Facing Rejection, Being Courageous & The Return of The Goggleboxers!

Hello world! Welcome back to another blog, and my first weekly highlights after a break from the summer holidays. There were a few curveballs during the first week of September, but as seen below, I’ve managed to battle through them through blood, sweat (literally) and tears. So without further ado, here’s what I got up to on the week commencing 1st September 2025!

Professional:

Acting Class:

This week we delved into the world of self tapes. I never had a session where we go properly in depth with the text, but it was also very helpful. We then got the chance to perform the scenes after a deep thorough analysis, with each group giving off a different section of the script. And despite a stumble from myself, I managed to carry on and get a compliment to say that it was one of my most naturalistic performances. Now that I will take as a compliment. But the session overall was really good, as it gave an insight to not only see what a in the room audition looks like, but to also have a deeper understanding of looking at a script. 

Applying for Acting Jobs:

As always I’m still sending in and nudging my agent on more acting jobs. I’ll be honest, I could’ve done more as I only gave in 2%, but at the same time it’s better than 0%. It’s also a fine example of how even if it’s 2% I’m still keeping that consistency. 

Emailing Casting Directors and Creatives:

This week I drafted some more emails to casting directors and creatives. I mainly did this at the weekend by scheduled to send them for next week. Now for those that have gmail, you’ll know that you can schedule an email to send on a specific day and time, which is really useful as then you can cancel it anytime and redo it before you send it. 

Act On This Podcast:

This week I watched a podcast with Rachel Shenton, who’s been on Act On This many times so it’s always a pleasure when she comes on. This one talked about her life as a new mum, her latest show The Rumour coming out, and also seeing the pattern of how she got to where she is today. And I’ll definitely take away her tips and feel the fear and do it anyway, including doing something courageous.

Coronation Street:

