Well I started smoking again. Ah jesus.
I did manage to last two weeks smoke free then some pesky bugger bugged me and before you know it I turned back into Puffing Billy. I’m averaging about 3 or 4 cigarettes a day so I guess it ain’t sooo bad. It curbs my appetite a bit, which I suppose is good for the camera but honestly the stupidest reason to continue smoking if ever I’ve heard one.

The TV show is going marvelously- we’re on hiatus. So I made the most of the week’s break and escaped to San Jose Del Cabo, Mexico. Am catching up on some much needed sleep and days of doing absolutely NOTHING.  Blissful. Wonderful. Joy. Ecstasy. Rapture.

Rather delightfully I discovered that I haven't forgotten all my spanish. I spoke it as a child when I lived in Colombia- according to mum I was quite fluent too. I've been happily chattering away to the  hotel staff.


Here’s a picture of me doing absolutely nothing useful during sunset. Freshly showered and gorging on olives and almonds. From the balcony of where we're staying at the Palmilla in San Jose Del Cabo.



I know it's a terrible picture. It was with my phone and I hate phone photos. Almost as bad as passport photos. Here's a great picture of the Forbidden City. It was an old man reading the newspaper and his faithful dog. So gorgeous.



Thanks everyone for checking back so often despite my long absence, the TV series is working me so damn hard, seems all I do in the time off is sleep. and do laundry.
Thanks too for all who commented. It's super encouraging.
Hope you're all doing great. Love~Steph xx

I'm not one to bible bash an ideal- but I am an advocate of doing what you can to save the environment.  I'm about to have a bashing session- so if you can't stand the idea of yet another actor forcing their viewpoints on you (because I've read enough of that malarky myself- seems like every young Hollywood twat has a new thing that they're pushing every week) then know this- I have many but I'll only talk about one. Today.

Do something for your planet. Even if it's something that seems little and inconsequential like turning off your car if you're in standstill traffic on the highway like I was today. Felt like choking from the fumes of a thousand cars backed up on highway 99.

I watched 'An Inconvenient Truth' last weekend. I had the dvd for a few months but I refused to watch it till now cause I knew it would scare the pants off me. But Iast weekend came around and I had run out of excuses not to watch it- so I did. Recommended viewing for everyone. In fact - there should be a law passed that from tomorrow onwards everyone has to watch ' An Inconvenient Truth' at least once. And for all those buggers that work in oil refineries- well they should have to watch it everyday.

I did an advert for the Canada Line- a public transport system that will cut down on traffic in the city of Vancouver. They're currently constructing it. It's frightfully noisy and is holding up traffic, and the shops around the construction areas are suffering a bit and it's just generally a pain in the ass, there's dust everywhere- but it's the RIGHT thing to do.  The inconvenience is short term. The long term plan is it will save our city. It must be done. Vancouver is too beautiful to be polluted by traffic, and it's accompanying noise and other assorted debris.

Here's the picture that came out in support of the Canada Line. I know that right now pedestrians and shop owners and people stuck in traffic because of the construction are probably cursing at my picture and the other participants in the adverts, but it's the RIGHT thing to do. You guys out there know it. Support it.

Do something for your planet. Do it today. Even if it's just as simple as carrying your own bag to the grocery store so that you won't be adding another plastic bag to a garbage tip somewhere. It'll make a difference.

S*


 

 
My big news is that I quit smoking . I heard that grasses is lives and who am I to smoke a life?

PS- My girlfriend Tala sent me this picture. From Beijing. Of course.

Anyone who has ever visited a film set can tell you that it can be a extremely boring event. There's a lot of waiting involved. Waiting for the camera crew, waiting for lighting, waiting for the weather to co operate, waiting for make up or hair for the actors, waiting for the director to get his act together, waiting for props.

waiting, waiting, waiting.

And that's if there aren't any children or animals involved!

I've always maintained that I get paid to wait. I act for free.

I found this on youtube while I was waiting in my trailer one day.

 
Video: it's business time

Enjoy.

S*

I have settled back in to Vancouver. Re entry (once I got past the jetlag) was startling easy. I caught up on Entourage, Gray’s Anatomy, Heroes and some reality based contest shows that I’m embarrassed to admit that I watch. I did all my laundry and unpacked everything and visited my hairdresser and kissed my friends. I distributed the posters that I brought back with me as I had done the incredibly tacky touristy thing and bought Cultural Revolution era posters, example- Mao reading on a podium, big red fist squashing LBJ and that other dude can’t-remember-his-name. I had to keep the posters of the communist girls. They’re so calm and serene while holding a machine gun, some of them dancing even in perfect ballet point while holding the gun aloft, so awesome.

I had a moment earlier today where everything felt so ‘back to normal’, felt like I hadn’t been away at all, and that perhaps my China trip was just a dream. So odd.

Then I look out into my garden and realize that in my two months absence a weird tree has managed to grow- I swear when I left it was just dirt there. The diameter of the trunk is about 3 inches and it measures about 6 feet. Can trees grow that fast?

S*

I love this sign. I came across it while climbing the Great Wall.