluable tool and a fountain of knowledge. I must've spent hours scouring the web for information and writing down the important bits. I found it truly strengthened my application and made things so much easier. So if you're reading this, you're already doing one thing right :) I'll link to some other useful blogs at the bottom of the page.

A selection of the notes I made

UK applications are made through a recruitment company called Yummy Jobs, who work on behalf of Disney to select appropriate applicants. First things first, create an account and start filling out your form. 

Most of the stuff they ask is pretty standard; personal and contact information, about your education and previous work experience. Always try to be concise and keep it relevant. Think about which aspects of your previous experience would help you if you were to work at Disney and then make sure to highlight these. 

The jobs available to UK applicants are Merchandise, Food & Beverage or working at the Historical Research Centre. Merch means working in the shops selling things like tea and Beatles memorabilia, Food & Beverage entails serving fish and chips or being a barmaid at the Rose & Crown pub and the HRC is involved in looking at a guest's family tree and providing them with coats of arms, specially made swords and the like (usually you need a degree in History or similar to have a good chance here). 

If you know which of these you want to go for, that can also help with your application. A large percentage of applicants get placed in F&B as this is where they need the most people, plus the wages can be very good once you get into a tipped position (after you're about 3 months into your program) so I geared my application towards an F&B role.

The MOST IMPORTANT part of the online application is the Additional Questions section. "Why do you value cultural exchange and interaction?" and "What is your motivation for this program?" are the two boxes that can make you stand out. Focus especially on love of culture - both your own and other peoples. 

Covering Letters never used to be compulsory though now they are. I would have recommended writing one regardless as I think they give you extra brownie points.

We're almost done. Last but not least you will be required to upload a photograph of yourself. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, get one taken especially. Disney don't want to see a cropped Facebook photo, it looks like you've made no effort. I got all freshened up and went to a photo booth myself. 

So that's all you need to know for Stage 1! 

Applications for dates leaving in Autumn/Winter 2014 and Spring 2015 opened on Friday 24th January so get yours in now - you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. Even the application stage is a great experience in itself. I met loads of cool people during my interviews and on the Facebook group, some of whom will be joining me in the Sunshine State and while others will be going on to different adventures. Follow Yummy Jobs on Facebook so you know when applications will be opening and closing for their programs - and good luck!

Useful Links

• WDWIP - The International Program forums, where you can talk with other applicants.
• Working the Magic - Harriet has such a gorgeous blog and has done both the ICP and CRP.
• Dan @ Disney - I was lucky enough to meet Dan at my F2F Interview. He is one of the experts and is extremely knowledgable about all things Disney IP.
• Hattan Times Does Disney - "Hello you lovely lot!" Adam was famous amongst applicants at my interviews, such is his standing in the CRP world, plus his vlogs are stellar.
• Catherine's Magical Year - Catherine has done the ICP twice, CRP and just finished working for Disney Cruises.
• Disney IP YouTube Channel - Lots of informative videos about the programs.
• Jen & The Disney CRP - Jen is great because she has kept up her blog well into her time in Florida - I hope to do the same!

Nouns

My friends and I may only be in our early-to-mid twenties, but it's scary how we're getting old before our time. 

A few weekends ago I was sitting in a lovely pub beside a crackling fire with a few of my ex-housemates from University and I found myself.... drinking cranberry juice and masking a poorly suppressed yawn with my hand. Hardly the wild child I was but 5 years ago as a fresh-faced undergraduate! And I wasn't the only one. My dear friend B was as sleepy as I was. 

We fell into conversation about how all either of us seemed to do these days was drag ourselves off in the early hours to jobs that we were ill-suited to, which simply paid the bills. Not only that, but by the time our "me time" came around we were too tired to enjoy it. 

I couldn't help comparing our current situation with that of our student days. Back then I spent my time rehearsing plays, learning to swing dance and being graded on how well I could skip in a square (one of my favourite anecdotes but another time). All of my efforts were being exerted to improve and educate myself and I felt tired, but in a good way.