This week I watched the show from 22nd and 25th august. Just as when the meeting with the social went well, an incident from joanie scuppered that chance of having a normal life, which resulted in the separation and living with her auntie, and Sarah was right for kit not to call Brody, knowing his mood. And kit was there to support Sarah when Carla gave off some bad news folllwinf Eli’s visit from a previous episode. There was also a scary time for Debbie, who had a hospital visit following a collapse, mainly down to too much exercise and not enough nutrition. And even though she thought she heard Carl, she definitely wasn’t hearing things, as it was Tracy who caught him and Abi red handed, and after a blackmail, Abi decided to go the nice way in the hope that she’ll stop it, but Tracy being tracy, she won’t go down without a fight. But there’s a little more good news for Dee Dee where after making a hasty escape following her opening up to Ollie about Joel, it may seem she’ll get her happiness she and laila deserve. But the biggest thing that happened with the departure of aadi, where even though it was devs idea, he definitely had second thoughts. Even steve’s and Mary’s plan to get Amy and aadi back together therefore making aadi stay didn’t work, but it’s good that along with Lauren, they’re parting on good terms. But I wish he knew how much Asha was struggling, as a flashback saw her having some tough cases to deal with. I’ll let you reading this watch for yourself the stuff she went through on that day as a lot of it was hard to watch, but it’s important to show stuff like this on coronation street, highlighting the realities of working for the NHS. I also watched the show from 26th and 29th august. Aadis departure (where I hope Adam Hussain who plays aadi will get more opportunities in the future) definitely hit Asha where it hurts, and after thinking she was dead following his car being broken (which I’ll get onto that in a moment), and a situation where Brody had a go at her, she drowned her sorrows. But thankfully Lisa was able to help her see that she needs to report what happened (which I didn’t know is classed as a criminal offence). But even that didn’t do the trick, as she lied about being ill, and despite not attending summers 21st (which I’ll also get onto), her colleague Sienna made it clear that unless she tells the truth, she will be in big trouble. I also have a feeling that Theo’s behaviour is getting more controlling by the minute, starting with the flat situation, and along with the mediation session going forward, that’s not the only thing on his mind. As Gary, Maria, Todd and Theo plan to take Noah down (little knowing it was Gary who beaten him), and were shocked to see that miles was siding with Noah which led to an assault from him. And summers advice to it get involved didn’t sit with Billy, as miles ended up arrested (just what summer needed on her birthday), and after finding out Billy did it, Theo making him choose between him and Billy was not called for. If that’s what he’s like now I’m dreading for the upcoming scenes later on. Elsewhere on the street, Carl is also up to his neck in it when Lisa comes calling at the garage and manages to cover for Brody linking to the crashed car, and Tracy being on his case is not helping either. And whilst Abi is away, I dread to think what she’ll be like when Carl and James are having their own “fun”. And finally George is also still so naive to the dating world, as Jenny is slightly worried after he tells her and Glenda about sending money to his blind date, and with Christina returning, she suspects she’s up to no good (but probably because she likes him too). But her seeing Doms dead body says it all, but it looks like George’s luck on romance is about to change in regards to Christina… I also watched the show from 1st and 3rd September. It was a big moment for Carla and Lisa, and after Betsy made her approval of Carla proposing known, it didn’t go quite to plan. First it was the wrong choice of music, then David platt made things worse, then the note form tia wardley came to light. But I’m glad Betsy was able to make Lisa see what was happening, as it led to a brilliant moment at the factory. But Kit getting suspicious of Costello’s motives (who’s also sounding abit dodgy) may make the build up to the wedding more stressful. It was also a sordid watch for Todd, as Theo’s mediation session didn’t go to plan with Danielle bringing in Noah, and the aftermath of it was not on. It’s moments like this where I wonder why people build up this coercive behaviour, and in this case, the abuse Noah put him through may have been the cause, as Theo may have been looking to seek control in places he couldn’t before. And it was only made worse when he saw Todd not only with billy, but with Nina (who gave off some of her positive affirmations) and George (who I’ll mention in a moment) which did leave a moment which was hard to watch. But Billy being the kind person he is, managed to get through to him to see why he behaved like he did. And along with Sarah (who had to ditch her lunch with Kit, who was understanding), he also made it clear to Todd that he needed to do what’s right, which resulted in Theo getting chucked out. But outside of those two moments, fronds was quizzed by both Jenny and Rita about her feelings for George, but just as when she was about to tell him how she feels, Christina managed to sweep in, and it seems that George has officially moved on from Eileen after receiving a text from her and Christina giving advice on how to handle it. But Glenda herself may be abit jealous, as she also mentioned that Jenny liked him, but her jealousy only grew more when Debbie revealed that Christina convinced her to give the dementia choir a go, even though Glenda initially suggested it. I think there’s a new rivalry on the street slowly forming… and with regards to Carl, he’s certainly a busy man. First the hassle from Tracy, then Brody about the jobs, and then James and the fun they had previously. But at least Dee Dee and Ollie had a good date, therefore along with Carla and Lisa, there was some happiness going about, even if it meant James having to give up his date with carl to look after Laila. 

Hollyoaks:

This week we saw the aftermath of a showdown, a blast from the past for one resident and the return of a former villager after a child goes missing. Mondays episode sad the aftermath of the showdown between Jeremy and Sienna. I can’t believe that everyone is believing him over Sienna, but I’m glad that Cleo is at least considering the possibility that it might not be true given how she’s made her feel over the past few months. But there was more drama to come, following the aftermath of grace finding out that Rex is her son and not her brother, it made her even more determined to take account for what she did, which did not go down well with Clare. And after finding out from froggy (who was let out of prison that day) that she was telling the truth, her insults because of the trauma she faced pushed him away even more. But one thing froggy did do right was convince Darren to see Tony, who then in turn along with Nancy convinced Diane. But they had bigger things on the mind when Morgan goes missing. Just what they needed to hear on Morgan’s first day at school. Tuesdays episode saw everyone search the village for Morgan. And after Darren and Nancy first blamed it on Jacob after seeing texts from Clare, it was soon revealed that it was linking to their court hearing, but it obviously affected Frankie. But Darren taking matters into his own hands will soon end in disaster. And it’s not just the Osborne’s drama that’s all kicking off, as Jeremy is doing everything he can to cover up what he did to Sienna, and I’m surprised John Paul didn’t notice. But with siennas fate now revealed, I wonder if it’ll change things. And froggy is pulling out all of the stops to bring the blacks back together and also making his presence known in the village. Donny in particular was really surprised, and there were hints that they had past connections. Judging by sonny’s panic attack, it’s not a nice one. Finally, Fridays episode saw Nancy worry about Darren after confronting Clare about Morgan. Froggy certainly had his ways of controlling Donny, but the question is who sent a text to them demanding 10k? But all I can say is I hope Frankie doesn’t go back to breaking point when Jacob breaks up with her, thinking they’re not good together. And why does Charlie have Morgan? But elsewhere in the village, Jeremy is adamant that no one cares about Sienna following everyone thinking of her recent “dismiss” but I hope she doesn’t have the same outcome as Robbie  and misbah gave Diane some good advice about Tony, taking into consideration him being the father of her kids. And whilst his hopes for a reunion would clash and admitting what he did, he won’t give up without a fight. But I dread to think what would happen when Mercedes took a pregnancy test. 

Eastenders:

This week on the square saw a wedding, a gunshot and a blast from the past. 1st September shoes Patrick still in self defence mode about the wedding, but some wise words Yolande passed on from denzel seemed to have done the trick. And Oscar may be on the path of redemption when he stepped in to help out, but jack is looking for answers when he finds him with the gun hidden by Harry. And Kat meanwhile was starting to break down following her search for Tommy, who really was with Zoe the whole time. But I wonder how it’s going to play out following the mother and daughter’s reunion. Tuesdays episode saw the follow on of that, with Zoe insisting that she wants to get away from it all, and a chippy tea with the rest of the slater-moon clan did just the trick. But a visit from Tommys social worker scuppered that chance, with Zoe opening up as to why she feels like a monster (which I didn’t know and it explained the tension). All this was happening whilst the reception of Patrick and Yolande took place, where Kim had to immediately step in when Howie ran off form saying his speech, knowing that his involvement in Patrick’s trauma affected him. I’m glad Patrick managed to make peace with Oscar following his kind gesture, but I’m not sure how long that’ll last. But the one thing that was the most suspenseful was the gunshot when jack and Ravi were fighting to get it back. But whilst Kat and Zoe was in the mist of it, I wonder who out of the two of them was shot? Or if someone else was shot completely? Wednesdays episode saw that it was Zoe who was shot. And it had to be during the wedding reception of all the moments, and during the panic in the Vic, it made Patrick and Yolande realise that life is just simply too short. During Zoes hour if need (where I didn’t know that she and Anthony used to be ex’s) we saw a flashback of her giving birth to twins but sadly one of them died. It did give a clue as to where she was going, but I do wonder how max branning linked to all of this. But during the scrap, Jack was the one who actually pulled the trigger, so I dread to think how their partners would react when it all comes out. 

Ridley:

The penultimate episode of the show “Fool For Love” saw Ridley and the team investigate a murder at a rave. But before it, the victim Oliver  Grants brother was abit suspicious during the engagement party, but there was more to come. They had many chats to possible victims/witnesses, including the family of Oliver and influencer Ava Turnstall. But during the episode it turns out that Oliver wasn’t the person he was deemed to be, and a visist from go kart owner Matt Brandon was thrown into the question, and carols son Jack was in the mix of the crime too. As his friend Jordan was involved in Matt’s bad business, and along with that, jack also got involved romantically with Ava, and Carol (who was already at her wits end with him) got to hear the real reason as to why jacks been on a rebel streak following the end of the last series. In the end, an assault charge from Lewis on Matt and Jack giving some vital clues came to the conclusion that Ava was the culprit the entire time, and that jack was only being used which I did feel for. And not only did Ridley help Carol save her son, but he also finally manage to accept Harry being with Annie and help save the club. I do wonder though if it’ll all change in the last episode which I’ll watch next week?

