November 2003 Archives

I'm going back on a diet and training schedule starting tomorrow. Today Heather and I hit the local GNC and bought a bunch of supplements. This months edition of Men's Health had a list of some essential vitamins and supplements that men should take as protection for cancer, heart disease, memory loss, and general well being. This included:

Boron - To protect your prostate
Calcium - To strengthen bones
Chromium - To regulate insulin
CoQ10 - For energy
Creatine - For muscle performance AND memory enhancement
Folic Acid - To improve blood flow
Glucosamine - To improve joints
Omega-3 - To protect the heart
Selenium - To protect against cancer
Vitamin E - To slow aging

Of course, a good multi-vitamin is included in this regimine. I also will continue drinking a lot of green tea, going low-carb for a week and working hard at the gym. I want to train hard enough so I can afford to splurge the week of Christmas.

Update:

Right now I'm just using the GNC brand of creatine. There are tons of different kinds , but from the research I just did on Google, creatine manufactured from Germany is the purest. Here's some links for your research:

http://www.brinkzone.com
http://www.universalnutrition.com/
Google forum links
http://www.creapure.com/

I've had the Motorola MPX200 for over a week now and I absolutely love it!!! The only problem I had was a wierd buzzing from the keypad caused by the backlight. I did some research online and discovered that other people were having this problem as well. So today I took the phone back to Best Buy for an exchange. Hopefully I won't have a problem with this phone. Anyway, tonight I've spent the last 3 hours customizing my phone with ringtones, images, Smartphone apps and even modifying the XML file which controls the layout and display of the "home page". Very, very cool.

After waking up at 4.30am Indiana farm time, driving 3.3 hours to Chicago in the bone-chilling wind and flying 4 hours in a plane with bratty, noisy, kicking kids sitting directly behind us, Heather and I arrived back in Los Angeles 68 degree weather this morning. It was a beautiful day to be back home.

We had a very busy, but enjoyable Thanksgiving. Heather has a large family that is spread across Indiana and there are lots of people to visit and see. I spent a lot of time sitting in different living rooms listening to long conversations about family, friends, farming and the local community. Things are very different on the farm than I'm used to. For one, everyone gets up very early in the mornings to take care of farming "business" which includes tending to the thousands of ducks in the buildings out back, tending to the dogs, the horse and other farming things which I know nothing about. Second, nobody seems to lock anything on the farm. All the cars are always unlocked with the keys in them and all the doors to each house are unlocked as well. We would travel to people's houses and walk right in. This is something that I don't think I'll ever get used to. But it's nice. It's quiet and there is a lot of open space. This of couse is quite opposite to life in Los Angeles.

Thanksigiving itself was quite a feast. There was horseradish mashed potatoes (Heather's specialty), regular mashed potatoes, green bean cassarole, oyster cassarole, twice baked sweet potatoes, turkey (or course), orange rolls (a favorite) and apple salad. For dessert we had a choice of homemade apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie and a Dairy Queen ice cream cake to celebrate November birthdays (which included Heather although her Birthday is in December). So we basically ate a lot of food, played a card game with Heather's niece and nephew, watched a movie, went to visit more people, came back and ate some more.

The next day we had a Ferguson family photo session at Heather's uncle's house. Even though the entire Ferguson family has accepted me as a part of the family, sometimes I still feel out of place. The photo session was one of those times. Looking at some of the photos it was a little wierd to see this big caucasion family with one asian guy in the mix. But there I am smiling in the Ferguson family portrait that will probably be hanging in several farm houses for years to come.

Earlier in the week I asked Heather whether or not she thinks that I am the first Asian to come through this farming town. She said, "Probably." That's kinda cool. Good to know I'm mixing things up and causing a small stir in this rural community. I could feel people watching Heather and I at times when we were at the new super Wal-Mart in town or at the local diner. I always felt a little self-conscious, but it didn't bother me. Being different is something I've gotten used to and even enjoy.

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Right now we're suppose to be on a flight to the farm. Instead we're at home. Turns out that ATA would not let us board the plane with our dog in cargo because the temperature in the plane can be below freezing during flight. I'm glad they told us this. So we are now rescheduled to fly out tomorrow during the day when the temperature in the plane is warmer. In the meantime Heather is creating the ultimate doggy-trailer/kennel complete with insulation and pillows so our dog does not get too cold. It's the kind of thing you would hear about celebrities doing for their pets. Only difference is that we're not celebrities. I'm reminded of that movie "Best in Show". I fear we are becoming like characters in that movie.

BTW, we were at the Beverly Center tonight and Heather pointed out Nikki Hilton at the pet store. She just looked like another blond teenager to me...

