Year in Review 2010

Granted, it's the last day of the decade, but it's been a tough decade so I choose to just focus on this last year, which has been so beautiful and amazing in so many ways.

2010 Favorites

Movies: Tangled, How to Train Your Dragon, The Social Network
(runners up: Toy Story 3, Despicable Me, Harry Potter 7)


Music: This year I fell in love with Owl City, Ratatat, and Phoenix

YouTube Favorites: Media mixers The Gregory Brothers and re-mix master from down under, Pogo

Books: "A Return to Love" by Marianne Williamson, "Why M.E." by Alex Howard, "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle (all spiritual guidance that jump started my journey to recovery and health)

Blogs: Pascal Campion, Brittney Lee, Le Petit Doodler



Highlights of my Year:

-Sept '09 - June '10 : Was the teaching assistant for two amazing mentors in computer animation, Valerie and Richard...
-February: Attending my first Annie Awards, witnessing and loving the great work of the Animation Industry
-Visiting the DreamWorks Animation Campus
-Taking Cinematography and learning how to use a REAL camera

-Had a very snowy and fun Spring Break in Denver, during the biggest snow storm of the year!

-Organized UCLA's Festival of Animation with my two stellar partners Adam and Natalie and thus got to organize and meet with Animation Great Randy Cartwright

-April: Screened my film Squirrel Tale at the Newport Beach Film Festival (and subsequently the San Diego International Children's Film Festival at Comic Con)
-June-Completed my MFA and Thesis Film for UCLA's Animation Program

-Took a little trip to Hawaii with my bff Danielle and went parasailing!

-July- Volunteered for the SIGGRAPH conference in LA and saw some awesome things and met really amazing like-minds....
-August: Started working with the Optimum Health Clinic (in London) via Skype to get my health back to awesome... so far my life has changed from the inside out completely....
-October: Had a baby shower for my sister Nessie... going to have a little Neice next year!!
-Christmas 2010: Spent in Denver with my sister. Was SO RELAXED!
-End of 2010: Decided on a life change... 2011 brings a new life in Denver, Colorado

Goals for 2011:
-Get as healthy as possible following my new health plan
-Find a job that fits my new needs
-Draw more! (Always a goal) And Create MORE!
-Be as happeh as possible, always being grateful and compassionate

I wish you all a very happy New Year! Next year will bring a completely new world to me, so I'm looking forward to ringing it in!

Fallen in love....

I have fallen in love with a new artist. She currently works at Disney Animation Studios and her work is so ... *sigh*...
Brittney Lee's work can be found at her Blog...
I am head over heels in love.

Big News, Big Trip, Big New World

Feeling a little like Rapunzel in her tower, this princess is ready to explore a new world...

In January, I will be driving out to Phoenix with my car packed to the brim, to meet my sister and embark on a road trip to a new destination: Denver, Colorado. This is no ordinary trip... this might be giving "stay-cation" a new meaning; you stay where you have vacationed. My visit to Denver will last anywhere between a month and the rest of my life, depending on what destiny has in store for me. I would bet on the latter rather than the former.

My health has improved enough that I'm ready to shift into a new gear, and this is actually necessary in order to get to the next level of recovery.

William Wordsworth said, "A deep distress hath humanized my soul." and through this challenging and dark experience, I have come to see life turned inside out, and a new life is just the thing to initiate exactly the change I need.

While logically, my brain is still doing cartwheels trying to figure out "WHY!?", my little heart that beats leads me to believe this is precisely what I need to do.

My biggest sadness came about when I questioned: "What about my career in animation? what about my friends? what about hollywood!? WHAT ABOUT DISNEYLAND!??" to wich my happy little heart reminded me...."Disneyland will still be there in 5, 10, 20 years". And I believe it. Everything I am leaving behind will resurface again at another time in my life when I am ready.




Plus... Denver has great shopping.

(My new Home)

(Actually, this is what it will be like until like... May... )

Rapunzel courtesy of Disney Animation Studios , Tangled is absolutely my new favorite movie of all time.