Asian Invasion

In a recent episode of Glee, Jane Lynch's character, Sue, the ruthless cheerleader coach who takes over the Glee club (temporarily), called out Glee members that she wanted to be on her team.

Sue: Alright, everybody! Listen up! When you hear your name called, cross over to my side of this black shiny thing.

Will (the actual Glee club coach): That's called a piano, Sue.

Sue: Wheels

Artie the handicapped boy, wheels over to Sue's side.

Sue: Gay Kid

Kurt, the homosexual boy, gives Sue a frosty glance.

Sue: Come on, move it! Asian

Tina and Mike, the Asian kids, glance at each other

Sue: Other Asian

They both head over

Uh, did she mean you or me?

When I watched that scene, I nearly toppled over with laughter. And then I pumped my fist in the air. Yes! Sue mentioned "Asian!" There are Asians on one of the hottest shows on TV! Victory! So not only is the superb Jenna Ushkowitz playing Tina Chang on the show, there's also the adorable Harry Shum Jr. as Mike Chang.

I got the pleasure of chatting with the two talented young stars for Audrey and KoreAm. Read their articles here and here.

Both characters' story lines have not been developed as much as some of the other Glee club members have but Watch With Kristin has spoiler alerted that the next episode will feature "some supercute romantic scenes betwee Artie and Tina" so I can't wait for Tina to do something other than stutter horribly.

Too bad Glee won't be back until November 11. Until then, I will only have Ugly Betty, How I Met Your Mother, catch up episodes of Mad Men, and Grey's Anatomy (I heard it was good again?) to keep me company. Oh - that and the Glee soundtrack on repeat in my car. I think I'll survive.

All in the Family

Some articles are really easy to write. An interview with Jenna Ushkowitz, a star of Glee, a show I not only manage to catch every week but spare two to three tweets every week in anticipation of? Yea. You can bet the article's a breeze to concoct.

But some are a bit tougher. How tough? Think a young single mother undergoing stage 3 of a very rare form of cancer. Yea. You heave that sigh.

When I was assigned this article, all my skills as a journalist was put to the test. I had to conduct extensive research muddling through the complex medical terms and scientific causes to the cancer. I needed to be a sensitive interviewer, asking intelligent, tactful questions and listening patiently and sympathetically to the oft-teary-eyed responses.

The ordeal of this interview took a toll on me physically and mentally. The entire weekend I was working on the article, I was sad, moody and dissonant. And can you blame me? It's a difficult story to tell.

Adding to the challenge was my own family's experience with cancer.

My grandpa had battled with stage 3 of pancreatic cancer on and off for the past 4 years. He underwent extensive surgery 3 times. He underwent chemotherapy. He pees out of a bag now. His butt always hurts.

My family is very close. Like unusually close. Like we all wish we lived right next door to each other and can see each other all the time and are each other's best friends and love love LOVE each other close. To have my grandfather, the grand patriarch of our line, be struck with such a fatal and (at the time) foreign killer was life-altering.

I wish I could write in words how much my grandfather's cancer changed our family. But I really can't. Words won't do. It's in everyday things. Like how my grandma has a really hard time smiling. Whereas before she was a twinkly-eyed, saucy old lady (and I mean that in the sincerest of ways), she now cries for no reason at all in the middle of everything. Or how my parents can't even fathom the idea of taking a night off to eat dinner somewhere in the city, let alone take a vacation. Every single birthday for the last couple of years has been celebrated either at home or at a Chinese restaurant nearby because of my grandpa's illness.

My own behavior has not been the most honorable. I would not win the "Best Granddaughter Award" by any means. I spent the last couple of years rebelling, shedding my overachieving ways, partying (and puking) my guts out, trying this and that out, traveling as far far away as I possibly could every chance I got.

"I just want to lead a normal college life, like all my friends. Is that too much to ask?" I would ask my cell phone emblazoned with my mom's phone number calling me at 11 in the evening and hastily shut it off. I even have the indent of a cartilage piercing to show you how bad to the bones I was.

By the grace of God, my grandfather miraculously overcame his cancer (dude, I have to reiterate, surgery THREE times in the past four year, on anyone, let alone a 80-something y/o man, is a miracle) and I (think) overcame my bad girls ways. He and my grandmother are currently vacationing in Hong Kong right now and for the first time in ages, I actually heard my mom utter the words, "I'm kind of bored." (I submitted her for a commercial to help her kill time, he he).

I'm living at home with my parents full-time and we have this refreshingly pleasant relationship that I cherish to the maximus. Are there times where I want to take the next flight to New York and get away from them as fast as I can? Of course. But it doesn't happen as much as often and I'm-dare I say this-even having fun hanging out with them. My dad's funny. Did you know that? I didn't know he could be. I think I get my humor from him.

