So I haven’t blogged for a while

Which is annoying, because I finally had a blog people cared about somewhat slightly maybe! But it’s fine, as I am back, which can mean only one thing, I have coursework due in, which means I get stricken with the bug to be creative, and write amazingly new and interesting things that are anything BUT the coursework that is due in. Seriously, last time I had coursework due in I wrote the pilot for a TV show that I then went on to pitch to Channel 4…

But anyway, it has indeed been a few weeks since I last wrote a blog, and a LOT has happened in that time. I went down to London to go and get my interview for my US visa, which wasn’t as bad a process as some people have suffered, but I think that’s because I went down early. I did have a few mishaps on the way, including getting completely lost on the way to my hotel, which I’m pretty sure was a doll house rather than a full size hotel. The shower room/toilet was essentially a caravan toilet installed in the wall, with a shower that decided it’d be nice to send me to the embassy with a burnt back! Lovely. The actual interview itself was fine, made all the better by the fact that they sold REAL Mountain Dew at the snack shop, rather than the energy stuff we usually get over here!

If you’re reading this and you’re not already on the program, but you’re a University student tempted by the idea, let me tell you know, go for it. Even if you’re in two minds about how useful it will be, trust me, it really is. This week I essentially got promoted at work, all because of Disney. I’ve only been in the job 8 months (compared to some who’ve been there for years) and I’m already promoted because they feel my Disney training will be invaluable. So really, the benefits of the program are there for me already.

It’s now about 8 weeks until I set off on my Disney adventure, and boy have I been getting excited. Pin trading in the Disney Store on Oxford Street during my Visa trip, watching Dumbo, Beauty and the Beast and countless other Disney films, planning every single day off, reading all the advice and watching all the instructional videos, I genuinely cannot wait. I don’t know if it’s excitement for Disney or excitement for getting my exams out the way, but I just NEED this to hurry up and get here!

I suppose if I’m being honest though, my excitement is kind of tinged with a bit of homesickness, before I’ve even left. You know that feeling when you go on holiday, and you think your whole world is going to change while you’re away? Imagine that “2 week holiday” feeling, now imagine if it was for 3 months. Add in the fact that the ICP is SUPPOSED to change your whole world, and the trepidation starts to set in. I think though, that I’m reassured by the fact that not only have I made a lot of awesome new friends already through the ICP, but I also feel as though my current friends are the best group of friends I’ve ever had, so I know they’ll support my decisions, and will be here when I come back, something I’ve never felt confident about with people I’ve known in the past.

I’m not sure this blog has really said anything of note, if I’m honest, but I’m hoping to have more to say soon

Until then, stay safe, stay happy, and keep thinking Disney

 

Phil

The Disney Diet

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POSTS CONTAIN IMAGES THAT ARE ENOUGH TO PUT ANYONE OFF THEIR DINNER.

So. This was me in September 2011. At roughly my heaviest. Miserable, and hated everything about myself. I’d been dealing with some personal issues in the months leading up to this photograph, and that led me to not treat my body with the respect it deserves (also, anybody going through those issues, please, trust me. It DOES get better. It may not feel like it. But, I promise you, it does. This time last year I was dumped by my first girlfriend, I was on anti-depressents (not for being dumped), and I was generally not in a good place. Now I’ve been on TV and I’m fulfilling my dreams of working at Walt Disney World, so things DO get better.) I was huge. I used food as my comfort and despite never being a skinny lad, due to my phobia of all things vegetable, but this was stupid. I’d go through cycles of not eating for 4 days at a time, then I’d gorge on KFC and Krispy Kreme. It was stupid, and it was bad.

It’s now March 2012, and there aren’t any photos of me that are really recent, this one is from December 2011, about 2 months after I decided to get my life together!

This is me behind the scenes of the last ever episode of Weakest Link with fellow contestant Mandy Gap. I’m happy. I’m wearing makeup (not my choice ), and here I’d say I’m roughly a stone and a half lighter than in the previous photo. I’d discovered that most magical place known as the gymnasium. I’d discovered plain grilled chicken and brown rice. I’d discovered myself, and I was happy. This photo is significant as well as it was taken 3 days after I got told that I had been accepted on the Walt Disney World International College Program! So there I was, officially one of the 9 best contestants on my favourite tv show as a child, and also now going to work in my favourite place on Earth! Life was good!

