Sing and dance with me

Hey it's been a while!
So last Saturday I was at Sony studios doing audience work for the promo of a new show called "The Sing-off". It was great! I had a good time.

Even though I said that I would not do audience work ever again (Recap Here) Still, it's hard to reject when someone offers to pay you to watch a show. Well this time we were not really sitting on our bottoms and watching but had to stand the whole time so it was different.

The good news was, the show was not boring at all! The singers on the stage were very talented singers and their a capella was awesome, with the whole package, beat box and all. So our role was to stand in the moshpit and dance and cheer while they sing. With the dark interior and blue lights shining it almost felt like a night club. It's true that for the whole 10 hours, they repeatedly filmed the same 60-second song clip, but luckily I liked the song so it was no problem for me to dance to it for 8 hours.

What was the bad news? well, as I said, it was a long shoot. Of course we got our breaks, but 10 hours was very long. The song was repeated probably 50 times... As I observed some fellow audience members starting to sit on the ground and started showing signs of weariness (from partying too hard last night?), I turned my gaze to the stage. The singers had to dance with like raise-the-roof over-the-top energy and at least pretend that they enjoyed it. I bet THEY were tired. They were even here earlier than we were and had been rehearsing probably for hours before we came. If they were not complaining, how could we? especially that guy on stage, under the warming lights...dancing in a full suit... oh I would probably overheat myself and collapse if I were him...props to them for their stamina's.

I also met some very interesting people that day. There were 2 couples seated near us who, upon more chatting, revealed to my surprise that both met through none other than facebook! And now one couple is getting engaged! Wow I didn't know fb has a match-maker function?! It was pretty random. It turned out that both started with one person randomly added the other, and things went from there. Hmm... cool, but not something I would try.

And I also met a girl who was a vocalist in a band like me! It was pretty cool meeting her. Then she turned out to be married as well even though she was not much older than I was. I got to talk about relationships a lot today. Both the engaged girl and vocalist girl said that they knew the first time they met that their guy was "The One". That it would just come so naturally it's a no-brainer when you do meet him. It was so romantic and such fairy-tale!! So it IS real... the legend of the Mr. Right? It was so encouraging and reassuring to know... to know that you could be able to tell apart "The One"...at first sight! I involuntarily started looking through the crowd. wow it's like a jungle out there....(scanning in progress).... nope, my radar picked up nothing. (what's with the casting tonight? I thought they said specifically "attractive audience" needed..)

So then I turned off my radar and went home to rest. Phew what a long day!

My Reality Show Experience.. Oh Nothing is More Real

If you are someone who browses the casting notice sites 24/7 (like me), then you would have seen this casting notice a hundred times. It is a new reality show called "Excused". They are looking for girls and guys to join the party. Yeah basically they just need random people to be guests who speak only 1 line and get judged if he or she is cool enough to join the party.

So I was casted for that project. As well as a thousand others.

It was only a 15 minute shoot, in which we deliver our best (or worst) pick-up line to the camera. I will not disclose more than this because I signed the confidential release. Or I think I did. Or whatever that piece of document was that they made me sign before paying me.

Just watch the show if you are curious about it. Or if you are thinking what have they come up with this time? Because seriously I don't really know what the show is about either. It is still in production.

Since they asked us to come up with wacky quirky pick-up lines as well, I was really thinking out of the box. Because we were to speak to the security camera, I was going for something like "Oops wrong address...?" or "Hey my car broke down.. can I borrow the phone?"
But the producer didn't want any of those! He was looking for the cheesy conventional flirty boring-we've-heard-it-before lines. So he rejected all of my lines (oh so reality show) and made up a super cheesy line for me.

I looked into the camera and said, "hey are there any fun guys in there? Cuz I'm here to party! Come on let's do this!"

OMG that is so not me. I don't think anyone would go and just spit out this line out loud to the security cam. But then, I'm an actress. I will play any role. Even the girl-kinda-drunk-looking-for-the-next-party-to-crash-and-drink-some-more. After all, it is a reality show, gotta make it "real" right?

So I did it.
And then I'm done~!

A quick shoot. I think they are just collecting hundreds of these little scenes to pick from. Don't even know if they will pick mine, but we will find out in the fall.

