Story #76: 'Tis the Season of Giving

'Tis the Season of Giving -- A Hopeful Sign

Sasha Dichter: The Generosity Experiment from TED Blog on Vimeo.

Sasha Dichter's Blog on generosity
Acumen Fund
Husk Power Systems

The holiday of gratitude where we are able to emphasize thankfulness passes and enters into our last month of the year where our journey through a wintry wonderland begins. It's like a new realm, where another sector of feelings are to be emphasized. And we begin:

Generosity...kindness...happiness...and...warmth, a few of the most powerful and uplifting feelings we are reminded of when, ironically, the cold winter season comes around. A state of nostalgia reminds us of past events that overwhelm our insides with strong emotions and our spirit with hope and enlightenment. The secret ingredient needed to keep brewing warm tidings during the holiday season is the celestial magic. It's the boost of optimism that keeps us sane and strayers away from depression. Positive reinforcements of thinking about others, doing good deeds through generosity and kindness, and individual improvements through reflection has a wondrously calming effect that composes the ultimate holiday masterpiece: happiness and warmth. Not to be a complete saint during these times, being placed on the other side...on the reciprocating end of these ordeals, it may seem selfish or even greedy. OR, to follow the route of optimism and the celestial ride through the holiday magic, maybe it's that we are just humans that want to be loved. It's feeling that we are needed, appreciated and wanted. And it's through these actions and words that all the yearned feelings above may be confirmed.

Anyways, the act of giving has always been an important aspect of my life and fosters the same emotional stimulation as helping someone would. I love seeing others smile. I love seeing them happy. I love seeing them want to be the best person they can be. Being a witness to them in their best physical, emotional and psychological state is...amazing. This act of helping and giving goes beyond the satisfaction of making a difference in someone else's life. It's solely about the other person. About being their shoes, and as them, being in the state of relative perfection.

SO, what's new in my life? The New Year's Eve movie was released in theaters this past Friday, and if you remember, NYE was one of the first productions that I worked on when I started down the modeling and acting path. And to my excitement, I did get some face time! Maybe I should and maybe I shouldn't be so excited since it's only background work, but what can I say...I'm pretty happy :)

After a nap and several movies, I arrive in Korea to find myself, in a not so surprising area...a restaurant, where I scarf down food as if I haven't eaten in a month. Being in a different country with such delicious food, who would be able to resist the temptations of food? Let's just hope this pattern does not keep up for every meal, three times a day for three weeks. Pictures and more details will be in the next post!

More updates to come....FROM KOREA!!!
Mucho <3

Story #75: Winter Days

Dear Santa,

I have tried my best to be a good girl all year. I don't know if you can deliver non-material things, but all I want for Christmas is to get a hold on life and to have a happy ending to my seemingly never ending journey to finding the right career for me. If not, I'll take a Visa gift card $xxx.

Thank you! Good luck with getting all the presents out in time to all the good children!

Stay Jolly!
Yours Truly,
j-wo

Note: This post is long due to the amount of pictures in it

So where did I leave off last? Ahh, all the pictures that I did not post in October! I still cannot post the Nike pictures since they still have not come out with their material, but I have pictures from the Gala held in Boston and GCC's anniversary service where I learned baking in mass is better done in smaller batches than in fewer large ones.

Silk Road Gala 2011

These pictures do not do justice to how beautiful the room was

GCC's Anniversary Service!
Half the batch: Pumpkin Bars, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sugar Cookies, Oatmeal Cookies

2nd Half: Chocolate Fudge Cake, Pumpkin Bars, Carrot Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sugar Cookies, Oatmeal Cookies

November:
Continuing from the last post, Blue Bloods was fun, as usual, and I believe I got as much face time as you could get on that show. I guess we'll just have to see when they air it. I got my hair done, met old friends, and made a few new ones. As for the pictures, don't judge, I know I haven't been keeping up with my exercising, eating healthy and sleeping at a reasonable hour, but I DID just recently start fixing my bad habits. It's been a little shaky, but hopefully it will keep getting better.