Who knows how long this time of peace will last? I'm just grateful it's even here at all.

A Keeper

The life of a reporter, no matter how glamorous, is notorious for paying jack. That's why it thrills us to no end when we get free stuff.

Coming from a family who hoards hotel shampoos and lotions like we're saving up for Y2K (one which we'd actually care about personal hygiene), and will drive forty miles, wait in line for two hours and wear a chicken costume for a free meal, I get especially thrilled.

So I have to admit, when I was first assigned to interview the owner of Keep Company, a hip and socially conscious lifestyle/clothing/shoe brand, even though I was delighted by the extra responsibility and bigger byline I would get, the first thing that popped into my head was, "I hope she'll give me free shoes."

And really, can you blame me?

The Benten

Funky

The Homer

Sweet

The Tatum

Adorable! Their shoes are utterly lustworthy.

But no, I wasn't able to snag some yummy sneaks for my own feet that day. Instead, I drove home filled with the excitement of a great story to tell, another fascinating person I want to expose to the world. Here was a woman who looks like she's just out of college, but with her own fashion empire. Here was a woman who was the epitome of a model Asian child but risked it all to do what made her happy.

The knowledge that I was just as happy to share her story without the promise of some colorful kicks to cover my feet, figuring out that I would be willing to write for free for the rest of my life if I could afford it, well, that is worth more than any pair of shoes.



Except for maybe these...
That is, like, a car and shoes rolled into one!

{ Keep }

Audrey Blog

If you can't get enough of my musings here, check out the newly revamped Audrey Blog.
It's full of scrumptious pictures by the ever-talented souliz, accompanied by delightful anecdotes by moi.Audrey Magazine will be opening a new site come November full of goodies and gems. Be sure to keep checking it out. :)

{ Liz }

Yup, That's Me!

The facade that I have been masquerading around as a "journalist" who's "on assignment" and "working" finally comes off as my editor sent me an email with an incredulous, "is this you?" on the subject line and this picture attached.

Obviously, I can't pretend any longer and say that I had been hard at work reporting and observing this particular wedding ceremony when it is plainly shown here that I have sipped a little too much gin and tonic at the open bar (and thus resulted in that unfortunate, "too cool for school" face) and is actually just dilly-dallying, jumping and jiving with the bride's little sis and a particular Asian acting wonder.

It would be nice to be a full-time wedding correspondent. Then I could do this all day. Sigh... I think I dream about that career more than I dream about my own actual wedding!

Working...

Since quitting my job, I have been keeping myself preoccupied with an abundance of activities. Ballroom dancing (finally got my dance shoes, yay!), gym (muscles shown upon request), job hunting, chinese learning, family bonding, website-building, Jesus-learning, the list goes on and on.

The past month has taken me on some pretty interesting adventures.

I was this close to getting a job with a top-notch, He Who Must Not Be Named celebrity gossip website. I got asked to be on TV twice, once for Extra and once for a Korean Home Shopping Network, both of which I happily obliged (hey, gotta practice that anchor voice somewhere), I was almost going to tutor the child of one of the richest families in show biz (and that's... pretty rich), I have 90% of Guang Liang's beautiful song, Tong Hua memorized, and there are more projects coming but I'd rather disclose them at a later time.

Yet, none of these things brought home any bread for my family and shoes for my (imaginary) children. None of them qualified me as contributing to the society.

Oh--one did. A little. I freelanced. I freelanced as a journalist for KoreAm Journal and Audrey Magazine.

This is where I worked...

...Okay, so no. I didn't exactly work at the famous CAA building in Century City.
More like I worked in the amazing park outside the building. Nicknamed the "Savannah" by my working galpal, the savannah is by far the prettiest park this side of town (save for the Getty) and a completely zen and tranquil location to get some writing done.

I wrote about events I went to, people I spoke with, things I saw. All of which shall be published in the upcoming weeks and which I PROMISE YOU I shall upload to this blog soon. (In fact, just made an appointment to go into the office next week to get digital copies of my work so stop fidgeting impatiently already!)

But something I don't really get to write about in those articles, but which I do get to do plenty here, are what I learned from the events I went to, people I spoke with and things I saw.

what I learned:

I learned about the precarious nature of balancing being an artist and a "celebrity" from Linkin Park and Fort Minor frontman, Mike Shinoda. I had always been aware about the dangers of fame and the blurriness of mixing art with commerce but with the recent temptation of almost working for that famous celebrity blog, I almost tossed out my morals and personal beliefs just so I can receive a regular paycheck every month. Well, not tossed out exactly, but altered it drastically. That was a big NO-NO and I have Mike Shinoda (and JCrisman) to thank for reminding me that.