Yay for my first and probably last reality show appearance. (It's too real it's not me!)

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I will have a student film shooting this Saturday, and then I am going to go travel and ponder about life. Why? You ask. Well, what happened was...

Unknown voice out of the sky - "Are you fine with wasting your life saying pick-up lines to the camera (not even a real guy)? Are you not feeling depressed when you sit for 5 hours doing nothing, just waiting to be an insignificant extra in a film?"

Me - "stop you unknown voice!!"

U.V. - "No I won't....You know, instead, you can totally use your time campaigning to save dying polar bears in north pole who are suffering because the ice they live on is melting by the second....*cough* stupid homo sapiens *cough*...... Or you can go save homeless dogs in shelters who will be KILLED if nobody adopts them....blah blah blah...."

Me - "OK fine I will go sit under a tree and ponder my life now thanks"

So unknown voice stops and I now have to go meditate on the meaning of life and find the solution that was never there.

Will update soon...

My Careless Unprofesshional Review of Sid and Nancy

A few days ago I saw Sid and Nancy, directed by Alex Cox. I have wanted to see it for a while. I have loved punk rock music so somehow there seems to be an unseen hand pressuring me to watch this film.

So I did.
And it was okay for me.
To summarize, as a random review on the web says, I thought it focused too much on the drug aspects of the story, which made it dark and moody. I mean I totally think doing drug sucks, but I thought there were more to the story of how punk starts other than drugs. Or maybe there wasn't?
The two main characters' lives were totally messed up by the end of the film that I started to doubt the reality of the film. Seemed like the film itself was on drug and not thinking clear. Did she really die at the end? Did he really stab him? I could not see clearly. I just couldn't fully watch by the end because it was really sad that a great and talented musician ended up so miserably, and it was based on a real story.
Again, felt like anti-drug campaign to me by the end... But I will buy it.

I have to say that the main girl is not the pretty glamour-Hollywood-actress type at all, and I think few would disagree. Was the filmmaker trying to make it "realistic"? But I have to say she was a fantastic actress. She really made it feel "realistic". Oh and the actor playing Sid was totally Sid. He looked like him, the same hair, same face, same body. He was a perfect fit! Great casting.

Throughout the film I was sometimes reminded of the film Nana which was adapted from a Japanese manga. I think even the author of Nana admitted that this film had influenced her work. The character Ren from Nana totally looks like an Asian version of Sid.

Ok end of random comment.

I have to say that by watching the film I could sort of understand why punk sounded so angry and desperate at first. It reflected what was happening in youngsters' lives at the time.
But I am also glad that punk has since changed and gradually evolved into the happy Japanese ska punk stuff that I now enjoy.
I couldn't ever relate to what Sid and Nancy were going through..... but I do like his punk hair.

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Short update: (Has nothing to do with Sid and Nancy).

Was one of the backgrounds at a Lenny Kravitz music video. Was at USC for a short student film.

But then things are not going too well.. I am kind of in trouble. I might have to look for a day-time job ASAP! so I won't be able to do as much acting work as before...
I don't want to give up yet.. but life is harder than I imagined.
At least there are no more B*TCHES barking at me anymore :) I am grateful to God for giving me a blessed peaceful life. Thank you God and Buddha and everyone else.

Advice on Searching for an Internship in the Entertainment Industry in LA

Advice follows the update-

Last week saw a breakthrough in my (short) actress career. I played a character that I would otherwise never have gotten involved in in life (hopefully).
I played an Asian anime stripper girl. Within a team of 6 strippers. We are here to save the world with our crazy powers.
Yes. It was a comedy webisode. Pure comedy. I didn't have to flash anything of mine, thank goodness.
I didn't wear anything scandalous either. Someone else took up that job.

But hold on, let me share something way more interesting that happened in my real life. Way more dramatic than any reality tv show. Yeah I am still in shock to this day.

ADVICE STARTS HERE-

First let me start with the crazy stalker calls.
So this unknown number had been calling me for a couple of days. I didn't know who it was so I did not pick up. Thank goodness I didn't.
I ignored it until I couldn't take it anymore. So I texted her, "whoever this is, stop calling." I said.

Then a message came. It said, "stop seducing my husband, you japanese bitch!!"