The next worthy-to-mention November event was my reunion with my pledge sisters in the Big Apple! Having a girls night out with dinner, a movie, and chit chatting is a mandatory thing in a girl's life in order to stay sane. Boys/Men...you may want to respect that. We're crazy as it is, could you imagine what life would be like for yourself if you didn't encourage us to have our Girl's Night Out??

Dinner!

The Birthday Cake Aftermath. Thank you for making my birthday extra special!! <3<3<3

Vegging out on the couch (watching a movie)

Next stop, Maryland! Not only did I actually exercise a lot (which was exciting for me :P ) but I had an AMAZING time with one of my closest friends. There were many laughs, many talks and MANY hilarious moments that I wish you were all there for...but then again, it might have just been hilarious to us.

Getting ready for our night out in DC

More cropped pictures are on my Facebook (the outfits we tried on before heading out were a little ridiculous) :)

Onward to Thanksgiving. Since my oldest brother couldn't make it to our annual family dinner with the extended family, we had two Thanksgivings! nomnomnom Unfortunately, I only have pictures from my Uncle's house (I don't think it would be appropriate to post my mom in her non-sober state)

The Women :)

The original Wong's

I also baked cakes and cookies for my mom's good friend's surprise birthday. I baked a Carrot Cake, Chocolate Chip Cookies and a Green Tea Cake. Here's the Green Tea Cake...thankfully it turned out well and was a hit!

The final piece was much more decorated.

Now for some updated news. Recently, I did a gig on an MTV Prank Show pilot. I was portrayed as a Japanese School girl.

The star of the show is being camera shy :p

Me and my "Japanese" classmates. We're off to Go go's festival...the most famous dog in Japan!! We even had a theme song for Go go

And finally, the most exciting news of all!!! This Sunday I will be on the plane to Korea for 3 weeks! I am so so excited. Not to worry, I will have updates and new posts for all of you on a timely basis. Get ready so see scrumpdillyumptious food!

Stay tuned for my adventures in Korea!
Mucho <3

Story #74: Recap

re·cap/rēˈkap/

Verb:	State again as a summary; recapitulate.
Noun:	A summary of what has been said; a recapitulation.
Synonyms:	verb.  summarize noun.  resume

~ Thanks to google.com

So to recap my past couple weeks:
To start, I know I'm a little late in the game, but how was everyone's halloween?? I was planning to celebrate it on the 29th at the Maxim masquerade costume party, but the snow was a definite fun-stopper. And it didn't help that I was sick. I had the BEST costume every, with the help of a beautiful, talented girl...a professional salsa performer! It was sexy with a purpose...makes me feel a little less...provocative (??).

So this past Monday was my birthday!! Thanks for all the thoughtful birthday wishes!! :)
I know you guys are all wondering. How did I spend this monumental day that would not be possible without my parents? Skyline of New york, elegant dinner, crazy party scene dancing the night away...what an amazing night. Although that does sound amazing, I spent my day a little bit differently. I started my day with a doctors appointment, then I went shopping with my umma. Bought lots of clothes and a really cute purse! For dinner, it was just me and my parents. We ate sam gyup sal, miyuk gook (birthday soup) and to top it all off, mint chocolate ice cream cake. It might not have been a night out in the city but, it sure was a good birthday celebration. :D

For upcoming news...tomorrow I'll be working on Blue Bloods as a restaurant patron. It'll be nice to be back on set and getting into the groove again. Maybe I'll see that director again! The downside to all of this? I called in about an hour ago and I cringed when I heard my call time. I forgot how early they could get. I have a 6am call time with two train options, it takes about 20 minutes to get there from the Penn station plus an hour and 25 minutes to get there from Princeton Junction, so I will be taking the 3:59am train!! This means I have to leave my house at 3:35am. Seriously, I'm going to call into the office, get on top of my game, start working a lot more and find a way to live in NY.

And, next Tuesday I'll be leaving for Maryland!! I'll be visiting my really good friend for a week. CanNOT wait! (personal message: lovelovelove youzzzz) :) :)

More updates to come!
Mucho <3

Story #73: Secrecy

se·cre·cy /ˈsikrəsi/ Show Spelled[see-kruh-see] - noun

1. the state or condition of being secret, hidden, or concealed: a meeting held in secrecy.

