Reasons Why I’ve Been Away

Hello My Field Daisies,

Like a letter from a long lost lover

I’m back from the past, and I can only hope 

I’m here to stay. 

But my darlings please don’t fret if

I have to leave.

Like a sailor who must sail salty seas 

I’m transfixed with endless possibilities, and I can only hope

you’ll learn to forgive me. 

Because time ticks onward, and when I return

you’ll be a field of daisies.

Hello my field daisies!

I start this post with a poem because it’s been a while since I last wrote, and a more formal beginning seems appropriate.

I think formality shows sincerity, and I am really sorry I’ve been gone for so long. Truthfully I’ve just been swamped with other things, all of which  are opportunities I’ve been so thankful to have experienced. So here is a just a list of the stuff I’ve been up to, or really reasons why I’ve been away.  

1. Peach

Last fall I worked for a new fashion app called Peach as their Digital Media Director. My job included posting on their social media sites (you should follow their Instagram), interacting with fashion bloggers/fashionistas, and writing on their blog (which you can read here). Basically it’s all the things I love doing and I got paid to do it. It was a lot of work, but it never ever felt like work. That’s the dream isn’t it? Now the company has moved away from Berkeley, so unfortunately I had to stop working for them. I consider Peach like a little baby I’ve watched grow up. I was there during beta testings and when the app first launched in the App Store. Now it has over 13,000 users in 11 different countries, and I couldn’t be more proud. I cannot wait to see where the company goes next.

2. 12 Angry Men 

Last semester I was fortunate enough to get casted in BareStage‘s production of 12 Angry Men. For those of you unfamiliar with the play, it is a jury case about a boy who is been accused of stabbing his father. There is also a movie called 12 Angry Men made in the 50s. Ironically even though the story is about racial prejudices, the movie version was played entirely by white men. Our production decided to modernize the play, mixing in different races and genders. You can read a review of the play here.

I got to play Juror 9, meaning I had to play a 75 year old lady. I think it’s one of the most challenging roles I’ve ever had to play. Mostly because I don’t have a clue what it feels like to be old. I’ve had to do lots of physicality and voice experimentation to get the part just right. Most of it involves slowing my movements down as if I am underwater. I also frowned a lot to mimic what it would like like to have a sagging face.

My cast mates are also some of the most talented people I’ve ever worked with. 12 Angry Men is different from most shows because it is set in one room, and all 12 characters are on stage for the entire show. It’s very much a marathon from an actor’s stand point, and I couldn’t be prouder of the ensemble we created. Also many thanks to our talented director, producer, stage managers, costume designers, set designers, light technicians, etc. Hope I’m not forgetting anyone!

Oh and thanks Logo Photography for the lovely photos!

Special shout out to Maddie who is the darling who does my hair. Oh so much baby powder…

Whenever I got done with the shows I always felt so light and brisk. Playing old has made me relish my youth. I am so blessed to have this juxtapositioning experience. It has made me realize the brevity of life, and it has also made me aware of the racial discrimination our country has faced and is still facing now.

Although the play was written in the 50s, the context of the play is still happening in our justice system today. Many of you have probably heard about what went down in Ferguson last fall, but you probably didn’t know Berkeley was in full swing protest mode as well.

I never really believed in police brutality until the Berkeley Protests. A lot of my friends went and protested, and they were peaceful. Yet the police still were in full raid gear and throwing tear gas as if we were still in the 50s protesting over civil rights.

I can only hope that the discussion does not stop, and that we will never forget.

But on a brighter note…

3. Concerts! 

A very youthful thing to do I suppose, but I’ve been to a lot of concerts since I last wrote.

The first one was Katy Perry in San Jose. I keep describing the show as a spectacle because it really was. It felt like a circus, with acrobats, dancers and fireworks. I forgot just how many hits KP had until the concert. She’s the female version of Michael Jackson. Now there is all this press circling around her Superbowl performance. I still have yet to see it (gasp I know the horror), but I can only imagine Queen Katy doing good things (even if some of her outfits were a bit of a train wreck).