I was like WHHHAAAAA?????!?

First of all, who the ... is this??
(And I am not Japanese.)
(And I... seduce?? *chuckle* who?? huh?? *giggles*)
Anyhow, I have to tell you, I was very confused.

So I searched the number and found who it belonged to. It was not a misplaced call. She knows me. It was the wife of my former internship's company's boss.

Why did she call me and say that to me?

I searched further and found that I had sent an email to the boss earlier asking him if he knew any agent/manager I can send my headshot to. I used very polite office language, just fyi. Nothing out of the normal.

Apparently she stalks his email inbox and thinks I am seducing him with that email.

And I have to add, I am entitled to ask him for connections at least, since I worked for them for 3 months for FREE, taking not one cent. It's not like the 30+ miles I drove every single day don't cost gas money. Moreover, when they were trying to lured us in during interview, they had promised connection, being one of the biggest product placement companies in the Hollywood industry.

But three months later, instead of a polite reply email, I was greeted by a figurative bitch slap on the face.

I immediately texted back, telling her, I didn't do nothin'. In a polite manner. Just trying to clear things up.

Then, a looonnnnggg text came in about 2 seconds later, that basically summarizes as follows: Don't you contact me and my husband again. I don't want to hear from you anymore. You can't act. (what?? random) Go find another married man to seduce. (Huh??)

I was again going WWWHHHAAA????

In the 3 months I worked, I had not been in contact with the boss for more than 2 hours, total. We worked in the crappy office in the back, not the nice ones in the front where they are. I don't see him. There are no other connections that I see except that the wife is Asian, and I am Asian as well. (except I didn't have to go get bot*x on my face every 6 months lol) (And to be honest, his looks are NOT handsome enough for a normal person to want to seduce.)

Why do I deserve this?

After enjoying 3 months of free labor from a hardworking intern, how can they reward me with such an uncalled-for defamation?

Traumatized, I talked to another mutual contact about it. She solved the mystery.
She said, "Yea, this wife has been known to do coo-coo things like that, and you are not the only victim. She was just crazy jealous of any woman near her husband." Ok I feel a little better. At least I am not too ugly to not induce jealousy or suspicion from Mrs. CooCoo wife. Hey, just trying to stay positive here, you know.

After a lot of meditation, buddha, chocolate, ice cream, soul food, hot bath, aromatherapy, talking to my dog, talking to my stuffed animal, playing fruit ninja, beat up my pillow, knock my head on a tree, hug the tree, crazy exercise and more ice cream and chocolate afterwards, and more meditation to calm myself..............

I finally saw the LIGHT.


Let me put it this way-

If you saw a poor thin dog starving on the street, what would you do? You'd be nice and go feed him food. However, he turns out to be a rabies-infected crazy dog and bit you on the leg after you fed him.

*ouch.....*

Do you blame the dog?
No. even after the initial shock and hurt (and make sure you didn't contract the same disease)....

"oh poor dog..." would be the more appropriate reaction.

And then you would report the dog to the police or animal control officer in hopes that the dog doesn't bite any other innocent victim. Make sure he is under control.

So I have to warn all the new interns going into the entertainment industry, try to avoid a product placement company in Noho that starts with an L and is on a street that starts with a C.
Especially if you are beautiful and/or Asian.
That's the best I could do for all the starry-eyed innocent newly-grads.

Beware, of the dog!

Dealing with Slow Business

Business has been slow... for a few days.

Well not entirely.

There was a rush call for extras at 2PM on the same day the ad got posted. I was like yay after 3 days of idleness I will finally do something. Anything. But then the CD called and said, oh it would be an adult shoot.
I was like, uuuuhhhh. eew. "oh, so what will I be doing.....?"
And she was like, "nothing. Just stand in the back and smile."
I was confused, what kind of film has some extras stand in the back and smile? so I asked politely, trying to hide the disgust, "so will there be any thing going on in the scene?"
She was like, "no. it's just dialogue."
Oh, ok.
There was only one second for me to make a decision.
"Think I will pass." I decided.
"Thank you." She replied and hung up.