2. privacy; retirement; seclusion.

3. ability to keep a secret.
~ Thanks to Dictionary.com

By contract I can't actually share any details from the Nike shoot yesterday. But I will tell you that it was a lot of fun and they were great to work with. If I ever see it up, you guys will be the first one's to know about it! :) A few perks, I got to keep the shoes I used throughout the day and a really nice guy lent me his Nike jacket to keep me warm and ended up letting me keep it. 

This weekend is going to be crazy fun. Tomorrow I will be attending the Philadelphia Salsa Fest where Hot Salsa Hot will be performing (woot woot!!), Saturday is a Maxim Masquerade Costume party and Sunday I have golf with the family and a friend. And, if I'm up for it, I might go back to the Salsa Fest.


I hope all of your weekends will be just as fun as mine! Let me know what you guys are up to!


More updates to come.
Mucho <3

Story #72: Endless opportunities

So there are two things that are going on right now. When life meets reality, it hits it hard and it moves fast.

First I'll get to the news that many of you have been asking about and waiting for. Tomorrow I have been booked for an interview to potentially work with Nike. It will probably be a smaller end part, but regardless, it will be a fantastic experience. I have to be there at 10am with my changes of clothes. I will be posting what happens in tomorrows blog entry! :)

Now the second topic to address. After talking with the Blue Bloods director, I have actually been thinking about how I could do two things at once with my life. How I could possibly explore other possibilities of career choices while doing acting and modeling. I've always said that if I were to go in a different direction, I would want to do something in the education field, or the medical field, such as doctor, PA, or something in psychology. And after a really good talk with my dad, I have decided to shadow a few PA's and doctors, and look into taking classes at a nearby college. I heard about a class that is offered at a nearby community college where I will have a two week in-class experience in an elementary, middle school and high school classroom. I guess we'll just have to see how things turn out!

More updates to come!
Mucho <3

Story #71: Blessing in Disguise

Have you ever felt so lethargic that it goes beyond just how you physically feel and begins to affect how you think and perceive things? I was so tired today that it felt as if I was walking on a tight rope. You know, that feeling where everything is tense and with a little push you could tip over towards irritability or towards sadness and loneliness. When this happens I just want to sleep or do something to prevent me from over thinking things too much. In this sensitive state, the best things is to find comfort in something...right? What do you do, any tips?

So my busy weekend technically started on Wednesday with the shopping and prepping of my dry ingredients, but the actual baking didn't start until Thursday. So I went to bed at the usual time, 3:30am, got up at 9:30am and started baking at 10am. I started on my Chocolate Chip Cookie dough, tested one out and...um...not pretty. Add more of this, a little bit of that and still no good. So, even more of this and that, soon 10 am became 1pm with no progress in sight. In the end, 5 quarts of cookie dough went down the drain. So much sadness. But the frustration temporarily ended there. I moved on to Sugar cookies and Oatmeal. Success!! Next were the Pumpkin Bars and Chocolate Fudge cake. Unfortunately, more problems came up...the middle would never bake! I have never had so much pent up frustration in the kitchen while baking. So, long story short, from 10am on Thursday until 2:30am on Saturday with a 1 hour nap and some tweaks to my baking techniques, I made Chocolate Chip cookies, Sugar cookies, Oatmeal Raisin cookies, Pumpkin Bars, Chocolate Fudge cake, Carrot cake and homemade icing for an estimate of 350 people. I definitely came away from this experience much more knowledgeable...never bake cookies for that many people when you only have one oven. Being limited to baking 20-28 cookies at a time when you need to bake over 750 of them takes an incredible amount of time.

On Thursday, I got a call around 2pm to do background work on the 2-2 and to stand-in for someone. I was a little upset and frustrated seeing how this was a great opportunity, baking wasn't going well at the time and I haven't been working as much as I would like; but, you gotta do what you gotta do, right? So, why would it have been a great opportunity? Pay would have been relatively good since I was going to stand-in for one of the principal actors and for the obvious reason, it would be nice to get back on set.

