My Bucket List

You only live once and when your time’s up, there is no getting it back.  So when that time does come—and hopefully not soon—what can you say for yourself?  Can you look back and have stories to tell your children and grandchildren?  Will you be able to say ‘I did that when I was 16 and I did that when I was 21.  In fact, I did all of that’?  Will your life be filled with adventure, discoveries, accomplishments, lessons and more?  Or will it be filled with images on a colourful screen flashing before your eyes?

Life occurs once, so live it to the fullest.  Have a bucket list of things you want to and will accomplish before your time is up.  Don’t let your life go to waste.  Here is mine (in no specific order):

1.       Become valedictorian of my senior year (I applied in grade 8, but wasn’t chosen)

2.       Have a channel on Youtube with videos of me and my friends (My friend and I always talked about making videos on youtube)

3.       Learn to cry on cue (I can’t ever do that)

4.       Learn to breakdance, c-walk and tut (I always wished my parents put me in dance when I was younger)

5.       Dedicate a post to all the important people in my life (friends, family, inspirations, teachers etc.)

6.       Learn to play the piano and guitar well (I especially want to be able to play a beautiful wedding-like song on the piano)

7.       Learn to cut hair and do nails (I would love to be able to create unique styles of hair and beautiful designs for nails)

8.       Learn to snowboard and surf (I snowboarded once and loved it; living where I am, there are no beaches to even attempt surfing)

9.       Learn to apply make-up in a variety of styles (I love the extravagant and fantasy-like style of make-up used in fashion shoots)

10.   Become an actress (and be in a show like Degrassi and an award winning movie)

11.   Become a graphic designer (I love to work with visuals to create a variety of print media)

12.   Share a beautiful wedding with someone I truly love and have a happy, successful and healthy family of my own

13.   Send my family on a beautiful vacation (and bring my family in Vietnam to Canada to visit—they’ve done so much for me and I want to be able to repay them)

14.   Go back to Vietnam and pour into the orphanages and help give the children a brighter future (I am forever grateful for the sacrifices my family made to escape to Canada because I know I could very well be that girl begging on the streets of Vietnam at this very moment)

15.   Spend a day in a children’s hospital and connecting with the kids (similar to #14)

16.   Be a mentor/inspiration to youths (be a motivational speaker)

17.   Travel the world (at least visit each continent—except maybe Antarctica)

18.   Have a big collection of shoes and dresses of a variety of colours (especially high heels and converses—the colours just look amazing xD)

19.   Swim with dolphins (they are my favourite animals of all time)

20.   Write and publish a book (I love to write and want to reach out to others through words)

21.   Paint a beautiful, scenic picture (I can’t paint and I love the peaceful feeling I get from looking at a beautiful picture)

22.   Produce and compose a song (I love to express myself through song-writing—now I just need to learn to produce beats and sing)

23.   Design my wedding dress and a prom dress (I am a dreamer and dream of the perfect wedding/prom)

24.   Produce/direct a movie (I have endless visions for movies and stories that I want to touch the heart)

25.   Witness a shooting star, a solar and lunar eclipse and see the Northern Lights (I have a big interest in the night sky)

26.   Go on a cruise (I never been on one before)

27.   Go scuba diving (I want to be able to see all the colourful life forms underwater)

Well, that is my whole bucket list—I bet I can think of even more.  However, I chose 27 because I was born on the 27^th.  In fact, if I could do everything in the world, I would—at least, most of it =).  I honestly and truly believe in living life to its fullest.  There are so many tragedies around me and I have an equal chance as many to be in those situations.  However, I am fortunate that the hit and run, or the girl on the street corner, or the cancer patient is not me.  Therefore, I will take advantage of this opportunity to live another day and not let a moment pass me by.  I will appreciate everything that I have—good and bad—because that is what makes up me and that will be what makes up my story twenty or forty years from now.

Acting Academy Cycle 6 Introduces... Soul Visionary Productions

You got that right!  After two years of losing, the girls finally came out on top.  Nonetheless, both teams put their hearts and soul into their production and if there could be two teams chosen, no doubt the boys would have won too.

Today, we all waited anxiously for one o’clock.  It was torture waiting through the breakdown of the points.  They were 88 and 90—very close.  The boys scored really high on their performance and pretty good on their media work.  On the contrary, we girls scored really high on our media work and pretty well on our performance.  It was not surprising—the guys always had a better performance—they had the chemistry, charm and charisma.  On the other hand, the girls usually had the better media work—newsletter, website (which was our breaker because it was considered mass media), logo, colours etc.  Anyway, that is why we make such an amazing team—we all have our own unique skills that we bring to the table.