The Trunk:

This week I managed to watch episode 4 of this thrilling KDrama. We got to see more of Noh In-ji’s past, and we also saw her and Han Jeong-won reflect on the kiss from the last episode. This then led to Joeng-won confiding in friend and colleague Oh Hyeon-cheol about whether he genuinely does like her or just the idea of her. And whilst Lee Seo-yeon’s new man asks about In-ji (who he briefly met to say he’s on her side) I have a feeling that she might get wind of the security cameras. During a days, Jeong-won opened up about a certain food he likes, and a trip to the cinema sparked him to open up about how he really feels (which was actually quite romantic). But In-ji already has enough on her plate, with her colleague confiding in old neighbour Do-dam about Eom Tae-seong who was reported alive, but the case linking to the mysterious trunk says otherwise, and after a meeting including Seo-yeon’s friend Kang Yoon-a, she was shocked to discover that Seo-yeon set up the year long marriage contract, which sparked a accident on the way back and a nightmare. It also led to a steamy moment between her and Jeong-won, but I do hope she wasn’t using him to escape the nightmare. Episode 5 followed on from it and after passionate encounter, In-ji dreamt about Jeong-won but it was obviously a nightmare. But they had a very deep conversations about the different kinds of dreams, where he couldn’t help but ask about Eom Tae-seong, who Seo-yeon met in a meeting, not realising they’d met before when a flashback shows In-ji seeing his rice cakes. He made it clear about his feelings for In-ji, with in-ji herself telling Jeong-won and her friend Si-jeong not to interfere and let her take care of it, whilst also telling her to put herself back out there in the dating world. We also saw a flash forward of Seo-Yeons friend Kang Yoon-a getting interviewed whilst talking about her children and if she should’ve had them. But after her visit to the hospital, In-ji made it clear that she knows more about Seo-yeon and the truth about how their unborn child, which was shown in a flashback. I don’t know what Eom Tae-seong was invited to the house, but Jeong-won turned nasty after his discovered that Tae-seong was behind the text message, and threatened to expose his secrets. But I loved the loving moment between him and in-ji, who opened up about how dangerous he really is, but not before he opened up about why he wanted a kid but Seo-yeon didn’t. But more trouble was ahead, as she caused Jeong-won's dad to take a turn for the worse, and with In-Ji by his side, funerals were prepped for. And Koon-a and Hyeon-cheol were right to be worried when Seo-yeon turns up and not in-ji, but that all soon changed when after Seo-yeon's tactic to bring down Jeong-won and making him choose which wife he wanted to be with, In-ji resorted to ju-jitsu tactics to get answers as to if she’s trying to make him happy or if she’s trying to punish him. I’m glad she managed to take a day off from the manual though, as they seemed to have fun together and it was the first time I saw Jeong-won smile since the start of the series which was nice, followed by a deep meaningful chat about life. But it didn’t last long when Seo-yeon demanded they’d get divorced, which shocked even her husband. Episode 6 saw a flashback of jeong-won and in-Ji meeting before, and following Seo-yeons demand of the two of them getting a divorce, it’s all going to end in chaos. Even I was shocked when beautiful moment between the couple ended in a nightmare from jeong-won. It’s obvious that Seo-yeon has got into his head again and that was proof of it. Meanwhile In-Ji’s kindness to lend money to her friends unborn baby and convincing her to not go ahead with the divorce is also making her realise that she is falling for Jeong-won. But a discovery of him breaking into her flat may have been a massive setback, but not before noticing a security camera. And Eom tae-seong is once again meeting Jeong-won where he revealed in-Ji’s past as an orphan and her gaurded feelings of love. But the drama was only getting started when Seo-yeon’s younger husband questioned her reasons as to why she wants a divorce, falling for her in the process. But when in-ji arrives and following a Solomon analogy, an “accident” from him was a key for her to discover her office and the camera that was hidden in the chandelier, knowing that she now needed to be more careful. Jeong-won also made a confession to Hyeon-cheol about falling in love with In-ji, but the manual is clear that they can’t have any deeper feelings for each other, which sucks. And whilst her friend looks into the mystery of who broke into her flat, In-ji sneakily poses as Jeong-won to confront Seo-yeon again to find out what her goal is when confronting her about the cameras and the blue pills, leading to a tense showdown which got physical. She was also clever about how the contract would pan out if both don’t agree to it, and this moment only led to Jeong-won and in-ji falling deeper in love, taking them back to the cafe of the early stages of the contract. And after a kayaking session which they both enjoyed, he also got to find out why she chooses this choice of exercise, which led to abit of a morbid past but also understandable. But I have a feeling Eom Tae-seong would get in the way of it once again, as he confronts Seo-yeon about the security, little knowing that her younger husband is watching. But I wonder if he is in on it too? It then also led to Tae-Seong speaking to jeong-won again, and I wasn’t sure what his game was. But it flashes forward to Yoon-a telling the police about him and what they saw on the autopsy, and during a meal, they also mention Jeong-won in the equation. But I think the main culprit was someone from In-ji’s past, as after finding her old wedding photo being filed back up, whilst Tae-seong tried to get into her flat, it was actually her first husband who stabbed him, but I do wonder if that’s who she’ll find when she opens the door? 

