KoalaStar Rising:

Where would you go?

For me, it’s quite simple:

I have always been fond of Japan and I’ve been meaning to make a trip out there for quite sometime now. I love the culture and find the country to be absolutely amazing. I also have a slight obsession with anime, sushi and sake (ask anyone who knows me and they will attest to this) and I even named my crazy fat-head Pomeranian Sushi Kun (in Japanese this means Little Mr. Sushi if I’m not mistaken). I saw my first Kabuki show when I was about nine, and I have been fascinated with it ever since. I also hear the surfing is pretty good over there so I’d be interested to check that out too. To top everything off, I am a lover of all things fashion-related and the trends in Tokyo are one of a kind. I’ve heard a lot about Harajuku (a part of Tokyo known for its insane fashion) and I can’t wait to see it for myself.

It’s really neat because Marc and I are in the process of learning Japanese right now. We are hoping that we will know the basics by the time we do make a trip out to Japan so we will have an easier time there. I also hope that I learn enough Japanese so I can order food at my favorite ramen place and my favorite sushi place here in LA. I could go on and on about how much I love Japan, so I’ll stop here before I start to bore everyone.

Now it’s your turn. If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go? I’m really curious to hear your answers on this. I know that this is a difficult question because there are so many wonderful places to choose from, but if you had the money and the means to go to one specific place where would it be? And why?

Here are three very random (and very different) videos that I found on YouTube today. I decided to post them because they all bring back wonderful memories. Enjoy!

This is exactly what Sir Carlton looked like when he was a baby. I can’t believe he used to be that small!

Sir Carlton wasn’t as clumsy as this little guy, but Sushi sure was (and still is)!

I first came across this brilliant (and hilarious) video when I was studying abroad in London my junior year of college. This guy’s name is Daler Mehndi and he is huge in India!

His dance is oh so much better than that boring Macarena, don’t you think? Boy, do my people sure know how to bust a move!

And this last video is the opening from one of my favorite television shows growing up as a kid.

I used to know all the lyrics to this theme song.

It’s amazing, you really can find anything on YouTube. So, what are some of your favorite YouTube videos? Feel free to post them here!

Yesterday I attended my first baseball game at Dodgers Stadium and I had a blast! My friend Sara scored these amazing tickets so we were eight rows behind first base in one of those box/booths.

The Dodgers were playing The Giants and although the Dodgers lost (sadness), it was still a great game.

I got to try my first Dodger dog and I (of course) washed it down with a cold beer.

Never have I been so close to the field, and never has a foul ball come so close to my head! I really thought I was going to have to duck so the ball wouldn’t hit me.

One of the more exciting points of the evening was when the crowd went wild when Barry Bonds went up to bat. He ended up being walked to first and then he was replaced (he’s be injured a couple of times this year). Everyone booed while he was up at bat, and booed even more when he leaving, it was insane. I almost thought I was at at BoSox/Yankees game because the booing and chants were so loud! Here is a photo of Bonds right before his first ball.

The final score was 5-3 Giants. I forgot to snap a photo of the scoreboard before I left, so this is the best I got (top of the 6th).

I can’t wait to go to my next game! I think it would be great if the Dodgers played the BoSox (*keeping my fingers crossed* that both teams make it far this season so that can happen). I’m dying to show up to Dodgers Stadium decked out in my pink red sox hat and my 2004 champions t-shirt.

I found this video a couple of days ago and I think it is one of the cutest videos I have ever seen!

Look at how many fat-head Carltons there are! And look how they go from largest to smallest! Wouldn’t you agree that this video is simply precious?

Marc and I had a lovely time in wine country this past weekend. His parents came down for a conference, so we went and joined them in Santa Barbara and the surrounding areas. This is my second time going wine tasting in Santa Barbara County and I (once again) had an incredible time.

We began in the quaint town of Solvang, CA, known for its amazing Danish architecture, Danish bakeries and food (the Danish smorgaasbord restaurants are the best!)

Here I am in one of the phone booths.

It was such a cute little booth that I had to get my picture taken in it.

Here I am with Marc in front of one of the many beautiful windmills that can be found all over the town.