Saturday, I was planning to nap from 2:30am to 5am to drive to Boston but that was a fail. I didn't end leaving until 11:45am. Upside to things, I made it there in less than 4 hours! The Silk Road Gala 2011 was beautiful. For more information on the gala, the prestigious Chefs that were there and the cause it promoted, you can click here. With some centerpieces in my trunk, I left Boston at 11:30pm for a pitch black drive home. Serene, scary, tense and tired all wrapped into one.

After getting home at 8am (don't ask), I finished baking the last two servings of Chocolate Chip cookies, cleaned up, napped for an hour, got changed and headed to Grace Community Church's 5th or 6th year anniversary service. At the end of the day, the night was a hit, the set up, food and my baked goods were amazing.

Life is full of endless opportunities, the important thing is to grab a hold of one of them or there won't be any progression in life. And at the end of the day, if you work hard, put all my effort into everything you did, even the small things, you'll end up on top. The stress and aggravations definitely turned into a blessing. I learned how so much from this past weekend.

Tomorrow I'll be heading to NY for an audition (no idea what about, so it'll be a surprise for you and me!).

To end on a final note: Listening to music you find a few that you will surprisingly like, considering the mood that you're in, you'll find ones that you love and ones that you can't stand, one's that will soothe you and bring comfort, and then, you'll find one that just makes you smile and even laugh. This is mine: Fuck You by Lily Allen. Enjoy!

As always, more updates to come! --> I'm late already, so pictures will be up in the next couple of days! :)

Mucho <3

Story #70: Pre-post

My original plan was to take you guys through my day by day hectic schedule with pictures, stories and life lessons. Unfortunately, like today, my busy schedule preoccupied all my time leaving me sleepy and without a blog entry to post.

An overview of my upcoming post: day-to-day happenings such as what I did, work I missed out on (*sadness*), and all the good and bad nitty gritties; pictures from my baking marathon, and the itinerary I followed since Thursday. Short blog, but lots to look forward to! :)

Updates tomorrow!
Mucho <3

Story #69: Been called out...

Called out

1: When an inappropriate or embarrassing question is asked in front of a large group of people that can include friends or family.

2: When you have been owned in front of your piers.

person 1: Hey can I ask you something?
person 2: Sure
person 1: ARE YOU GAY?
person 2: ...
random bystander: you just got called out!

~ Thanks to Urban Dictionary

Call out

To challenge someone in some way. Or to put someone on blast.

I don't think you've really lost 300 pounds - you just say you have. Produce some Before & After photos. I'm calling you out!

~Thanks to Urban Dictionary

 So I've been called out on my lack of updates quite a few times, but now...it's gone public...it's official "When you have been owned in front of your piers." haha. When posting on a public site, it's best to ask a friend to check. And if you still come out with spelling like this...then you need new friends. Just kidding!! I am 100% sure that I've made worse spelling and grammar mistakes than this on every single public site I've been a part of.

(Note: don't judge, I know you've been lazy before...possibly, about something...) 

Anyways, here is my update. In all honesty, I have still yet to start eating healthier, exercising and sleeping on time [consistently]. But, it's coming, I feel it. And in honor of this post, I will be working out right after it is sent out. In terms of acting and modeling, I have also been slacking in that area due to the fact that I didn't renew everything for this month. The most recent works on Blue Bloods and Law and Order: SVU, I don't know how I got, they just called me. No worries, I did fix that last night, I signed up, even signed up for the unlimited photos (maybe I'll work on Gossip Girl now -- nah, I'm not sure if I want to work on it, but the reason why will be another post) and you will hear many more updates on more work from here on out!