Finally, we were told of the winning team.  Once the cat was out of the bag, everyone could feel the tension disappearing and being filled with relief.  The girls jumped up, screamed and hugged.  We were so happy.  All of our hard work was finally worth it.  All of our sacrifices paid off.  I only wished we videotaped the reactions—it would have brought anyone to tears of happiness.

II guess third time really is a charm, although it was, as mentioned, because of hard work, dedication and passion that brought us to where we are.  I am still taking it in.  I cannot believe it.  We actually won!

Congratulations to my girls and good job boys!  With all of us in this together, I know that this will be an unforgettable, amazing and inspirational year.  I love you all! <3

Post Branding

STELLAR JOB, GIRLS!!!  SOUL VISIONARY FOR LIFE!

The branding is over and now we wait for the results.  This is going to be a close call.  There seriously was no way that it could have gone any better with the conditions that we were under.  Fuses were blown, files lost, teachers furious and tech confusion.  However, both teams were able to work through it to blow our teacher, guests, judges, each other and ourselves away.  What more can we ask for?

Therefore, regardless of the results, both teams should definitely be proud of what they accomplished throughout this week.  It was one rollercoaster of a week as we scrambled to make this the best first production in the Academy Class.  This was an out-of-this-world branding.

Out of the three brandings that I have had the honour to be a part of, this branding is the one that will stick out to me most.

 

Firstly, our work was stunning.  Our website, spoken word, logo design, name and fashion show was outstanding.  They were professional, on-point, brilliant and astonishing because we all put forward our hearts and souls into creating the end product.  The choral piece, video and dance at the end appropriately wrapped it up as an inspiring and poignant presentation.

Secondly, it truly brought us girls closer together from the get go.  With our hearts set out to win this final branding, we put forth all of our fire, passion and then added more gas to that fiery passion and it exploded into our best branding yet.  Losing two years in a row, today was our time to shine.  We were not going to stop for anything.  Sleep, money, sweat, stress—nothing.

Last but not least, this branding was outstanding because we all worked together.  For the past two years, we were catty, unprofessional and threw each other under the bus.  We were too caught up in the competition that we lost sight of our main vision—to brand the class with a name and colours that truly united us.  This year, however, we grew and matured and understood that both groups will need each other’s help to realize our vision.  Therefore, the two teams collaborated to put together a mind-blowing production.  We helped lift each other up, knowing that we will all win in the end.

 

This branding and the days leading up to it was extraordinary. Everyone’s hard work and sacrifices paid off.  Now, no matter what happens, the Acting Academy Cycle 6 will be an unforgettable legacy as Soul Visionary Productions or Infinite Productions.

Pre-Branding

Branding happens every year within the first month of the semester.  Not only does it unify the class because of a common production name, but also because it requires immense teamwork during the process and on the day of. It brings us together because in the end, everyone wins: we will be branded with an amazing name.

 

One of the toughest parts of branding is choosing the name because it is the foundation for everything.  This year, we had a lot of trouble thinking up a name that has a very deep meaning and can stand for EVERYTHING we believe in.  We were a couple days behind when we all had an epiphany and came up with an amazing name.  After that, we struggled with our colours for a bit.  After a unanimous decision on the name and colours, branding was underway.

This year, the girls are dead serious.  We are not going to lose for the third time, especially when we have the advantage when it comes to numbers.  We are in it to win, no doubt.  Although we argued, we still remained true to our vision and got over it.  We split up into small groups, tackling separate aspects of our presentation and then came back together at the end of the day to re-group.

We learned from our mistakes and used the feedback we received. We practiced whenever we could—after school, before school, during class, even on the weekend.  That is how serious we are.  This is our year.

Win or lose, we will still have the unmoving friendship and love that blossomed with the branding.  Through these couple days, the girls—as I am sure the boys too—have bonded and become a part of one another.  The branding presentation is scheduled for tomorrow!

Wish us luck!

So You Think You Can Dance Canada

The Academy Class and I went to SYTYCD Canada on a method acting assignment.  We were to play a character from the industry (i.e. a celebrity, a bodyguard, a manager, groupies and talent scouts).  My friends and I were groupies and we kept screaming and chasing after ‘Mickey G’, our celebrity.  Eventually, people started asking who he was, feeling ashamed that they did not know.  Some even went to ask for his autograph and picture.  Even though we almost got kicked out, it was an eye-opening experience and I learned a lot about myself and other people.