I also got to check out some of his awesome artwork. His exhibition Glorious Excess (Dies) runs at the Japanese American National Museum in Little Tokyo, LA until early October.

I was humbled and inspired to learn of White on Rice actress Lynn Chen's battle with eating disorders. As a former fat kid, most of my life consisted of fad diets and exercise regimes, overreating and complaints about my figure. I would always distastefully joke that I didn't have enough will power to develop a eating disorder but deep down, I knew that I do have one, as small as it might be.

The fact that Chen, as opposed to other actors and actresses who make remarks like, "oh, I had anorexia, like, five years ago" or the even worse, "I eat whatever I want. I'm just naturally skinny," is so open about her battle with anorexia and bulimia and has even taken to blogging about it to combat her addictions is admirable. It also gives me hope that not everything and everyone in Hollywood is as awful as my jaded view of the business might assume.

There are more. There were weddings and cute boys and "society girls" bonding time and oh yea --the realization that as amazing, free-ing and nourished I feel when I write and report, I don't think I could ever become a professional/full-time freelancer.

I would write for free if I could afford to but my parents don't really dig the idea of their college grad eldest daughter lounging around in pajamas, laptop permanently attached to her wrists.

So let's wait and see what else is in store for me...

Thanks Liz for the Shinoda and Chen snapshots!

Society Girls

You know those fabulous writers and journalists who get to hit all the hottest clubs and parties and events around the city for a living, schmoozing with power players and socializing for the sake of their job?

Liz and I aren't quite like that but we'll get there.

We've already named ourselves, "Society Girls" and we're planning on hitting the next hip party near you! (BTW: if you think up an even cooler name, please share...)

Society Girls: Saga 1:
We hit up Wokcano in Santa Monica to listen to Kamala Harris speak to the mostly Asian American crowd on why she should become California's next Attorney General the other night.

Photos of the speech and accompanying article will be revealed once it's published (eeks!) but here are some snaps Liz took after work was over. (And sometimes during but what are you going to do. Sigh...life of a journalist.)
This here is Dawen. He just moved from Chicago. He sings pretty songs. Listen to him here.
This here is Kelly Hu. First Asian American Miss Teen USA. She's so gorgeous and it's great to see her supporting Kamala and the Asian American community.

At first, I have to admit, I didn't recognize her. When an organizer who knew we were reporting on the event gestured that she was someone we should talk to, I had whispered to Liz, "who's that?"

Liz was like, "ask her."

But what would I say? Who are you? Um...are you Kelly Hu?

Lucky for us, someone came by and introduced themselves to her and she replied, "I'm Kelly." Jackpot. Now I know what to do next time I don't know someone's name. Just introduce myself to them. Genius!
And this here is Lisa Ling! There are not too many role models out there for a young female Asian American reporter so what she's done with her career has been thoroughly admired on my behalf for many years now. I can't completely express how blessed I am to have such amazing opportunities like this. I am one lucky girl. I need to remember not to take my life for granted. Work hard!

EPIK HIGH

Timeliness. Something I should think to work on.

No excuses that this blog has been neglected for the past couple of weeks (month?) but it's "time" (excuse the pun) to catch up! I recently made a new fan by the name of Eve and I can't disappoint! Let's bring it!

So I get all these cool perks working for KoreAm, right? One of them came out of nowhere. Epik High, Korea's biggest hip hop stars, rambled through the U.S. for a tour, alongside cool cats, FM and Kero One and MYK.

I must admit, I had no idea who they were before I got the assignment to go and interview them at their red carpet. So imagine my surprise when my friend Freckles and I drove into the Sunset's House of Blues parking lot and faced this...

This is just the tip of the iceberg, kids! Lemme tell ya, the lines stretched all the way around the block! It was ridonkulous! Some of the fans we interviewed said they had been waiting since 7AM to get good seats to the House and were quite miffed that people in the roped off section seen in the pix above bought HOB merchandises to cut the line.

HOB merchandises are the least of Epik High fans' worries. These baby ballas got chauffeured to this concert in their parents' Mercedez's or BMW's. Why not drive themselves? Probably because they're not even old enough to get their licenses yet!

So Freckles and I had a lot of time to kill because we got there early and the red carpet started late. What do two Asian girls, with some time, a nice camera and an empty red carpet equal to?

PIC-TURE TIME~!!

Just when we were starting to feel at home on the other side of the red carpet, the main attractions came.