I know they were posted up on facebook, but they were still requested, so here they are (I will be looking for new ones asap, but I don't think other ones will come out until next season):

S03E06

S03E01

I promise, more updates to come

Mucho <3

Story #68: Mafia Maid

With every friendship you develop and network you create, you build a new bridge that leads you down to new paths of possibilities. This past Saturday I had the opportunity to work in a comical independent film. I played a maid to the mafia that had a little bit of a kick; I had a bit of an accent and an attitude. Although it was a small part, I am grateful to have been able to be a part of the cast. This film will be submitted to the Garden State Film Festival on the first of December. When it is done and finished, I will let you all know how it looks, and I may even share a clip with you ;p

Next week is going to be a hectic week. I will be baking all Wednesday, Thursday and Friday for Grace Community Church's 5th Annual service. I have to drive to Boston Saturday morning for the Silk Road Gala 2011 and drive back home right after. This will be the 18th annual benefit for the Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence (the poster invite and more information on the Asian Task Force). And then, I will probably be pulling an all nighter to finish baking. Stressful, busy and most certainly exciting...I can't wait!! I've already started planning the menu and doing preparations for the desserts. :)

There will be pictures, and there will be updates!
Mucho <3

Story #67: Law and Order: SVU

So two days ago I was a victim on Law and Order: SVU. Let's just say out of the 14 hours being there, I worked maybe 45 minutes. Here are a few of the pictures I took, the rest will be posted on my Facebook album: Friends on Set. I now know that it's better to be one of those many detectives or cops than a victim, you definitely work more.

My 5:15am walk to the train station (gotta work a little for my free parking)

It's here! ...and it's still dark out :(

Story #66: Pictures up!

Alright, so I'm not going to lie, yesterday's audition shook my confidence a little bit. I'm pretty sure I have a slight disadvantage over the many girls I saw yesterday considering that I don't have a Chinese accent, nor can I speak Chinese. However, I tried to contain my nerves and doubts, and walked into the audition room with my best face. I gave them a lot of character and personality, winged the accent and the Chinese improv section and did better than what I expected with my nerves in disarray. The more I audition, the better I'll get, and the better I get, the more roles that will come my way.

Meanwhile, you all should check this website out!! http://www.krapydna.com/
I told you that I was working on something last Friday...well it's up, but...it's not done. It is to be continued. And of course, I will keep you all updated. Their new line that they just launched is out of this world. They did an amazing job picking out the colors and designs. If you're interested on the how they designed it, there are timelapse videos for: Breathe of God and Lantern. And to stay up to date with their videos, follow their krapyDNA Youtube Channel.  Seriously though, check out the site, read the background, subscribe to their blog, and buy some shirts. They're legit -- fabric is nice and the print is of good quality.

Tomorrow I'll be working on Law and Order SVU, episode: True Believers, where I will be portraying a victim filing a complaint and possibly other background work as well. I also got a call to work on CSI...but a little too late. I wonder which show would be more fun to work on. Anyways, I have to be up bright and early so I'm going to end it here for now.

Songs of choice these days:  (These links plus all the recommended links :P )

AMP Movement ✝ See You In Heaven ✝ Never Change ✝ On My Knees ✝ The Vision ✝ 
Bruno Mars ♣ Girl In The Window ♣
kPop ❀ 별이되어 스카이하이❀
Robin Thicke --★ Sex Therapy (Flash Mob) ★
Youtube stars ☀ The Girl ☀
 ♥ Cutest Engagement EVER!!! ♥ 

Story #65: life happens...

I know I promised a week straight of posts, but life happens...

As mentioned before, I had something special and fun planned for Friday (weather permitting); unfortunately, the weather was far from ideal. But we made the most of it...you know what they say, when life throws you lemons...throw it back! Haha, no...make lemonade :)  It was a little nippy, the overcast of clouds created a gray tinted sky, and the teasing of the little bits of sun rays peaking through every so often...just meh. It was a ton of fun, but definitely couldn't do everything we planned on doing. Since we couldn't get everything, we were trying to improvise a little....but that could only go so far. Eventually there was so little light that, we continued our night of bonding elsewhere. We had a scrumptious dinner at a nearby Mexican restaurant and then ended our "night out" at a B-Boy competition held at Princeton University. The crews were amazing, the crowd was full of energy and the music was pumping. There were definitely a few times where I thought a little more confrontation would strike out on the dance floor, but there was enough mutual respect and understanding where the tension subsided by itself. The night ended with a 3 year old boy jumping on stage, bobbing his head, swaying to the music and spinning around on the floor. After the show, we ended up at my place for some quick, late night picture filtering. It wasn't until they left that...