Once again I'm up at 2.35am and I'm exhausted. I have to go to work tomorrow morning and then be at LAX with Heather in the afternoon to catch a flight to the farm for Thanksgiving. I haven't packed yet. Heather said she would pack my things. I love my wife. I will be blogging from the farm using the very cool AudBlog service and my new MPx200 Smartphone!!! I couldn't wait any longer so I went to Best Buy and picked up the phone. The only problem is that AT&T was upgrading their systems and could not handle migrating my old TDMA account to the new GSM plan. Luckily a very helpful AT&T rep was at the store and I told him that I wanted to activate the new phone using a new number - then, when the AT&T systems are up, I will transfer my old number to my new phone and cancel my old plan. Well, that worked. So now I have a very cool Smartphone.

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This morning I found a very interesting article in the Hollywood Reporter talking about "Celebrity Branding". It is a fascinating look into the marketplace and business of celebrities and how they use their image and branding power to make money. A couple years ago I read a book concerning this topic as well: "High Visibility". I highly recommend this book to any professional looking to get ahead in the marketplace and differentiate themselves from everyone else. High visibility and "image marketing" is not just for actors and entertainers.

High Visibility

Last night was our final performance of "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Asian Men". Overall we had a really good turn-out for our three shows. The audience responded very well to all the performances. I really enjoyed working with Dan Kwong and the rest of the guys. The journey we took from the workshop to the performances was a special one. I have definitely grown as a person, and as an artist from this experience. I am inspired to continue to write and create more autobiographical performance pieces.

Maybe I'll even try writing an entire one-man show...

Today was a gloomy day in California as storms roll into the area brining the winter rain.

I took Heather to the airport this morning and security is tight. No-one is allowed past the ticket counter unless you have a boarding pass. There are several checkpoints inside the terminal and random searches being conducted. Heather said they make you take off your shoes and thoroughly go through your carry-ons. Baggage check now has heavy duty x-ray scanners and security personnel who go through "suspiscious" bags. The whole process takes awhile. Heather has had a hard time getting to her destination. She has had three different delays and the airline has also lost her baggage. I really hope they find it.

Traveling over the Holidays should be interesting...

Acting class was interesting as usual as we gained more insight into human behaviour, emotions and portraying realistic characters in a scene. After class I ran into a small group of paparazzi who were carrying cameras with zoom lenses frantically trying to shoot pictures of someone in a sunglasses store. One of my fellow classmates asked one of the photographers whom they were looking at - "Thalia. The Spanish pop princess." was all he blurted as he scurried into another location to try to get a better photo op. A few moments later a very large bodygaurd came out of the store and started yelling at people to "Back the FUCK UP!!!". He even yelled at random people who just happened to be walking by. That was completely unnecessary. Thalia is not that big of a deal. It's not like a ton of people were trying to run up and swarm her. Anyway, she hopped into a white Range Rover and the whole scene ended.

I received a new $20 bill today. Cool. That's all I have to say about that....

Tonight we completed the second performance of "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Asian Men." We had a group of 70 people show up! What a great turn-out! The show went very well and now we have one performance left!!!

Going into the audition I had a feeling that this commercial was for the new behemoth Nissan Pathfinder Armada SUVs I see cruising around town. I was right.

The commercial features two "urban" males - one Asian, one African American (that's how they were casting it today, but it could change). The two guys, decked out in "urban" wear (think Timberlands, baggy designer jeans and jacket) are lost in the woods and the African American guy is on his cell. A female voice asks, "Where are you guys?" The guy responds "We'll be there in a couple minutes. Who all is there?" The girl responds, "Me and six of my girlfriends." The Asian guy, listening closely to the conversation asks, "How many?" The other guy responds, "Six". The Asian guy now determined, starts walking and the other guy follows. The camera follows their journey as they stumble over rocks, get snagged on tree branches, step in mud puddles, etc, etc. They are about to give up when all of a sudden, they walk right into a SUV. They back up and look and it's the Nissan Pathfinder Armada. Above the SUV is a sign that reads "In Case of Emergency, Break Glass". There's a mallot nearby. The two guys look at each other and then the Asian guy takes the mallot and smashes the window.

Next scene is of the two guys now driving in the car. The Asian guy is on the cell and the guy driving says, "Tell them we will be there in 15min and we can all roll."

This is all paraphrased of course, but you get the general idea. It looks like it will be a pretty funny piece. I feel I did pretty good in the audition. The first time we did it I went a little big with the comedy and my acting. The casting director told me to pull it back and be more cool and collected instead of panicked. The second time we went through it I played the "cool guy" and it felt better but I don't think my partner had a lot of improv experience. His performance seemed subdued. But none of this matters all that much. A lot of it really depends on the "look" that they are going for. The performance almost comes second. So anyway... I hope I get a callback.

