World Toilet Day

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am bathroom shy. You might even say I am in potty denial. I just don’t want anyone to know that I actually engage in certain activities, and I think that by denying them, they will ultimately go away. But today is different. I’m coming out of the closet as a person who has and who uses the toilet. Why? Because today is about a good case, it is about awareness. It is about the 2.5 billion people without access to sanitation. It is about a situation affecting almost half of the global population. And that is not funny. 

There is more to this than not having clean water or a comfy little seat to sit on. We all talk about human rights and equal rights and all of that, and meanwhile there is almost half a planet without the basic necessities a lot of us take for granted. Even if we wish we didn't have to. 

Please check out http://worldtoiletday.com/squat/ for more information.

I'm a Star!

I love it when it is all about me. I really, really do. And last Thursday was so all about me, it was amazing. It started on Tuesday with a phone call from a casting office, asking if I would be part of a TV commercial shooting in Agra on Thursday. I, being the camera whore that I am, immediately said yes. I had no idea what I would be doing, but really didn’t care. There would be hair, makeup and lighting. What more did I need I to know?

We left for Agra on Wednesday evening as we had a 7am call to the set. I was snug and in bed just after midnight, and in my usual fashion, could not sleep at all. Visions of cameras and craft services were dancing in my head and before I knew it, it was 5am and I my phone was ringing with a wake-up call. Then it was hair, makeup and wardrobe, before heading off to the set, the Taj Mahal. There were two different locations shooting that morning and after 5 minutes, we were told that we were needed at Agra Fort, and so we left after what has to be the shortest visit ever in the history of the Taj Mahal. I doubt anyone else has been there for less than 10 minutes. Ever.

We got to Agra Fort and that is when the chaos started. It turns out, I was not in the commercial, I was the star of the commercial. The star. S-T-A-R, and all in capital letters. I can’t explain it, but I love when the camera is on me. It just feels so wonderful, so natural and I lose all my inhibitions. Things I would never do in the privacy of my own home, I would gladly do in front of a camera. Like I said, I’m a camera whore.

Agra Fort is a pretty popular monument, a lot of it due to the fact that on a clear day, there are some pretty fabulous views of the Taj Mahal. Just take a look at the second picture. So a bit into shooting, the place fills with tourists. Suddenly, they forget about the monument and cameras are focused on us. At one point I was shooting my close-up while 200 or so people were watching me, pointing, snapping pictures. I was in heaven. All those people with all those cameras, all looking at me. Taking pictures of me. Pointing at me. And I have proof. My character had a camera. My own camera, so I was able to snap pictures of the whole event. Check out the crowd that was there watching me. Me. Me. Me.

It was just what I needed. This past year has been a rollercoaster of emotion and I had been feeling more down than anything lately. It was just the pick me up I needed. Just the tiny escape from reality that I needed to get myself up and running at full speed again.