The second was Clean Bandit in San Francisco. This show was completely out of the blue. I didn’t know they were coming to SF until three days before the concert. I had to write a paper analyzing a popular song and decided to do Rather Be. After writing the paper, I had to see them. It was pure fate that they had a gig at the Fillmore. This show was a lot of fun. Probably my favorite out of the three. The other two I was sitting down far away whereas this one I was standing in the mosh pit. That’s always more fun 😉

The third artist I got to see was Lorde at Berkeley. This was just a surreal experience. On Sept 3rd, 2013, I decided to write about her because I loved her sound. I thought it was so unique. I titled the post, Lorde the next Beyonce, mostly as a reference to her Royal lyrics when she calls herself Queen B. It has since been the highest viewed post on my blog. I never dreamed she would soar to famedom the way she did, and little did I know a year later I would get to see her live at school. Such a dream.

And last but not least I decided to go to Not So Silent Night for my birthday 🙂 I wish I could have gone both nights, but I only went to Saturday. I also wish I could took more pictures, but I was too busy enjoying the show. First going in, I think the band I was most excited for was Imagine Dragons. Back in high school, Radioactive was my jam. I remember my friend being like this is going to our jam song, and it was for the longest time. However after the concert was over the band I was most impressed with was Cage the Elephant. Their stage presence was just so awesome. They looked like they were having a great time, and the vibes just went through the stadium.

Sadly I came in late and missed Vance Joy. Riptide has been haunting my ears these past few months. It would have been nice to hear it live.

 

4. Short Films 

https://vimeo.com/113825327

I’ve was in a handful of short films last year! Now nothing fancy, just a few student films here or there, but I am still thankful for the experience. Film acting and theater acting is so different! Sometimes I am asked which I like better, and honestly it’s a tie. Or well more like they are both two different experiences that I enjoy. With theater, you have the joy of a live audience. You have no idea how much a participatory audience feeds into the energy of the show. Next time you go to a play, don’t be afraid to laugh or applaud! Trust me it’s encouraged. With film, the acting is definitely tougher. I remember my first short film I was so intimidated by the camera I forgot my lines. You also don’t get as much time to prepare. If a director gets the take he/she wants, that’s it. A lot of the times I wince seeing my camera performances, wishing I had more takes! But despite all of this, there is something beautiful about film magic, the ability to take a bunch of random shots and string them together to create a story. Plays follow a linear acting structure. You have your character arc and that’s what you do night after night. With film, you could be filming one scene and then something entirely different in the same location. And another beauty of film is its longevity. It’s a memory you can re watch over and over again.

5. FAST Runway! 

So for the past few semesters I’ve auditioned to be FAST runway model, and each time no designer wanted me. But this semester I finally got called back! Love you Mariko! Thank you so much for picking me! The dress itself is pure genius. The top is made of trash bags, and the skirt is made of gloves. From far away, the gloves look like little feathers. People kept coming up to me shocked that they were indeed gloves.

Now I’ve done photoshoots before no problem, but it’s something about walking… I’ve been told by our Modeling Director that I have a walk she’s never seen before. And I don’t think she meant it as a compliment lol.

But it’s true! My walk is weird. Should I show you my walk and face the embarrassment? Ehhhh why not? You gotta start somewhere, and my walk can only get better! Here is a little snippet from my Yosemite trip with my folks. We were at this really pretty location, and the entire road was empty for miles. So I thought it would be cool to do a sort of photoshoot on the road. Pictures of that is to come, but here is the video…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFshXwCZyx0&feature=youtu.be

*Wince* *Wince* *Wince*

Haha at the end of the video you can hear me say “I don’t know what else to do.”

Basically that video in a nutshell.

My dad stopped the video before my mom finished saying don’t worry about it in Chinese. You can just barely make it out. And that’s the attitude I want to have. I think my walk is better when I don’t think about it. Being a runway model is just walking after all. Albeit on a runway with a bunch of people watching you. Ahh I was so nervous, but it ended up being a real great experience. Many thanks to Masha our Modeling Director who helped me perfect my walk 🙂

 

Love ya’ll and thanks for reading!
Hope you have a daisyish day 🙂