I have a commercial audition for Nissan today! I'm going in as "male #2 - hip and stylish wearing cargo pants and a big down jacket". I really need to get a callback on this audition to convince my commercial agent that I'm still a viable client...

I found a new toy for my wishlist: the NIRO 1.1 Pro Home Theater System. The $800 system consists of a DVD Player/Receiver, one speaker and one subwoofer. What you get when you set it up is a complete 5.1 surround sound experience! Complete surround sound with 1 speaker and 1 subwoofer. And from the reviews, it works perfectly!

I bought Heather a new toy the other day: the Virgin Mobile/Kyocera/MTV Slider phone. It has a ton of customizable options and a small, sleek form factor. With the push of the thumb the unit slides open revealing a keyboard. The phone even features voice commands for various functions. Heather loves her new phone. She spent hours last night customizing her phone and programming voice dial and contact information :).

Acting class went really well tonight. My partner and I did a rehersal before class which included a run-through of the script and an improvization based on a setup similar to the scene we are doing for class. I was a little worried at our rehersal because I felt I needed to have the material committed to memory better - allowing me to focus on my actions and emotions. So right before it was our turn to work on-stage I went out into the hallway to go through the script and really concentrate and prepare. Well, it definitely paid off. I came in confident and emotionally prepared and my performace was a lot more organic. The scene definitely flowed better and the pacing was quicker and more appropriate. I was very happy with how our work is proceeding on our piece and we're getting good feedback from our teacher.

I'm anxiously waiting for Nov 24. The day wireless number portability comes into effect. My current AT&T contract ended in October and my little Nokia 8265 looks like it got run over (well it's been dropped numerous times and it got run over by my ass - I sat on it and my skinny ass broke the screen). So I need a new phone. I want a new phone. I actually have my eyes on the new Motorola MPx200 smartphone. It's half PDA / half cellphone and very, very slick. Right now Amazon has it on sale for $129 after rebates but I'm going to wait 'till Nov 24 and see what kind of deals I can get from AT&T's customer retention/customer loyalty department :)

I've been pretty busy working on two different shows. The "Everything you Wanted to Know About Asian Men" show opens this Friday and I've been working w/ Dan on tweaking and refining my piece. I have a couple edits to do but for the most part I need to work on my performance to carve out the characters in my piece more. I also have a lot of blocking I need to practice.

My other show is actually the scene I'm working on for class - "The Country Girl". I use the word "show" because I might as well be working on a show. We are being taught how to take a script, break it down, infuse it with emotional life and live through it on stage. The process is pretty intense actually and takes a lot of rehersal time. I'm not complaining though. I am very thankful that I now have a process instead of just "winging it".

Did you know that curbside check-in attendants make upwards of $100k???

After reading this article: "Ten most overpaid jobs in the U.S." You might start re-considering your career choice.

Then again, only in Hollywood could you go from making $30k one year and $400k the next. Or go from making $30k to $20mil in three years.

Both Popular Science and Time Magazine have articles listing the coolest technologies that came out in 2003. Check it out.

Today after I had returned from rehersal, Heather and I started strategizing our Holiday schedule. We bought our tickets to see my family in Utah and started making a list of everything that needs to be done before going to the farm (Heather's family in Indiana). Luckily, we started our Chirstmas shopping a month ago so there is less stress on buying presents. But we still will have a hectic schedule. This next week is CRAZY for me. I have appointments everyday that include freelance computer consulting, my acting class, the "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Asian Men" show and of course, there is my day job as well. I have to remember to "book out" with my agents for thanksgiving... I should make a note of that right now...

BTW, Heather and I and a friend (that can't be proper english) saw Matrix: Revolutions on Friday. The end left me a little confused. The special effects were amazing, the action was pretty cool, the story was ok, but the philosophy of the Matrix and its ending was a little disappointing. In summary, (SPOILER?) the movie is about the "Matrix" having a core dump after Neo and Agent Smith collide - then resets itself. If you didn't understand that, don't worry. Go see the movie and you'll have the same confused feeling at the end of the movie. The movie didn't suck, I'm glad I spent the money to see it on the big screen. I guess they just couldn't outdo the wonderment that was created from the very first movie.

While I'm talking about movies, the next big movie event I'm REALLY looking forward to is the final Lord of the Rings installment. The trailer looks amazing. The Last Samurai, and Troy look pretty interesting as well...

