My Old Friend Came

How fitting that the day my "old friend" decides to come to town for a visit, an interview in a New Yorker blog, "The Book Bench"  with author Rachel Kauder Nalebuff catches my eyes. Nalebuff is the editor of "My Little Red Book," a compilation of stories on the trials and tribulations of a girl's first time. It brought me back to my first time.

My first time was okay. 

I mean, it's nothing to brag about. Some of my friends had already gone down that road before and talked about it voraciously so by the time it came around to me, I was like, "eh, at least it's over now. I can join the club."  I was a late bloomer so when I first heard that this event occurs to people, I was flabbergasted.  "How awful!" I thought to myself.  Nonetheless, when the time came, I sucked it up and took it like the woman I was blossoming into. And guess what, it didn't hurt!

I'm talking about the first time I got my period, of course.  

All you ladies out there already know what I'm talking about and I'm just going to spare the fellas the bloody details. If you would like to be more educated on the Women's Burden, however, you could read Nalebuff's debut, including stories from writers like Erica Jong and Gossip Girl scribe Cecily von Ziegesar.

If reading's not your thing (then what are you doing here?) why don't you watch Nalebuff's Youtube video and let her sweet, intelligent persona sway you to join the book club.

Get this, this girl's EIGHTEEN.  18! AND. SHE. HAS. PUBLISHED. A. BOOK.  

I might get published but I'll give you more details once everything is finalized.

Happy finals week!

Resolute Resume (w)Riter

When one is sending resumes and cover letters out in the hopes of securing an internship or job, one has to get into the groove of things. One has to let phrases like, "perfect candidate for your position" and "eager to learn" float about in one's head. I send out my stats in an almost factory-like manner, very systematic and formulaic.  

Yesterday, I sent out 9 applications. I better get a call.

Women's History Month

Happy Women's History Month, folks!

This is the time of the year when Vagina Monologues get their say on college campuses all over the nation and when famous women like Rosa Parks, Madame Curie and Oprah Winfrey are frequently mentioned. In celebration, Glamour magazine has issued this really cool photo spread where modern young starlets portray some big-time historical female figures. Here are three of my favorite shots.

Alexis Bledel as Rosie the Riveter or should we say Rory the Riveter??

Alicia Keyes regally channeling First Lady Michelle Obama

Emma Stone sexin' up as Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw

Perhaps it's my Women's Studies class brain-washing me but here's hoping that us gals will keep breaking new frontiers and glass ceilings.

Breakfast at Bao Bao Ni's

As of now, I have yet to be blessed (cursed?) with maternal instincts.  Sure, I'm a great host when friends come over and if you're sick, I'm there with the tissues and Tylenol Cold but frankly, kids scare me to death.  I know, I know...what??! A girl who doesn't want babies? CREEPY! I'm sure one day my biological clock will start ticking properly but as for now, I'm perfectly happy with admiring from afar (especially if you're going to be changing diapers) and having to only take care of myself.

But my cousin's oldest daughter, Jasmine (above) is the only child that I can handle for over an hour (what, I have a short attention span!).  

A precocious child, she can sing songs from beginning to end--once, she even held a Camp Rock concert all by herself, singing every single song of every single character in the movie and acting like them!  She is able to deduce and comprehends abstract thoughts like the fact that leaves fall on the ground because the wind takes them away and that if you put glue on your eye (for fake eyelashes) then if you get said glue on your fingers and touch something, there's a possibility that your fingers will get stuck to the something.  All this at the ripe ol' age of...three (JUST turned three!)  Shoot, I think when I was three, I was still picking my boogers and chewing table legs.

I told her to re-enact Audrey Hepburn's classic pose last December when I spent Christmas in Hong Kong. Uncanny, isn't it?  Miss her already...hopefully, one day when (IF) I have a child, she'll be as mind-blowingly brilliant and talented as this little one.

Kollaboration 9

A couple weeks ago, I was sent to cover the red carpet for Kollaboration 9.  My friends have always attended the shows and raved about it but this was my first time.  There were a bunch of amazing talents that pretty much blew my mind away.  Every time I walk out of a theatre or auditorium with a fresh jolt of inspiration to go out and do something creative with my life, I consider it as time and money well spent.  Here are my thoughts on highlights of the show...

Kollaboration 9

...and yes, I did get Kunal Nayyar from "The Big Bang Theory" to dance to BoA's catchy new single, "Eat You Up."

Ugly Betty is Back!

My hero

This is the worst time to discover a show very dear to my heart, ABC's "Ugly Betty" is back- or at least has new episodes I've yet to see.  Just finished two episodes and it's already left me in tears (the good kind).  Now, I need need NEED to start on my paper due tomorrow (eeks!) which will leave me in tears as well (the bad kind).

Horribly Good

Today was a full-on LCC day as I helped the fabulous Anthony with costumes for our winter show, The Great Pretenders.  We sewed, we hammered, we glued, we whistled while we worked. Pretty soon, the pretty day went by and it was time for mock show where we seriously killed it.  If you guys don't watch the show, I must say, you are MISSING OUT.

Spending a lot of time with LCC always gets me thinking about our little organization and how much attention we receive when compared with bigger shows like the culture nights in Royce Hall.  

I don't know why but I've always liked working for the underdog, the start-up.  It's here that people aren't too jaded about their passions and work hard for their craft because they love it and not because they're getting the most fame, glory or money.  I loved Hooligans when we were just starting out and couldn't even book a legit venue and had to act in a classroom.  I loved DBTV back when it was UCLAtv and we held court at that little corner cubicle at the back end of the office of Kerckhoff.  And I love LCC where we have to scramble to find places to rehearse each week.  

Would I love to perform at Royce? You betcha! But at the same time, keeping our shows in small, intimate settings such as the Northwest (this Friday) or De Neve (next Wednesday) Auditoriums is also like keeping our little shows a gem.  It's where only the few who really appreciates us gets to watch it.  It's like... cult theatre.  

A prime example of people doing something purely out of passion and for the hell of it, here are some of my favorite things; Neil Patrick Harris, musicals, and Joss Whedon, combined to make a most awesome web series called, "Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog."  I know it came out like a million months ago but how can you not watch it 50000X?  It's pretty much a monthly ritual for me.  

For those of you who didn't buy the series and the songs off iTunes like me, you can check it out on Youtube.  If you're too lazy to do that, I shall showcase two of my favorite songs: 1) a dorky love medley called, "Freeze Ray" and a zesty climactic ballad named, "Brand New Day."  Watch, listen and I dare you not to fall in love.  If you do as I say and still didn't feel the magic, then you are dead to me. (Just kidding, no, but pretty close. I'll pretty much "freeze ray" you out of my life.)

Oh, educational fact of the day:

 "Dr. Horrible's" was pretty much the first major Youtube success orchestrated by a semi-industry-pro.  Sure there are plenty of home videos and television clips that garner high views on the site but networks and production companies have been trying for ages to actually come up with scripted stuff that people will watch specifically on Youtube.  They'd been failing. They didn't know what the formula was.  I guess all it took was a villian protagonist, really ugly ski goggles, some penis jokes, a lot of Pinkberry, and, oh yea, some talent and wit to solve the equation.  Better start buying some frozen yogurt, FOX, NBC, HBO and co. And as for you, watch LCC's winter show!