Mix Tape:

After starting this show during the summer, I watched the penultimate episode of the show based on the book by Jane Sanderson. This saw Dan go to Sydney to see Alison, lying to Katja in the process, and Alison herself is not sure if coming back to England, and rightly so, as rewind to the moment Peter tired to commit suicide and they managed to get to him just in time. And you know what I don’t blame Alison for disowning her mum. Despite being down about it, and not knowing what happened, he managed to reassure her and also confess their love for each other. But peter on the other hand had other ideas, knowing what’s best for her. In the present, she managed to meet Daniel after all these years, but refused to talk about why she left. But her overhearing her publisher and Michael talking about her is not helping, and he seems to be more bothered about the money rather than anything else, which is something that annoyed her. This prompted her to go to Sheila’s and bring Daniel with her, but not before giving them a tour, whilst flashbacks showed the younger couple exchanging mixtapes again. And during their visit, Alison finally managed to tell Daniel what happened, and it was all linking to Baxter, and was abit of a hard watch. Understandably it left Daniel in shock, but I did like the tender moment between the pair during the night. But it didn’t seem to last long when tensions anojt their partners may have ruined things between them, and a mention of letter’s confused Daniel, who will sure find out what happened in regards to those. But with Michael revealing that he attacked her phone, it was then she decided to tell Daniel she doesn’t want to live in the past anymore, but with Michael blocking her call, I’m not sure how it’ll pan out in the final episode. Only time will tell. 

Personal:

Exercise:

This week I managed to do my usual routine at the gym. Despite not being able to do the last piece of equipment (mainly because I didn’t want to seem rude to tell the other person to get off), I had an alternative I did at home which was equally satisfying. I also did plenty of yoga which was much needed after a stressful week (more on that later in the blog) and I also went on the exercise bike as usual. The timings this time to get to 10k were 13mins 41secs on the Monday and Saturday being 12mins 49secs. And Saturday in particular when I wasn’t my best I managed to get to 15k without having to do any extra minutes. It’s moments like this where I say to myself “maybe I should get ill more often”  as somehow k tend to perform at my best! 

Meals:

This week I had an array of meals. These include some delicious food from my sister, who definitely knows how to not only make it healthy but also very tasty. And this is something I definitely need for my own home at some point. 