AND ALSO... did I not mention that the show I'm in - "Everything you Wanted to Know About Asian Men" opens this Friday in Santa Monica?

FINALLY... just a quick "shout-out" to my old friend Denny whom I haven't talked to in years and called me out of the blue on Friday...

I've been doing an extended karaoke session for the last 2 hours while coding HTML. I'm that talented. I can sing all out AND do graphic production AND HTML programming all at the same time. I know you're impressed :). I'm jammin' to all the old school soft rock, R&B and New Jack Swing. I'm bravely hitting high notes in falsetto and blasting it out. If I had a better voice I'd try to be an R&B Asian Thug Superstar. Just like R. Kelley.

Just kidding.

Heather just hollared down the stairs. Basically - she wants me to shut up...
(of course she said it a lot nicer than that)

"yeah baby, I'm your king of karaoke."

A reader has asked me to share the experience of my first audition. So here it is:

My first "real audition" was back in 1994 in Utah for the show "Touched by an Angel". I had no idea what I was getting into. My agent had told me that the casting director, Cate Praggastis wanted to see new talent from the agency. So I was being sent over to be seen.

I drove to a wherehouse on the outskirts of the city and took the elevator upstairs. When the door opened I realized that I was on the set of "Touched by an Angel". I had never been on a real set before so this was very exciting. I walked to the back of the wherehouse where the casting office was located and picked up the sides for the audition.

The role I was reading for was a guest starring role as a police officer. In the scene, I bust down the door with a gun and scream orders at the main character. Pretty easy.

When I was called into the office I was standing across from Cate Praggastis and Roma Downing. The casting director told me to start anytime I was ready. So I read the lines. (you have to realize, I was nervous as hell and had absolutely no training!) The casting director then asked me to try to improv the scene with Roma. I formed my fingers into a gun and pointed it at Roma. I screamed, "Freeze!", then my mind went blank. I didn't know what to say next. So I busted out laughing. The casting director asked me to try it again and not worry about the words but just stay in character. So I did it again, this time mumbling some words I don't remember.

Suffice it to say, I didn't get the part. But I did enjoy the whole process. I was able to get close to the lights of "Hollywood" and I wanted more...

Tonight, me and a friend from acting class went to the Improv to see Suzanne Whang perform her comedy act. Suzanne has a very funny act she's been performing for a couple years now. It works very well and she has won recognition for her act.

The Los Angeles Improv is actually a very nice space. I've done stand-up in a lot of venues around town and so-far the Improv is the nicest place (apart from the new Improv Olympic West location in Hollywood). The venue is pretty big and the food is expensive but decent. The show we saw tonight was called the "Ivy Show" which basically consisted of comedians all whom have graduated from an Ivy League school. The quality of the show was pretty good. The majority of the comics were pretty funny. There were a couple who were mildly funny at best, but for the most part it was an enjoyable show at which I actually stayed long enough to see all the comics.

I was actually inspired by the comedians as well. I had this fantasy that the host would challenge the audience for someone to come up and try their best at doing stand-up. That's when I would hop up on stage and blow them away with my material. Well that didn't happen so I guess I'll have to eventually make some phone calls and get back on the local comedy circuit...

A kind visitor to my site had an interesting link as part of their signature in their email. The link was labeled "Second Generation" and it caught my curiosity. So I clicked on the link and was taken to the Second Generation website where I discovered:

"Founded in 1997 by Artistic Director Welly Yang, Second Generation is a non-profit theater company dedicated to bringing Asian American stories to the world’s stage. "

This is a very well designed website about an organization I have never heard about until now. Their upcoming production is called "Concert of Excellence" and will be staged at the Lincoln Center in NYC. Very classy and very exciting. It is very cool to see this kind of production being produced by the Asian community.

Thank you "sy" for your email.

Heather and I went hiking today in Runyon Canyon. It was the perfect day to be outside. The air was clean and clear and you could see the beautiful clouds in the deep blue sky.

This is old news now, but OS/X Panther is out. This new version of Apple's OS now sports a new GUI manager feature called Expose. It allows multiple windows to zoom in-and-out of the workspace to help organize running applications on the desktop.

I've seen it in action and it pretty damn cool. I wonder how long it will take for someone (or Microsoft) to copy this little nifty functionality.

Salon has an article on how geeks are also jumping on the low-carb bandwagon. Geeks see low-carbing as hacking the body, or another system they can manipulate.

whatever....

I had this idea like, 2 years ago.

Three days ago I was wearing a tank top outside and was warm. Today we are sitting in the house with the heater on and wearing sweatshirts and we are still cold. Right now I'm eating some really crappy tasting salmon chowder. I might break down and just go to Wendy's...