I was really glad she at least said thank you. I mean she sounded pretty desperate to find some extras who can be there in an hour or two. And CD's are usually not polite. That is a privilege they get as casting directors. They get to treat extras like shit. And we gotta take it. It is becoming a rule in Hollywood.
So I thank her for being a polite CD. I think the next 9 I meet would be b*tches again.

And I go back to sitting idly at home.

But then I did something. I borrowed a book on tarot. I am on the way to learning to use tarot to answer some questions and confusions I have in life. Does it sound lame? Well, who knows? if I get good enough maybe I can put up a booth and start helping people. Yeah helping people. But first I will try it on myself.

Will I get work next week?

And I checked my email box and found 2 audition notices! One for today and one for tomorrow! Yay. I don't know why they picked me for the Disney princess theater role. (why did you submit yourself? asked an unknown voice) I don't know. You never know... I think the only 2 roles they would possibly cast me are Pocahontas or better yet, Mulan...

My Unofficial Unscholarly Review of 3 Idiots

Last night I saw the Indian film 3 Idiots directed by Rajkumar Hirani. It was great! It surpassed the (one) other Indian film I remembered seeing, Slumdog Millionaire, and became my favorite Indian film.

Even though the film focused on the harsh reality faced by the students in an elite university in India, I think it was something that likely took place in top universities all over the world. Therefore, it was not a scenario too unfamiliar or too difficult to relate to for non-Indian people.
Throughout the film, the way the director chose to depict the subject of pressure and family struggles faced by young Indians was quite effective, and it left a strong impression on the viewers without becoming too serious, as it was a comedy. Moreover, the film was not just meaningless joke-cracking comedy that a lot of Hollywood comedies were. The film remembers to shock us with something strong and unwanted, like death, when we get too absorbed in the happy mood as we see the 3 idiots do idiotic things. Then when it gets too solemn, like during the funeral, the idiots will come and do what they have to do and cheer us up. I love the little mood-reversing surprises placed here and there. The filmmaker definitely deserves some props there.
The film got to be so popular hopefully student suicide rate would drop in India as a result of this film. (Although I doubted that it was India which has the country with the most suicides as stated in the film... I was sure it was Japan.)

The film was funny and sad and funny again and then sad again. I almost wanted to cry at times. And the funny parts were entertaining. I loved how in Bollywood films people just break into dances and songs out of nowhere. Doesn't it draw you back to reality and introduces a gap in the linear storyline? the scholarly technical me asked. But then I thoroughly enjoyed the dance and song numbers regardless. The dancers' butt-scratching moves were pretty memorable :)

And, totally unrelated to anything, I thought the main actress was not very pretty, or less pretty than I expected. I mean there are probably a lot of Indian actresses prettier than her... I wonder why she was chosen. (some parts of her face stood out to me and distracted me from the plot.. I gotta confess.)

But the main reason that it was a great and entertaining film was that everything fit together perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle! It was amazing how the story-weaver can construct a plot in which every detail leads to another and it all came together at the end perfectly. Not a loose thread was hanging out. I like that. I don't like to be bothered forever by loose threads.

Memorable quotes, you ask? I have to quote IMDB for the exact phrasing, but this was a good one-
Pursue excellence, and success will follow.
(and let me omit the phrase "pants down" which was supposed to follow)

But the most memorable one has got to be
All izzzz Well......


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unrelated section below:
a quick update. just for my own record.
Last week-
a soft drink commercial shoot which will be played all over Japan. It was cool I got to see the Japanese rock band equivalent to U2 in America. Again I can disclose nothing. nothing at all.
and a commercial casting call which calls for Asian people 3-70 years old. Which was like everybody. I don't even know what the commercial would be for as I sat waiting for the audition in a room with a bunch of kids running around. Let's hope I get it!

Cooking Show Guest

Last Friday I was a background "guest" for a prominent cooking show. What that means was that I was one of the people who got to eat the food that the chefs prepared! Which was great and yummy :) And it was pretty fun.

Because I signed the confidential form before the shoot and signed my life away, I am not allowed to talk much about the details of the show. But it is a show that even I, who do not watch TV that much (which I should), have heard of. Which features a mean chef who talks as if he is stabbing someone with his cutting knife. Ok I am so not giving a BIG hint here.