Book:

This week I managed to finish this thought provoking book by the one and only Roman Kemp. I took away some useful tips, got a real insight as to how the key points in romans life impacted his mental health, his raw honesty about his own struggles, and the tips to really check in on your loved ones. I definitely recommend everyone reading this book, as not only will you learn something valuable, but for anyone going through some tough times, this will be the book that’ll save your life. 

Darts:

This week I managed to gain in two practices whilst also trying a full game. Let’s just say I need abit of work  and after someone from my archery class mentioned about a darts club, when the winter comes and I can no longer attend archery, maybe that’s something to consider. Then I can gain more understanding of the psychological aspects of the game as well as the technique. But I did well though, with some bang on targets and some close calls as seen below. 

Surveys:

This week I only did a small amount of surveys. Like with the acting jobs, I could’ve done more as I only gave in 2%, but at the same time it’s better than 0%. So at least a small amount of that 2% will have a good outcome. 

Gogglebox:

This week my favourite reality show was back on my screens, and I got to meet some new watchers in the first place. Stace, Andre and Cheé were talking about who makes the bear curry, whilst Sara and here daughter in law Lara had a handful of cuteness in the form of puppies (and I wanted them so bad). I loved how izzi is not afraid to say her opinion when Ellie shows her her new shirt, and Helena trying on a new cardigan Alison made was quite amusing. There was also best friends Jake and Calum talking about their alarms, and how I can relate to it, followed by Andrew and Alfie noticing some strange things in their neighbourhood group chat. Jenny also told Lee about her new electric bed which was hilarious, and equally Teresa and Anita talking about their fashion sense, especially from Anita’s knitting we also amusing to see. I must say, what they watched got the series off to a cracking start. They felt for Hassan during “The Great British Bake-off”, and I loved their reaction in “Coronation Street” in regards to the Carl, Tracy and Abi drama followed by seeing James and Carl together. I also had the same cringy reaction as them when Moray mentioned how he really felt abo it Mae during “Stranded on Honeymoon Island”, and even I was fascinated on how during an episode of “Educating Yorkshire”, a simple tweak into year 8 pupil Riley’s diet made a huge improvement in his sessions. “The Inheritance” saw who was playing the game fairly, with Jesse playing it right, and BBC news saw Trump as the main topic once again, but this time with his tariff policies. Finally “The Guest” showed how Ria having a dark side, and “The Dog House “ saw a young girl wanting a Pomeranian, but the Beagle showed her how the personality of the dog is more important than the breed. 

Challenging Times & How I Got Through: 

This week is normally the time of year where following the week that was the anniversary of my mums passing, I do get into a state where I’m low mood. But what didn’t help was that towards the end of the week was my time of the month and it had to be the worst split of it yet, as my body just felt drained. However I managed to plough on through and gave 100% into what I had, and that was all that matters. Although it also meant I couldn’t go to archery, which was therefore cancelled as a result. I also got a double rejection in regards to two acting opportunities (one of which was the offer I got in August), mainly due to reasons beyond my control. Now this did knock me back, and along with the week itself and my time of the month, it wasn’t a good combination I’ll admit. However the best way for me to move forward is to let that feeling out (as in the words of Shrek, better out than in) and then start again, preferably by the new week at the latest. And my dad said something which really gave me abit of motivation, and that was whatever I do I always have something planned, no matter how big or small. And you know what… he might be right.

What have I learnt this week? I may have mentioned it before in a weekly highlights, so if I have I’ll say it again. In the words of yours instructor Sarah Beth, I need to learn on how to see the other side of the coin. So in this case, which is also combined with Act On This founder Ross Grant’s advice, by saying no to one thing I’m affectively saying yes to something else. So despite saying no to the acting job I was offered, maybe there’s something out there I may equally enjoy and will say yes to. 

See you soon for another blog. Until next time…

This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)