We were very lucky because early on in the day the weather was rainy and gloomy, but the minute we went wine tasting the sky cleared and the sun came out.

Our first stop on our wine tasting tour was Mosby Winery. Mosby’s is one of my all-time favorite wineries. Their Pinot Grigio is to die for and when you pair it with certain cheeses or a light chicken dish, your taste buds will be in heaven! I first heard about Mosby’s when I watched the movie Sideways so I knew that I had to check it out. We bought six or seven different bottles of wine there and we joined their wine club (yes, the wine is THAT good). Marc even picked up a bottle of their Grappa di Traminer. I’m not a brandy drinker at all (in fact, I’ve never been a fan of brandy), but I will definitely try the Grappa when Marc opens it, because it sounded so delicious when it was described to me.

Next, we went to Firestone Winery which is one of the largest wineries in Santa Barbara County. It was here that we first came across Jarhead Red, an excellent, inexpensive red table wine “made by Marines, for Marines” where the proceeds go to a scholarship for children of fallen marines. I urge all of you to buy a bottle or two (or twelve) for this great cause.

Right down the road from Firestone is their sister company, Curtis Winery, a smaller winery that makes a delectable Syrah. I was told that this particular Syrah goes great with steaks and spicy foods and I couldn’t agree more.

Our last stop was Epiphany Cellars, a cute little place located in the town of Los Olivos, CA. I was so excited when upon my arrival, I noticed they not only had eight different wines to try (usually you are offered between five and six wines to taste), but their last wine was a Petit Syrah (my current favorite when it comes to red wine). The Petit Syrah was perfect. So perfect, that we bought two bottles!

I must add that I fell in love with their wine glasses! I mean, anything that has an “E” on it gets 10,000 points in my book!

Before heading back to Los Angeles, we had dinner at The Hitching Post (also from the movie Sideways).

If you are ever wine tasting in Santa Barbara, I wholeheartedly recommend these wineries to go to and you must (I repeat, MUST) eat at The Hitching Post. Never have I had a more juicy, tender, filet mignon.

My good friend Elysse Grossi works for Planned Parenthood and she needs your help.

She says, “I dont solicite for help very often, but this is pretty important for me, my job, and other females within the US. As most of you probably know, I work for Planned Parenthood. We’ve recently made a new ad and are trying to get as many people to watch it as possible, not only to spread the word about safe sex, but also for the following reason:

We need you to watch our new ad on YouTube!

An anonymous donor has pledged $5,000 to the first Planned Parenthood affiliate that gets 5,000 views on YouTube. The ad is hilarious, and we know you’ll love it!

· Watch our new TV ad called “Angel”
· Forward this email to your friends and family or repost this on your myspace and have them watch the ad also.

That’s all you have to do to raise $5,000 to help prevent unintended pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Our latest “Safe is Sexy” ad features a young couple saved from unsafe sex by divine intervention in the form of a safe sex guardian angel. The humorous thirty second spot is aimed at youth ages 18-24 and will air throughout the next ten weeks on MTV, VH1 and FX. Take half a minute to watch it now, and help us raise $5,000. Don’t forget to forward this email to friends and family!

Thank you for your support!

So, if you could not only watch the ad, but also spread the word, it would be rad. Thanks!”

Here is the ad on YouTube

Please take the time to check it out!

Rejection. As an actor, this is a word that I have had to come to terms with. Growing up, I was never very good at handling rejection. I always preferred “constructive criticism” because I always wanted to know “why”. It was especially difficult for me when I didn’t get a particular part in a play because I was given no explanation, no reason as to why I didn’t get it or how I could improve for the next time around. As I’ve gotten older I’ve come to realize that in order to be a professional actor I need to have a thick skin, and I need to get used to rejection. No casting director is going to sit me down and explain to me why I didn’t get a part. They don’t have that kind of time to waste and they have much more important things to do.

I remember my friend, Joe Lambie, telling me that something like 80% of SAG (union) actors make less than $5,000 a year from acting. That’s insane! Yet, I still stick with it because acting is what keeps me going. Acting delights and excites me. It’s my calling. Sure, I could go pick an easier profession, one that guarantees a set salary for me, but it wouldn’t make me happy.