I hope they would have let us take pictures because it was a really nice set that we drove all the way to Culver city for. But we couldn't. And call time was 8AM. Can't complain as it was a relatively humane call time.

We got seated and waiters served us food as if in a real restaurant, except there were cameras everywhere. Everything was going well except for one thing. Asians were totally underrepresented in this episode's guests. Although they have a theme for each episode for the guests, for that episode it was only 3-4 Asians out of a decent sized group. There should have been more of us. Even though Asians are a minority group, I think we deserve more representation on TV. Or the closer to the real demography of United States representation.
(so I can get more jobs too :D)

To make it up, I tried to speak "our language" with my friend, as was requested by the crew, while they filmed us eating and having a good time. But we were almost drowned out by the Portuguese spoken by the two Brazilian women sitting at our table. They were pretty calm until they knew the camera was on. Then they started gesturing with their hands and spoke really loud. I hope me and my friend will be featured after the they edited the footage.

What the heck am I talking about? You will see when you watch the episode. I will probably update on this blog when that happens. Unfortunately the episode we just shot on Friday would be aired the next next season. Which means we would probably have to wait a year before it happens.

Hope the show doesn't get dropped before then!

My First Audience Work Experience

Yesterday I was at a major network studio for audience work.
In other words, sit at the audience section and watch while the show was filmed. It sounds like an easy job, just sitting and doing nothing more than clapping your hands... but then it wasn't, as I was later to find out.

As I arrived at the studio, I was worried about where I should go because it was such a big studio with lots of buildings and lots. But I spotted the check-in point right away when I saw a long line forming at one side of the parking lot. So I lined up at the very end. I was first approached by a guy who kept on asking the crowd, "do you have a cellphone?" and so naturally I said "yes." Then the casting assistant looking guy looks to the casting director guy and was like "wow she said yes". I was not expecting a "wow" because I own a cellphone. I contemplated the strange reaction until the girl at the check-in point said, "cellphones are not allowed. You have to put them in the car." Not even turned off in the bag? That was pretty strict. Luckily another casting assistant guy, Travis, said I could put the phone in his bag for the time being, which saved me a walk up flights of stairs to my car. Yay.

Finally checked-in, me and about 199 other extras waited in line outside a building. Yes there was at least 200 audience members. It was a major channel studio. As a major studio, surprisingly they treated us pretty bad.

First, we waited for 90 minutes in the lot because of delayed schedule. I got another bug bite on me! because we were sitting near a bush. And, there was no food, no drinks, only vending machines and water fountain. (Usually they have some food or drinks at a set, even for background actors).

After the loooong wait, we were finally placed in the studio. I was sitting in the audience seats, which might be a little better than the upstairs standing crowd, but not that much.
The show got started. My interest level was high for maybe one hour, and then it dropped way down. Why? The host was a very take-his-time type of laid back guy. He paused a lot and repeated the SAME THING 3 times in a row. The two yapping game contestants were trying to win X amount of money, and kept on yapping like two chihuahuas each time they lose or win. (Chihuahuas.. I am serious) They take forever to make any decision, and there were 10+ decisions they have to make. Plus the host kept on talking meaningless cr*p... all of this combined went on and on and on for..... more than 6 hours. No break for audience, almost no bathroom breaks (I didn't get to go), no food, no drinks allowed, no cellphones. Just sit and watch. It was such a torture. I was sitting in my seat and fidgeting like never before..never.. not even during my AP Chemistry class in high school.

Each time they win 1000 dollars or something we have to stand up and cheer and be "rowdy". "Be ROWDY!" says the stage manager guy. Oh fun.

Near the end of the show, not just me but most people in the audience were fidgeting and making sarcastic comments about the show or the host. Of course nobody can hear us because we don't have mics on us. We don't have no nothin'.(excuse the bad grammar, just trying to recreate the reality)

During the last round, the contestants could either take home the money or keep on going with the risk of losing all. And until now, us audience had been shouting out constructive/positive/reasonable comments like (choose X not Y!! choose Y because...!! etc) but we were so burned out in the last round we all just wanted to go home. So everyone started shouting "TAKE THE MONEY! TAKE THE MONEY!!" even though it might not be the wisest choice. I was shouting too. Take! the! money!! + whispering "we want to go home now.." and we even started counting down for them. The contestants kind of gave in under peer pressure and took the money. And THIS time we cheered like no other....