...I got a message, "Crazy and I know really last min. But would you like to go to a wedding tomorrow?" And so, there I was on a brisk Saturday morning getting ready for a wedding off of 3 - 4 hours of sleep. It was quite a trip getting to it but well worth it. The wedding reception was everything a bride could ask for -- looking from a guests perspective. The guests were pleasant, the food was good, the centerpieces were simple yet elegant and the cake was not only beautiful, but tasted amazing. On the entertainment side, there was an open bar, an awesome flipbook station (I made 3 :p ) and a lot of dancing and an amazing MC/DJ that found a natural way to keep everyone's energy up without making it feel like a boxing match of some sort (you know what I mean or am I on my own on this?). In terms of dancing, let's just say that the kids dominated the floor. To round up this paragraph, I have to conclude on how cute the bride and groom were. Although I really didn't know them at all, it was pretty clear that there was a special bond between them. Individually they were beautiful and handsome with charming personalities. Their bond with their parents were well displayed during the father-daughter dance and mother-son dance. They were wonderful hosts that kept the party alive...literally, the groom was very active role in including the guests and making sure everyone was having a great time. And finally, their unconditional love for each other was visible even through the smallest interactions between themselves. I want to say cheers to them for putting together a wonderful wedding reception and to congratulate them for tying the knot. I wish them the best and a life full of happiness together.

So, I am finally settled back home after picking up my parents from the airport. Tomorrow I have an audition for the adult swim network where I will be auditioning for Jinghua:

[JINGHUA] Female, Asian, in her 20s; very attractive Chinese girl who works in the laundromat that Jon goes to. She pretends that she can't speak English well, to mess with Jon. She agrees to go out on a date with him because she thinks it’s fun to mess with him. The role appears in 2-3 episodes.

Wish me luck!...worst case scenario, this will be a great experience. :)

More updates to come!
Mucho <3

Story #64: Waiting for my second wind

My free time has been spent looking at photos...

...reading random articles and watching these inspirational videos on TED: Ideas worth spreading


"Normal", autistic, ADD, ADHD, developmental disorders or illnesses, painful or not, they all have their own hidden blessing; its own diamond in the rough. What's yours?
 
When I am re-introduced to a life of motivation and determination, stripping away the laziness that has accumulated over the past few weeks, I will take a journey into living a full busy life and filling my empty time wisely. As stated yesterday, I will exercise and eat healthier; continue with my leisurely readings and slowly increase my Korean speaking skills. Learning and re-learning math, physics and finance with the help of the videos that Salman Kahn has so kindly taken the time to post for millions of people like me to learn at our own pace in the comfort of our own home.
Khan Academy


Rituals signify more than just a passageway or a ceremony, giving formal "rights" to the next phase in a political, societal or individual functions in life. It serves on one or all levels of obligation to the community, "satisfaction of spiritual or emotional needs of the practitioners, strengthening of social bonds, social and moral education, demonstration of respect or submission, stating one's affiliation, obtaining social acceptance or approval for some event—or, sometimes, just for the pleasure of the ritual itself" (wikipedia). It has a symbolic value that reflects an underlying feeling, and an unspoken understanding between those who seek the cultural understanding and enlightenment that is embedded in these momentous rituals. To them, there is a meaning, importance and urgency. Whether if they are small or large, serviced for the poor or the rich, or for the individual or for the mass, there is greater intention than a mere performance.

Examples of rituals: rites of passage of certain societies or cults, oaths of allegiance, inaugurations, marriages and funerals, graduations, themed parties, and "even common actions like hand-shaking and saying hello may be termed rituals" (wikipedia).