Awesome hip hoppers Far East Movement first touched down in Cali-town. I really admire these guys. I've loved their music for years now and say what you will about "Girls on the Dance Floor" (which, BTW, sounds nothing like their other stuff) it's dang catchy!

And Epik High! I've never heard their music before this but it's really good! It's poppy, playful and decent even though I have no idea what they're saying. I went crazy asking them questions because everybody else on the red carpet seemed all shy. But then one other reporter started turning on her Korean and for awhile, they spoke only in Korean. I was like..."NO! Language has failed me!" and I couldn't let her dominate the questions so I asked a final question, which was something like, "how do you guys feel about your fans?"

The ensuing conversation resulted in a "high"larious end quote which I want to tell you now, but will save for when I link to you my article. =)

Thanks Freckles for a fabulous evening! Your photog skills are amazing and I miss you oodles.

*Edit: Article published! Awhile back but you know you want to read it anyway. BTW: Epik High music is really really good. I have no idea what they are rapping/singing about but I can't stop listening to it regardless. Get it!

VC Film Festival

(Former) student by day, red carpet interviewer by night.

Could Be a Travels Post...

... considering how many tanks of gas I guzzled and California square footage I covered with my tracks over the past week. From Wednesday evening onwards, I was on a non-stop, fun-filled, work-ladened, strange but exciting and fulfilling journey. 

WEDNESDAY

9:00AM: Begin round of classes

4:00PM: Filmed video for internship application. Fingers crossed that I get the job!

7:00PM: Begin trip to Irvine to visit sister

8:00PM: Still on the road, almost falling asleep. The 5 freeway sure is boring.

8:30PM: Reunited with my lil sis!  Sis treats me to fancy Indian restaurant named Chakra and proceeds to tell the hostess, "We're not lesbians on a date. We're sisters." Oh, sister.

9:30PM: Meets sis' boy.  Such a (nervous, awkward mess of a) cutie! Thanks for the Chai tea!

10:30PM: Found out cousin Dring got into NYU! Debate: Spontaneous trip to SD to congratulate cousin in person or not?

11:00PM: Spontaneity lost. Knocked out in bed.

THURSDAY

8:00AM: Drudged out of sis' bed to move car and take sis to Zhong Wen class.

8:30AM: Hung out around Lee's Sandwiches (mmm Vietnamese coffee) and applied for internships/jobs. Go me!

11:00AM: Set out for Disneyland! (More details over at my travel blog.)

12:15PM: Spotted: Phil Wang of Wong Fu waving me over. Why would he do such a thing? Probably 'cause he's a Nice Guy or maybe 'cause I was going to hang out at Disneyland with him, fellow nice-guy Wes, Sharon, Carmen, Susan and Eric today.

3:00PM: Waved bye  bye to new friends and began hour-long trip back to LA for the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival a.k.a. the VC Film Festival.

5:15PM: Putting on make-up and squeezing into grey tights in my car in the parking garage of the Director's Guild office.  Such is the glamorous life of a reporter.

5:30PM: Ready to roll in ruby red baby doll cocktail dress, grey tights and black heeled bootsies. Ugh, couldn't fix yucky Disneyland hair.

5:45PM: Only press huddled at the red carpet.  Got mistaken as an actress. Asked to pose for pictures on the red carpet (have I ever refused?) Once one camera started clicking, all cameras started clicking. When asked basically, "Who are you?" It's legit to reply, "I'm Janice Jann, bitches!" Right? Right? Joking....

6:30PM: Already spotted: Leo Nam, Bai Ling, Kelly Hu, and...CHARLYNE YI!! Flirt, schmooze, question, gape, gawk. (If only Leo wasn't so short...)

With Paper Heart's Charlyne Yi who acts eerily like my roommate, Caroline.

6:45PM: Asked Charlyne Yi whether her real-life love, Juno cutie, Michael Cera has ever serenaded her before. Her answer was so LOL it made me almost choke on my own saliva.

6:57PM: Request interview with Charlyne for KoreAm Journal. Hope I get to write the story.

8:00PM: Headed home for LCC rehearsal

8:30PM: Oops. Forgot to eat dinner. Stuffed the rest of the bread bought from Lee's in the morning into mouth. Down with water.

9:00PM: Bawled my eyes out in preparation for my scene (hope I can do it come showtime)

11:00PM: Crawled into bed, exhausted. Good call on not going to the VC after party.

FRIDAY

9:00AM: Cycled over to UCLA bike shop where I met the man of my dreams. For all you ladies out there, apparently the bike shop is like, this secret coven where all the hot UCLA men with cute, cyclist butts have been hiding.  The first time I went, I stared into the puppy dog eyes of a drool-worthy mechanic. I went again this time hoping ol' bike boy would be there but he wasn't. Instead, an even hotter guy was working! Oh boy, biking is really doing wonders for my heart!