If they didn't take the money and chose to go on, and make us stay another hour, I am afraid a riot would break out right then. Just as the host said, "a show within a show." (He would have gotten his bottom kicked in the riot... And that would have been a better show :D)

Finally finally we got out. The night was dark already. Everyone was hungry because we didn't eat from 1:30pm to 9pm. At this point, I felt like I could dig the historical revolutions better. The French..the Russians... everybody.
Hunger is a formidable power.....

Waited in another line to get the paycheck, while staring up at the stars.
Finally I could go home.

Audience work. It sounds easy, but it is not. The less than $100 I earned today, that was some hard earned money. And a hard earned lesson...
no more audience work for a while.

Old school Japanese maid

This Monday I was at another shoot. It turned out to be one of my favorite projects so far. Why? It was a Japanese period piece, and everybody gets to dress up in a kimono! It was my first official kimono experience. I was excited.

So even though it was another student film again, and I am again doing the shoot pro bono, it was a well-rounded crew. I mean there was a whole wardrobe department with kimono experts to help us dress. It was an extremely complicated job, to put on a kimono. Even though I was only playing a non-speaking role, as the maid of the Lord, they had me in a kimono just as well. And a pretty pink one too! After they put the 3+ layers on me, i feel like I was going to faint.. The obi (belt) was so tight around my waist I could only use 50% of my lung capacity. It was like a corset for Japanese people. I was exclaiming in my mind, how do old time Japanese people do this everyday?

After I was dressed, I put on my geta-or Japanese sandals, and walks painfully to hang out with the other maids in the back while they shoot the other scenes. My hair was in a bun in the back of my head, making me look really old. The kimono limited my movements so I could only take tiny steps at a time and couldn't bend down without looking awkward. And, did you ask about bathrooms? Oh yes that was some fun experience... I am glad I am not an old school Japanese woman 100 years ago before they had jeans.

The samurai looking actor seemed to whisper to me something like I look pretty when I walked past him... But I was too shy to say anything I just hurried and scurried down the path like a squirrel and barely acknowledges him and stayed in character, like a good old Japanese girl would have done in the old times.

I waited for 3+ hours total before my little scene. But then that was not that bad.
I was in my kimono trance the whole time.

Finally it was my turn. The scene took place in a Japanese garden (in real life the one in Van Nuys) I was to try to take the plate from the princess because I was the servant. She would ignore me and walk past me. Then I would turn back after the princess and her maids were gone and stare at their backs in confusion. It doesn't sound like much, but looking at it from a Japanese aesthetics point of view, I think I can say that it was a single action that spoke a thousand words.

And in my mind's eye too it was a beautiful shot. Maybe something close to what I have always wanted to be able to portray on screen. Like THE moment in a film that would touch some hearts and stay in memories. I am glad I accomplished it so early in my acting career. Hope the final product turns out well.

I hope nothing was stuck in my hair and my lipstick didn't smudge!!

It took a while to take all the layers off me and put on my real life clothes. I was really catching a cold and I had a bug bite on my face :(

But I was happy.

My Student Film Experience

Yesterday I had a shoot at Santa Monica. I was to play an Asian gangster girl in a remake of Goodfellas.

The call time was 7:15AM. And on google maps it says it takes 30 minutes or so without traffic. So I left my house at 6:45 AM. It was already pretty nah for me, getting no pay for the project and at such an early time. But I was like, I am an actress, so this is part of my job, and tell myself to start driving. However, oh it was bad. I was stuck in traffic jam after traffic jam. I was not planning on so many cars out there at 7AM, both on the highway and off. I was going at 10-20 mph for-ever! the whole 20 some miles, and stopping so I don't run into that truck in front of me.
It ended up taking me 75 minutes. And on top of that, I was worried because I couldn't call in to tell them I would be late because I forgot my cellphone (a result of waking up too early). So I was stuck at 5mph and so frustrated and without breakfast.

When I finally got there, more than an hour later, they haven't started shooting yet! Yeah, I kind of expected that a little. Being a student film and all. But why the early call time??