Abraham Verghese -- taken from his own written work:

"There is an indelible scene that comes back to me often and without invitation. But in recalling it as I write this, I'm no longer distressed; it has taken all these years to find reassurance in this memory. It harks back to the time when I made regular visits to the sickbeds of patients dying with AIDS in the era before modern therapy. I remember the reluctance, the sense of failure that enveloped me when I went by the room on rounds or paid a home visit. I never knew what to do, what to say. Out of that awkwardness and embarrassment, I'd fall back into the only role I knew to play at the bedside: I'd feel the pulse, then gently pull down the eyelid to see the color of the mucous membrane, then examine the tongue, sound out the hollow chest with the time-honored technique of percussion, listen to the lungs, then feel the abdomen—my ritual. I recall so many pairs of eyes of so many people—all of them now long dead, but their names still vivid, fresh on my tongue—huge haunted eyes in hollowed-out sockets, staring up at me as I performed my exam. And when I was finished, I'd take my leave, and the next day I'd do it again.

I recall one patient who was, at that point, no more than a skeleton encased in shrinking skin, unable to speak, his mouth crusted with candida that was resistant to the usual medications. When he saw me on what turned out to be his last hours on earth, his hands moved as in slow motion, and as I wondered what he was up to, his stick fingers made their way up to his pajama shirt, fumbling with his buttons. I realized that he was wanting to expose his wicker-basket chest to me: it was an offering, an invitation. I didn't decline. I percussed, palpated, and auscultated. I think he surely must have known by then that it was vital for me, just as it seemed necessary for him. Neither of us could skip this ritual, which had nothing to do with detecting rales in his lungs, or finding the gallop rhythm of heart failure. No, this ritual was about the one message that physicians have needed to convey to their patients, although God knows, of late, in our hubris we seem to have forgotten, we seem to have drifted away, as if with the explosion of knowledge, the whole human genome mapped out at our feet, we are lulled into forgetting that the ritual is cathartic to the physician and necessary for the patient, forgetting that the ritual has meaning and a singular message to convey to the patient. And the message, which I didn't fully understand then, even as I delivered it, and which I understand better now, is this: I will always, always be there, I will see you through this, I will never abandon you, I will be with you through the end."

-----

Contingent on weather, tomorrow I will be taking a few pictures under the guidance of an inspiring individual. I will expand more in tomorrows post!

More updates to come!

Mucho <3

Story #63: taking it slow

Before I throw myself back into the modeling and acting world, maybe it would be best to go with the flow and make the most of this "slow season" -- all actors and models have dry periods, which is why there is no financial stability in this line of work (unless you're a superstar). I will start off with a self examination; answering the life questions that will hopefully help me figure out myself as well as what I want to do with my life if acting and modeling does not pan out. Second, to fully re-energize myself for the hectic days to come. And third, to create good habits again. Go to sleep at a more reasonable time, eat healthier and exercise. I know this has come up a lot, but these past couple weeks have honestly been terrible. I really need to make a genuine effort in this area.

But before I can move on, I have to figure out what I truly believe. I understand what Denzel Washington was trying to get at during his 2011 Commencement speech at the University of Pennsylvania, reference: Story #38.

I found that nothing in life is worthwhile unless you take risks…I never understood that concept, having something to fall back on. If I’m going to fall, I don’t want to fall back on anything, except my faith. I want to fall forward" spoken words by Denzel Washington at UPenn's 2011 Commencement

(there was a glitch when I posted this causing everything after this was deleted. I rewrote everything to the best of my memory)

From what I gather, risks are to be taken head on. So, stop packing the emergency flares, stop creating back up plan #1, 2 and 3, and stop carrying around a Marry Poppins bag. All of these things hold you back from taking a leap of faith and just experiencing the risk for what it's worth. You'll never be able to fly as high as you can if you are always strapped down to something. I love this idea, but in the back of my mind, I wonder about the flip side. Not the far end of the spectrum where you live risk free.

