Part 1: Montreal

vacations are a MUST! my slightly over 2 week vaycay in Toronto was exactly what i needed. time with good company :) during my stay in tdot i headed up to Montreal for my cousin Jeigh Madjus' first film role as a LEAD in a FEATURE FILM entitled Servitude. it was hilarious! currently the Canadian release date is this fall so all you Canadians watch out! i'm obsessed with instagram...no more bulky slrs :)

a road trip isn't a road trip w/o timmys

we stayed in Holiday Inn and yes the interior is full blown china town

and it just happened to be the Just for Laughs Festival...BONUS!

isn't she so cute! resemblance much? :)

Servitude premiered at Cinema du Parc in the Just 4 Laughs Festival

there's my cuz and the rest of the cast :)

back on the road to T-oH!

make me up

i've taken a turn down girlie road for makeup!!! i've been on youtube watching endless tutorials on "how to do drag makeup" as well as "dramatic eyeshadow". with an over the top caribana mas costume my makeup has to be equally avant garde. however my kit consists of oh so natural looks. so how can i achieve fabulousity for under $20? i made my way over to Cosmetic Warehouse located at 1333 Kennedy Rd in Scarborough. after much hand painting i found the Profusion 48 color eyeshadow to have the most color intense shadows. and i was also looking for various shades of green.
cost: $4.99


as soon as i got home i tried them out. these shadows are awesome! even after i washed my face with a cloth it still clung on for dear life. wanna be a drag queen or up your makeup skills? check out youtubers: pixiwoo, miss chievous, julieg713

caribana warmup

it's official!!! i will be joining Shannon Boodram and her TGAW posey on the streets of tdot celebrating CARIBANA 2011!!! yesterday i made my way over to the Saldenah boot camp to pay for and try on my mas slash scandalous outfit. my booty is all out and i need to do some serious crunches...hopefully i can stick to Shannon's ab work out tips. this isn't the outfit but isn't it lovely?

i've never played in mas and i'm all about livin' it up. so yes! i'll be 'sexy' for a day. my filipino mom disapproves...i love it! this is one step closer to my brazilian idol

if you'd like to go all out and play mas next summer here in Toronto visit: http://www.saldenahcarnival.com/

that's life

i apologize for my mia action here on blogspot. i would love to check in and be regular as i was back in Vancouver but life happened. ny has been a bitter/sweet experience for me. the married life is WORK! career is WORK! maintaining sanity is WORK! i've been chewed up and spit out here in NY but in perfect Maya style I do manage to stay on top. so yeah...life happened and my attention has been on that and not my blog among other things that bring joy in my life. having said that lucky me is on vay-cay here in tdot which was much needed! time with friends and family and peace and quiet was well over due. i'm planning on moving on out the hood into a place i can relax in and call home this september. i'll definitely be in a more positive, creative head space and have more to blog about. i do apologize...things are in the works and as i mentioned i'm on instagrm, twitter, and facebook which has more happenings.
some photos from instragrm

flew with Porter which had awesome prices on flights $243 return. WOOT WOOT!!! and they serve chilled beverages in glass cups...classy :)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MAYA & NY

my 1 year anniversary here in NY was on june 8th. in the 1 year i've spent here i've done a milestone of growing. i'd love to say i'm a millionaire, am living in a gorgeous loft and/or brownstone, have "made it", but not quite and let's be honest...this is real life. some may say i'm back at square one but i know i actually just time travelled back to the present to make a different choice and i'll keep time travelling until i make a choice that brings me to my final destination. deja vu? seemingly familiar terrain? auto repeat? no..just time travel :) i'm grateful for all the experiences i've lived both positive and negative, it makes my life that much more colourful!
speaking of colourful here's a lovely pic i took with the hubby heading to dinner to celebrate my 1 year. thank you nyc for challenging me and making me that much stronger!

all my iphone users follow me on instagram to keep updated via photos within seconds. you can click on the image or add my username: mayasworld


and some inspiring lyrics by my girl Alicia Key: Empire State Of Mind (Part II) Lyrics

Ooohh New York

Grew up in a town that is famous as the place of movie scenes
Noise was always loud, there are sirens all around and the streets are mean
If I can make it here, I can make it anywhere, that's what they say
Seeing my face in lights or my name on marquees found down on Broadway

Even if it ain’t all it seems, I got a pocketful of dreams
Baby, I'm from New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York, New York, New York!

On the avenue, there ain't never a curfew, ladies work so hard
Such a melting pot, on the corner selling rock, preachers pray to God
Hail a gypsy cab, takes me down from Harlem to the Brooklyn Bridge
Some will sleep tonight with a hunger far more than an empty fridge

I'm gonna make it by any means, I got a pocketful of dreams
Baby, I'm from New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do
Now you're in New York
These street will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York, New York, New York!

One hand in the air for the big city,
Street lights, big dreams all looking pretty
No place in the world that can compare
Put your lighters in the air, everybody say yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

In New York
Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Now you're in New York!

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothing you can't do
Now you're in New York
These street will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Hear it for New York!

until then :)

awwww...thanks ladies! since my new site isn't up and even when it is perhaps i'll navigate it to my blogspot...just for you Camille and Fly Lady :) it's great to know my thoughts are appreciated.
but back to business :)
i've been hard at work making my dreams a reality. i went to Atlantic City this weekend for an aerobics conference interviewing amazing people for my doc. to put it out there i'm working on a documentary about 80's aerobics :) for those of you wanting to pursue a project that demands time and money look into fiscal sponsors. i'm currently finishing up my package for the New York Foundation for the Arts. Essentially they represent you on the charitable front. they do not provide funds however when you are seeking funding it helps to have an organization behind you as they can offer tax credits to those wanting to financial help your project. the great thing with the application is it's forced me to think long and hard about what i'm actually trying to create. what is this project? what is the timeline? what is the budget? who is your target market? what is my marketing strategy?....all questions that have focused both myself and my project. fiscal sponsors are everywhere and are designed for non-profit projects, however when i asked them about possible sales and distribution they were all for it. their explanation: my project is not for profit in production. since they only represent me while in production i can make all the money i want after that point :) isn't that awesome?! so whether you want to film something, have a solo exhibition, rehearsals for performance, whatever, fiscal sponsor may be able to help out.
and for all you peeps who want to film something but don't have the equipment think about rentals. you can rent ANYTHING these days! digital cameras, mics, lens, steadicams...i picked up a few items from CSI Rentals here in NY. these peeps are dope! i rented a few items for my trip to Atlantic City. although it isn't necessary i'm putting together a documentary trailer with my application. visuals help potential investors or producers see where your vision is going. however if a trailer sucks you may want to omit it all together. all in all my interviews went AMAZING. i learned a lot of do's and don'ts. DO hire a soundman, DO try to be as quiet as possible while interviewing, DO plan ahead and stay open to improvising, DO have fun!
so i have an application to complete :) here are some photos from my trip

the end is only the beginning

yes it's true! my run here at frugalartist is reaching it's next phase. as of July 4th (hopefully) mayawashington.com will serve as my own personal site and blog. it will be jam packed with all things maya: photography, acting, directing, shopping, thoughts...everything i talk about here :) who know's maybe i can somehow tie this blog into my site but as for now i will be on hiatus so if you want updates you can follow me at:

twitter.com/mayasworld
the link may have technical difficulties but add me: Maya Washington facebook.com/mayasworld