So I take a deep breath and move on.

In the film, I am to be the cool bystander bartender. So I was just listening to the conversation going on before me and wait to deliver my one line, in which I am making a joke. After the joke we are supposed to all laugh. That morning, that first scene with my one line, they repeatedly shot at least 15 times. Over-the-shoulder shots, reaction shots, close-ups... two or three of each.
And the "laughter" just gets more and more awkward by the take. It was so dry. By the end, I was like OMG this is such a student film! while I go "hahaha".

Because we only had until 1pm, and they have used up 75% of their time on the first scene, they ran out of time to shoot the other scenes. So they made up an easy shortened whatever ending right on the spot. With me covering the dead body with a tablecloth and delivering a sort of punch-line with the word fuck in it. The end.

Even though it was not a particularly fun day, I thought it was a pretty good experience. And I can't wait to see the final product later. After all, how often do you get to be an Asian gangster and cover a "dead" body with a tablecloth and get fake blood on you?

I think that's the whole point.

My Unofficial Amateur Review of The Bicycle Thief

Today I watched The Bicycle Thief or Ladri di Biciclette (1948) by Vittorio De Sica. I have wanted to watch this film ever since my film history class, in which we watched films from Rosselini, Fellini (La Strada)...etc and this film always came up somewhere in the discussion. So today I finally watched it.

I have to say it quickly rose to one of my top favorites. I still couldn't believe that I cried at the very end. Ok I have to backtrack first. At first it was just another black-and-white Italian film for me. I can still remember the segment that my professor showed us about how de sica, and many of the Neorealist directors, would sometimes move the camera away from the main characters and instead follows random background characters even while the main actors are talking. It was interesting.

And then when the father realizes that his son was more important than the bicycle and he brought the son to a restaurant to eat, that was heartwarming and I thought it would be a good wrapping-up, if it were a Hollywood film. But then the father still somehow insisted on getting a bicycle, to the point that he tried to steal one. Then, when he got caught and was released because the crying son won over the crowd, the camera focused on his hand holding tight onto the son's hand. But that wasn't heartwarming this time. Dad had done a shameful thing, and the son shared the shame as well. The real thief (who was the cause of this whole mess) got no blame and the helpless who turned into a thief out of necessity got all the blame. There IS no hope. Tears just welled up to my eyes at that point. I think I was probably relating to the son. But then the two just looked so hopeless that I got a little depressed myself.

I can read that the director was trying to say that there was no hope for Italy. Because it was during the war when the film was made?
But then I think the hopelessness also would apply to many other countries, even nowadays. I even felt somehow the hopelessness of mankind. And sensing that at the end of the film just made me so sad.

But I have to say the little boy in the film is such a good actor! He gets lots of props for making this film so moving. Sometimes he makes us laugh and other times makes us cry. He is just so adorable AND heartbreaking.

Anyway I can rant on forever... But I will stop here. I think I will watch something totally different now. I want to believe that life is full of color and it's not so bad to be a human being after all.

News from Hollywood

Oh wow it's been years since I last updated this blog! sorry blog!


Just an update, recently I have been getting into acting! Just because.. I am living in LA you know, so why not? and as an in-between thing while I search for the next internship/job/destination. But it is also a prolongation of a passion I have had since my high school years. Believe it or not, I was a drama kid for 3 years of my high school life. Yeah I think few would believe me.. But I used to be in our class acts and what not. Good old days...

So, so far I have only been in a few projects as extras. I can't wait until those movies/music videos are released and some random friend would call me up and say, I saw you in that _______ movie I just saw! you were dancing like a monkey in the back right??? :D Never mind I hope no one finds out, ever!

The most interesting project I did has to be the zombie one. Yes I got the once-in-a-lifetime chance to become a zombie once. For a short film. You know it isn't too often that one gets to become a zombie. I had a professional Hollywood make-up artist do a professional make-up for me, and by the end my face was so grotesque I didn't want to believe that it was really my face. And I had bulging bumps on my arm, thanks to the silicon prop he stuck on me. The down side was I had to sit on the chair for almost 2 hours for him to perfect my zombie transformation. Oh well the end result was insanely beautiful it made everything ok.

Yes let's hope my next project is more normal :)