Now my day to day life revolves around exhausting myself to meet the numerous demands of the company I work for. I've never felt more like a number than I do in my current job (and I can say that now, because I'm leaving it). There's no room for personal development, it's all about how much money we're making for the fat cats way above us. Lesson here: never ask a creative person to work for a heartless business. 

The fact is a large number of my friends are in this situation; it's completely normal to be doing a 'transitional' job at this age. You know it's not the one, it's just good for now because it meets your basic needs. Kind of like the romantic relationships you had in your teens. The important thing is not to forget your passions. My excuse is always that I "don't have time" to be creative anymore. I'm too busy in the rat race and doing banal, everyday things like eating, bathing and sleeping. But talents are like muscles, you have to exercise them. You have to make time. Set aside an hour a day to doing the things you love, things that you would like one day to be paid to do. This is one of my focal points for 2014.

Which is why from now on I am going to write a blog post every day.

I've always considered myself an actress first and foremost. But the amount of times various people have said to me, "You're a writer" cannot be ignored. This brings to mind one of my favourite Stephen Fry quotes:

"We are not nouns, we are verbs. I am not a thing - an actor, a writer - I am a person who does things  - I write, I act - and I never know what I am going to do next. I think you can be imprisoned if you think of yourself as a noun."

Personally I've always admired those with an impressive list of nouns after their name. Zooey Deschanel - actress, musician and singer-songwriter. Eddie Redmayne - actor, singer and model. Oprah Winfrey - media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. You get the idea. 

My mum is always reminding me is that while it's all well and good to be inspired by your heroes, try to focus on your own journey. Instead of expending your energies being a fan, work on making yourself into the type of person you would be a fan of. 

As Matthew McConaughey's mother told him when he was younger, 

"Don't watch somebody on TV do it for you, get out there and do it for yourself."

Wise people, mums.  

And what would my ideal noun list say, I hear you ask?

Olivia Smith - actress, writer, vlogger, lifestyle blogger and well-travelled adventurer. To start with, anyway.

What are your nouns?

2014: My horoscope was right

A belated Happy New Year to you!

Life has been so busy for me since Big Ben struck midnight. I dove head first into my New Year's Resolutions with even more enthusiasm than usual (I'm a sucker for self improvement as well as lists). Things were going pretty well and I was progressing at a steady pace, until the night of Wednesday 15th January. Just as I was about to tuck myself up in bed with my hot water bottle, I quickly checked my emails on my iPhone after setting my alarm for work the next day. And what did I find there?

The word "CONGRATULATIONS" in enormous letters! It was a job offer from Disney!!!

As you may remember from my posts last year, I had applied to work at the UK Pavilion in EPCOT, one of the parks that make up Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. So my blog is about to become a whole lot more interesting!

My leaving date is Tuesday 29th April 2014 and I will be living, working and playing in the USA for a whole year. I guess my ELLE horoscope was right when it said that 2014 might just be one of the best I'd had in years.

I'm going to splash out on a decent camera before I go so I'll be able to treat you to lots of colourful, good quality photographs of my adventures. So far I've already booked my flight with Yummy Travel (a branch of STA Travel affiliated with Yummy Jobs, who are the middle man between applicants and Disney) and paid my Program Assessment Fee which covers all of the special events that Disney run for Cast Members while we're out there. This means things like pool parties, pizza parties etc.

There's still so much to do, but this blog is about to become one of my top priorities now as I actually have things to write about! However it looks like I'm going to have to extend the date for completion of my 23 Things until my 25th birthday, as I'll be out of the country for so long. Plus I'll have to add two more things to it, to make it 25 Things Before 25 instead :)

I am going for my tour of Big Ben on April 15th, not long before I go, but the Houses of Parliament and Prime Minister's Question Time has been rescheduled for my return in 2015.

Now I've updated you, it's time to get back to my ever-growing to-do list. Enjoy the week ahead!