What I learned about myself as an actor were the roles that I could play and portray well.  Many of the roles that we were given required a mature and poised persona.  However, I have been told that I look like or younger than my age, so I definitely could not have passed for a director or manager.  Furthermore, those roles would require me to have a serious and business-like approach.  Groupies, on the other hand, could be any age and they are more crazy and outgoing.  As a result, that was the role where I had my best shot at staying in the moment.  Therefore, I learned what I had to work on as a growing artist and that the roles my age are my most successful approaches.

What I learned about others was that people are automatically drawn to famous people. They do not have to necessarily know who they are, but as soon as word spreads, everyone tries to get a picture and/or autograph.  Many of the people there probably did not know who ‘Mickey G’ was, but after hearing that he was famous, they went after him.  It even got to the point where a security guard began guarding him as well.  To be honest, if I see someone famous, I would ask for an autograph or picture.  However, now I realize they are just really successful people and at the end of the day, they are still just like us.  

SYTYCD Canada this year was a fun-filled and exciting learning experience.  The method acting assignment was a challenge at first, but I would love to be able to do that again. The stories we got at the end were worth it and will never be forgotten.

The Essence of an Actor

The essence of an actor is the quality or qualities that define you as an actor.  It is the ‘X-factor’ that sets you apart from the hundred hopefuls at an audition.  This factor varies from your style to your hair, smile or voice, to name a few.  It can also be internal traits such as your presence, confidence and attitude.  These qualities draw a casting director to you, making them say, “Yes! I want him/her!  It’s my final decision!”  However, this essence is unique to every individual and casting director.  Therefore, it is important to know when to tone your quirk down to suit the atmosphere and vibe.  Regardless, you should always be approachable and unintimidating—there is nothing worse than an actor that no one can work with.  The essence of an actor is the hook on a line, reeling a director in so that he/she can reel you into his/her film.

The essence of an actor may also be understood as the rudiments of you as a person—all the experiences and struggles in your past.  It includes your motivation and drive to do what you do, the flame inside that pushes you to pursue your dreams, despite its adversaries and challenges.  Some people may act to reach out to others, to make a difference in the world, to surpass expectations among many others.

Finding your essence can be hard to accomplish.  It is like answering the questions: "Who are you really?", "What is your purpose for living?" etc.  Nobody really knows the answer and many spend all of their life searching.  However, this can be done by taking time to yourself to appreciate what you have got and what you want and why you want it.  You can look back at all of the obstacles that you had overcome to be where you are now. You can look at all the people you have met and the impact that they have left on you.  You will then realize why you do what you do, the people you do it for etc.

                                                                 

Ultimately, to find the essence of an actor is to uncover his/her building blocks and discover that one trait that sets him/her apart from a crowd of hundreds.

It's Kimberlyee Ocean Starr!

Hey, everyone!  I’m Kimberlyee Ocean and I was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on April 27^th.  If I am to use one word to describe myself, it would probably ‘one-of-a-kind’.  So maybe that was four... how about ‘unique’ then?  Or as my friends and classmates would describe me as: ‘quirky’.  Regardless, I can assure you that you will never find another like me.  I can laugh about the weirdest things and cry for the silliest reasons; I love to express myself and hide my feelings at the same time.  I am a student, but also, a teacher.  I am a sister, a friend, a role model and an artist.  I like to live for the moment and experience life, but I also like to sit back and just do nothing.  I am ambitious, but I can be hesitant.  I am confident, but I am also terribly shy.  I can go out with a bang and still be extremely insecure.  These are all the things that define me.

Since I was little, I have always dreamed about being in front of the camera and reaching out to the millions of people watching me.  Seeing all of the celebrities setting negative examples these days, I strive for the power to culture jam.  To be counter culture and empower the next generations and give them strength is what I strive for.  Also, seeing all the struggles many people go through every day, I want to be able to use my influence to make a difference in their life and give them the chance to live.

When I was younger, I felt that acting was just a fairytale—there was no way that I was going to make it, much less attempt it.  I was not pretty or talented enough.  However, coming into high school, I realized that it is much more than that when I took the Acting for TV/Film course.  There, I learned that this industry is also about passion, ambition, tenacity and much, much more.  At that time, I knew less than nothing about the industry, I will admit.  Regardless, under the invaluable tutelage from my teacher and never-ending support from my classmates, I soon found my place in the class—family—and my love for this craft became concrete.  Taking it all through high school, I am now in my third and final year of this artistic chapter in my life.

In this blog, you will get to know me through all of my thoughts, pieces of advice and experience on life and from striving to make my dream a reality.  I hope you are ready for the ride of a life time as I take you on a journey into the depths of my soul... =).