I will admit there are times I get frustrated. Times I don’t understand why I didn’t get the part, or the callback, or even the first audition. Times when I leave an audition thinking I was spot on and then I wait…I wait and I wait and I wait…And I never get “the call”. Instead of getting all upset about it, I now know that rejection is something I have to accept. I won’t get every role I audition for. Everyone gets rejected at some point in his or her career. There will always be other people going for the very same role as me, who are just as talented and have that perfect “look”. Just because I don’t get cast in something, I have to remember that it’s nothing against me personally and it doesn’t mean I’m a terrible actor. In fact, it often has nothing to do with my acting abilities at all.

I guess the reason I wrote all this out is because I’m in kind of in an acting slump right now. I keep getting auditions and even some callbacks, but I’m not actually getting any roles, which is somewhat disconcerting to me. This is not to say I’m going to give up anytime soon or anything. As I stated in an earlier post, I’m way too stubborn for that. I think I just needed to get my feelings out on this matter. I feel better already.

As many of you know, I am a huge fan of all things anime. My newest anime obsession is this show on Adult Swim called Shin-Chan, I can’t get enough of it! I think it is such a funny show. It’s about this little boy named Shin and all of the mischief he gets himself into.

I always look forward to the ending credits when the song “Party, Party” is played. It always puts me in a good mood.

Here it is on YouTube

I just can’t help but dance every time I hear this!

My favorite part of the song:

Woke up late this mornin’
A storm was really rollin’
Frogs and dogs are rainin’ from the sky
Everything seems awkward to me
Nothing’s just as it should be
If this keeps on i’m sure i won’t get by
But then I close my eyes and try to smile
I know things are bad and getting worse
But after all this I can rest a while
And then I’ll party, party
Party party join us join us
Party party join us join us
Party party join us join us
Shake your tail and you can
Party party join us join us
Party party join us join us
Party party join us join us
Shake your blues away

It’s a pretty catchy tune, don’t ya think?

I just wanted to send out my thoughts and prayers to everyone over at Virginia Tech and to the families and friends of those that were senselessly killed today in the shootings. It was a horrific act of violence that no one should have to go though.

My heart goes out to all of you…

Marc and I traveled all over the O.C. and San Diego this weekend. We did some sightseeing and spent a lovely evening in La Jolla with our friend Debs, but the main reason for our outing was simple: to find me the perfect wetsuit for surfing. Marc has been teaching me how to surf for a while now, so we both thought it was a great idea (and high time) for me to get my own wetsuit.

We went to about 20 different stores and we couldn’t find what we were looking for anywhere. Either they didn’t have my size, or the fit was a little odd, or the color was terrible. Who would have thought that buying a wetsuit could be so difficult? I had no idea it was going to be so hard! We finally found the perfect suit at this neat little surf and ski shop in Encinitas. It’s grey with a bit of pink on each arm and it fits me perfectly. It’s made by this company called Xcel and from what I hear, I couldn’t have picked a more reliable brand.

We saw such beautiful surfboards at all the different stores and I’ve got to say that I now know what my next big purchase is going to be: a custom made (pink, purple and blue) 9′ surfboard with a cartoon koala on the deck. I obviously won’t be getting this for a while, but I am greatly looking forward to the time when I feel I am good enough to own it. Right now I’m quite content with renting a board whenever I go surfing (although there is always the possibility that I’ll buy a cheaper foam board if I find one that I really like).

I have always found surfing to be such an amazing sport to watch (have you ever seen someone hang ten?! One word: WOW). When I first started surfing I was surprised at how much of my body I had to use (legs, arms, chest–you name it, and you probably use it) all while having to keep my balance. It is indeed very difficult, but oh so rewarding. I can remember quite clearly when I caught a wave for the very first time. I felt like I was gliding over the water. It was such a wonderful feeling.

Just thinking about all this makes me want to grab my wetsuit and head to the beach right away. Tomorrow I plan on waking up super early so I can go. I’m so excited that I can barely contain myself! *squeals*