11:00AM: Crying in front of the computer because every imaginable computer problem is blocking me from completing my video edit for my internship interview.

12:00PM: Curling hair in bathroom of Broad Hall. This makeup-on-the-fly thing is getting to be a habit.

1:00PM: Vroom vroom over to Director's Guild again for press day with some of the filmmakers.

2:00PM: Spotted: ultra-cute (though tiny) man walking around in trendy skinny jeans and members only jacket

2:45PM: Apologized to cast and crew of "White on Rice" for totally coughing all over them the night before.

3:00PM: Laughed as clueless Ada, who had no idea what "White on Rice" is about, fake her way through the 15-minutes interview asking questions like, "and can you elaborate on that?" and, "and how do you feel?"

3:05PM: Hiroshi Watanabe learned English from Oprah and practices dinosaur method acting! <3

3:45PM: Ah, so the cutie with the fly style is actually the director of the opening night movie! Sweet; he's attractive and talented. But looks kind of taken. The best ones always are.

4:15PM: My turn to fake out an interviewee (btw: we're not always this under-prepared.)

4:45PM: Fake-out totally worked! "Wow, this was such a good interview. You really know your stuff." If by stuff, he means BS, then yes, yes I do.

5:15PM: Uh oh, maybe he's after some other stuff. Phone number, invite to after-party and "you should visit when you come to Shanghai"?! Did I just get hit on?

6:00PM: Slamming head against keyboard for not saving my captured video footage properly and leaving the raw footage with my friend back in West Hollywood. 

6:20PM: Drive back to West Hollywood while blasting "Almost Lover" by A Fine Frenzy on my car speakers and trying to think sad thoughts in prep for LCC scene. Cry, dammit, cry!

7:00PM: Pick up my guardian angel, Layla to finish editing video interview. Thanks for everything, LAY!! <3

8:00PM: Best Buy pit stop to purchase pack of DVDs when I only needed one. Sigh. 

9:00PM: Received angry call from Linda because she's driven 40 minutes to go clubbing with me and I'm not ready.

9:05PM: Received sad call from Jessica because she's leaving for New York in a month and wanted to go clubbing with me and I'm not ready.

9:15PM: Made best-friend-ever Layla take over my edit and print video to DVD.

9:20PM: Call Linda and make promise to drive home from campus, change and get ready in 30 minutes.

9:27PM: Passing by Ralph's.

9:30PM: Passing by a lot of people taking walks.  Block where apartment is situated looking mighty dark.

9:32PM: Realized entire block is OUT. OF. POWER.

9:45PM: Changing in the dark. Settling for the leopard printed dress because it's the only print I can make out in the glow of the moonlight.

9:50PM: Run out of apartment with a Trader Joe's bag containing: a bottle of wine, 3 bottles of beer, wallet, cell phone, make up bag, and a jar of JLo's mini-muffins for dinner.

10:00PM: Putting makeup on in dark, bumpy car. 

10:05PM: Making arrangements to make sure we get in the club for free this time.

10:20PM: Uh oh, there's huge line outside Opera. But wait! Just received text from sweetheart Robert asking me if I've arrived yet.

10:30PM: Robert gets me and 4 friends in for free. Thanks Robert!

11:50PM: Hit with realization that, "whoa. Opera has a lot of Asians on Friday nights."

12:00PM: Bump into Tony, Jess and Jenn. Aw, my ACA buddies (even though I was never in ACA)

12:15AM: Dancing sober is fun! You meet decent guys and have enough self-respect to reject all the non-decent (and smelly) ones

1:20AM: Overheard jerk saying, "Her, oh yea, I made out with her last week but I didn't realize she was so ugly."

1:21AM: Gives jerk disgusted and appalled face.

1:23AM: Smirking inside as I observe jerk gesture to his friends, "can you believe that girl? she totally dogged me!"

2:30AM: Party until both Linda and Jessica get kicked out for being too tipsy.  Linda, true story. Jessica, not so much.

2:45AM: Give Debs and Ben pitch-dark, whispering tour of apartment, hug old friends goodbye and hope they don't trip or run into anything as they make their way out of the building in the darkness.

3:00AM: ZzzZzzZzZzzzZZZzz

By Saturday, things returned more or less to normal (well, normal if you count practicing for my first-ever kissing scene and taking parents out to fancy dinner on a hill normal).  I cherish these action-packed days filled with accomplishments, productivity and fun.  Thank You God for giving me the stamina, health, brains and money to do it all! Can you teach me how to apply mascara while driving 30 mph next?