But I didn’t get complacent. Disney inspired my further to work harder, train harder, and be better than ever. I’ve been doing all my research on everything Disney, and there’s no way that I want to be the one sat on the edge, watching everyone else enjoy a pool party. And hey, those princesses are beautiful, right? No reason why I can’t be one of their princes! I’ve lost a further 2 stone since the picture above was taken, and I’m on course to lose around another 3 stone before I get to Disney. I mean, I’m going to be buff.

But this blog isn’t really about “hey look what I did!” It’s more to kind of point out the power of the Mouse. There’s a Disney store nearly everywhere now. If you’re reading this, you probably like Disney. Do me a favour. If you’re ever feeling low. Talk to someone. Walk to the Disney store, stick on a Disney film. Laugh. Enjoy your life and be grateful for it! If you ever need to talk, and can’t talk to anyone else, you can always talk to me, I’m no longer faceless, and I’m always willing to help. Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth, and now, thanks to the magic, I’m the happiest man on Earth.

Oh, and one other thing. I found a more recent photo of myself…

 

Love and Laughs

 

Phil

 

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P.S – If anyone wants any hints/motivation for dieting etc, get in touch

The Phone Interview

I really don’t want to turn this blog into one of those “step by step” instructionals, there are plenty of those out there, with plenty more experience than I have. This blog to me is my therapy, a chance to get some ideas out there, but with a mainly Disney twist, however, within hours of posting this on Tumblr (if you’re reading this on Tumblr, the reason I have to differentiate is because this also goes up on WordPress) I’d recieved a fair few messages asking for tips, and to be honest, perhaps the best message I’ve ever got, informing me my last blog was the best thing they’d read on Tumblr, and it had “changed their life.” I mean, that hit home, it really did. I suppose deep down, that’s part of the reason we all want to go to Disney, right? We want to make some form of difference.

Now, I’ve been quite interested in politics and social activism for a while, trying to change things and make things better for everyone, but to be honest, I always think that laughter and a smile on the face is making just as much of a change as standing in a protest for hours, and that’s what I said in my interviews. 4 year old me fell in love with Disney World, and now it’s time for 19 year old me to go back, and help a whole new generation to fall in love. Afterall, as the great Walt himself said, adults are only kids grown up anyway!

So now I figure it’s time to do a bit of the “boring” stuff and give my take on the interview process! I can’t remember too much to be totally honest, mainly because I was terrified, but I shall do my best to help out!

The main advice I can offer to anyone, is think like Scar. BE PREPARED!

The week before the interview, I started to think about what I was good at, why I really wanted to be in Disney, what Disney meant to me, everything you could possibly be asked, and I made a note of it all, one sheet of A4, a few bullet points. You really don’t want to write too much, because it is SO obvious when someone is just reading something out. Be a bit adventurous, ad lib a little! The main thing that I wrote, IN MASSIVE LETTERS, was SAY GOSH NOT GOD, mainly because I have the unfortunate habit of swearing without thinking (I’m trying hard to fix this, and my rehab is going well). The other one that’s always good to think about is what Disney character you’re most like, it’s a common question, but it’s one of those that when you get asked it on the spot, it can stump you, because if you’re like me, then you’ll want to compare yourself to everyone!

I’ll also give you some advice that has really helped me. What I’m sure you don’t know about me is that I’m a wrestler, or at least was before I took a break to prepare for Disney. In wrestling I was trained to speak without ever saying “Umm,” or “err.” You need to do the same. Get a list of random topics (get someone else to make this for maximum effect), put them all in a hat, pull one out. Speak about it for 1 minute without saying “umm” or “ahh,” you can do this with a friend or with a mirror. If you hear yourself say “umm” or “err,” start again! It’s long and painful, but trust me, it helps you with everything in life! I’ve always been quite shy, but now to be perfectly honest, I’m pretty darn confident! So if you take one thing away from this blog, please. Try this. It works!

The phone interview itself is terrifying, but easy. It’s over in a flash, but Yummy Jobs is staffed by some lobely people, I had Michelle for mine, and she was so relaxing on the phone, went along with everything I said (we spoke about wrestling for a while, her nephew is a wrestler too apparently!) The advice I’ve given other people is treat it like an improve exercise, and that’s say yes to everything ( maybe not literally everything) but if they’re being positive, be positive with it. Don’t tell them you’re a massive Disney fan, but be enthusiastic without being unprofessional! Express love for Disney, but also love for WORKING for Disney.

Above all, keep calm, it only lasts for 5 minutes, and then you get to spend the next few weeks regretting everything you said!  If there’s anything else you want to know then feel free to email me on (thephilgreen@live.co.uk), or through the links at the bottom, or by my ask box if you’re reading this on Tumblr .

I intend to write a little bit more later, a more “Phil” oriented blog rather than a factual one!

Love and laughter,

 

Phil

 

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The Story So Far

I said pretty much as soon as I was offered the Disney job that I’d start one of these, but then I fell victim to the great disease that is procrastination. As we speak (or I type, whatever) it’s 91 days until I’m leaving on a jet plane! I have a massive uni project due in on Monday,which of course means now is the perfect time to write about Disney instead!

I used to do a bit of blogging, semi-professionally for a while, so I’m going to start this the same way I started that lot of writing as well. Basically an agreement between myself, and yourself (as a collective). The agreement is I’ll warn you in advance of what to expect from me and my writing, and you, if you choose to keep reading, then in return you get my undying love. My writing is somewhat conversational, often a wee bit excited, and I have an annoying habit of capitalising the first TWO letters in a word, never interntionally, just by holding the shift key for too long. I’m sometimes a bit dry/sarcastic, but as it’s a Disney blog I’ll try and lighten things up a bit . I will also likely say I will write things in the future, and then change my mind, so if some reason you decide you like the idea of something I say I will write, prepare for disappointment. Also prepare for trouble, and make it double!.

While I intend to write about things a bit more in detail (again, we’ll see if it happens),  I’ll do a quick summary here of my application to Disney, why I did it, and what I hope to achieve from it (aside from free entry to Walt Disney World)!

I first heard about the International Program when my friend posted it up on Facebook, announcing how she wanted to take part. I’ve always been a massive Disney fan, my proudest achievement is seeing Finding Nemo 145 times (yes, I counted).  I clicked the link, I waited until applications opened, and then I sent my near enough blank  CV (I’m an academic, with next to no work experience) off to Yummy Jobs, who handle the applications UK side on behalf of Disney. Many, many moons later, I finally realised that that’s no moon, it’s a space station! After coming off my Star Wars tangent, I recieved an email offering me a phone interview, which being unable to speak on the phone, made me discount my chances immediately, but went through with it due to the whole it’d be rude not to thing. Long story short despite being a shaky, babbling mess with a pile of notes which I couldn’t pick up due to nerves, somehow I was deemed good enough to get a face to face interview!

The face to face was fun, due to my obviously outstandingly attractive personality, a whole ONE person from the WDWIP.com forums had decided to add me on Facebook (which you can too, right here). By sheer coincidence, that one person just happened to be my partner in the pair interview we had, and I think because we’d chatted before, we kind of helped each other out, and I know for me it was definitely more relaxing to have a friendly face, rather than someone who was seen as “competition,” I think we both kind of realised if we were friendly both to each other (not difficult) as well as Jill, then things would both be easier, as well as a lot nicer, because who says you can’t make friends in a job interview right?

So time went by, I watched Aladdin a lot (Aladdin is my go to film when I’m stressed, nothing else can calm me down or cheer up as easily, except maybe Rugrats…)Eventualy, I got the email saying I was going to Disney, and that I’d be working in Quick Food and Beverage! Not going to lie, I was slightly disappointed, as I always felt my strengths lie in person to person interaction, rather than burger flipping, but hey, learning new skills and all that lark!

One of the questions I was asked in both interviews was what I can offer Disney compared to what they can offer me. Truth be told, I don’t know what I can offer Disney, except an amazing ability to say yes to anything, even if it’s inherently stupid (“Push the monorail to get it going again you say? Ok then!”). But I know that Disney can offer me a chance to prove myself. To be more independent, to finally stop spending money stupidly because I now have something to save for (yeah, last year I spent really stupidly), a chance to come out of my shell on a more personal level (I’m great when I’m being professional in work (I’m a tour guide), but I tend to be a little shy actually getting to know people, I intend to change that this year), to have a bit of fun, cut a bit loose, and get to know some of the people that Facebook groups have already indicated could turn out to be some of the best people I’ll ever meet!

In short then, I’m going to Disney (dunno if I mentioned that…), and I’m intending to make it the best three months ever, for me, and for everyone I get to know while I’m over there.I fought hard enough to get there, and so I need to make the most of it. Flights are booked, friends are already starting to be made, excitement is building!

On a side note to the sensible spending thing, I may have last night spent £280 quid on a new Blackberry, and Blackberry PlayBook tablet PC, but in my defence it saves me buyign a phone while I’m in Florida and I’ve always wanted a tablet PC

Any feedback, hit me up.

Love and laughs,

Phil

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