“The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.” ~ Leo F. Buscaglia (Thinkexist.com)

Through risks you grow as a person. And no matter what risks are taken, there are only two outcomes: you succeed with more experience and confidence under your belt or you fail and become wiser and more experienced. Either way, it was the next needed step to get somewhere new in life. So if the answer is not falling forward, and the obvious solution is not to stop taking risks, then that leaves the idea shared with the director of Blue Bloods. You should take risks and pursue your dreams, but you should be wise. Especially in the line of business that I have entered in where everyone are fickle and where success is not based on merit, but primarily on who you know and what you can do with your connections. So wouldn't it be smart to use my UPenn degree or feel out the waters in other interests that are reasonable enough to make a career? Maybe I can start on my studies for needed to obtain a job in the education or medical field. It doesn't matter what the options are or what options are taken but the idea is to have a back up plan in case things fall through. Why waste time? If all ends poorly at least there will be something fall back on so that I don't have to start from scratch.

Or can it be that there is more of a middle ground. Take risks head on but stay well rounded. Keep honing the skills acquired over a lifetime but not with the idea that they are tying you down, or that they are to be considered a back up plan. But more in the notion of having the skills to being the best person you can be -- finding the middle ground of being a person that is a jack of all trades and being the master of one. Basically what it boils down to, is that you need to trust in yourself and your abilities. Do what ever it takes to believe that even if you take a wrong turn and all spirals out of hand, that when you hit rock bottom, you will be able to get back up and begin a new journey.

And I leave you with these last words from Denzel Washington:

"To not only take risks, but to be open to life. To accept new views and to be open to new opinions...while it may be frightening, it will also be rewarding. Because the chances you take, the people you meet, the people you love, the faith that you have, that's what's going to define you" (Story #38)

More updates are sure to come! -- updates will be here sooner than you think, got something going on Friday, all weather permitting
Mucho <3

Story #62: Short, quick and fun

I definitely traveled for a longer amount of time than I spent actually working. I had a 6:15 am call time and got wrapped at 9am. And of those 2 hours and 45 min, I worked maybe 10 min. And as usual on Blue Bloods, background doesn't do much...at all. We were so far in the distance that I don't even think you could see us as a blurry figure!...sadness. But hopefully, I'll get paid for the 8 hours. At least the early wrap time allowed me to run some errands, go to the bank, return some clothes, go shopping (NY = dropping money = sad face). I was done so early in the day, that even after all the walking, talking and shopping, I still caught the 1pm train home.

There was some good news and okay news that came within the short day.  Good news, I made friends with one of the directors...he's so cool! He looks like an old time tennis coach! haha. Anyways, I'm really grateful for the conversation we had. It was both inspiring and eye opening. To start, his family has a history of cancer, and he was eventually diagnosed with it twice in his life, he was told that he would only have a couple months to live. But with mind over matter and taking some serious risks, he became one of those miracle stories. He went from losing all his hair and nails in one shower, to being a healthy and inspiring man of today. He mentors at least 50 people per year and as cliche as it sounds, brings new meaning to life to others. Furthermore, he has really challenged me to look at what I'm doing and if I could be doing more; he brought an honest light to this fickle business. Although I "knew" about everything he told me...I didn't actually "know" it, you know what I mean? I knew that this business was all based on who you knew and not completely by merit. I knew that because of this, many bad actors got a break while there are many talented actors who will always struggle trying to make a name for themselves. But I guess, I never really took the time to take it all in and to be honest with myself about where I fit into all this mess. How all of this entertainment behind the scenes chaos really effected me. With that, he discouraged the idea of taking this job full time and encouraged me to pursue other areas of interest that I may have. To use my ivy college degree and to explore more. I'm young, full of energy and if I really put in the effort, I could technically jump into a few things at once and not limit myself to just acting. This way I will never have those thoughts of, what if I had done this, and I will have a back up plan if all falls through...and I won't have to start from scratch. It was good food for thought.

Anyways, no work for tomorrow, but hopefully I will be working the rest of the week. You guys will be the first ones to know!

More updates to come!
Mucho <3

Story #61: Untitled

The crazy cooking and baking weeks are over and will start back up for the week of Halloween!! Can't wait :)

Tomorrow I will be working a very simple and short day on Blue Bloods. I'm pretty sure I will be portrayed as a pedestrian, walking back and forth from point A to point B or someone just chilling in one place. This is the beginning to the end of my no working weeks. Although, I do have to admit, these past couple weeks ended up being more tiring than the weeks where I had to work.

That's all I have for today. Nice and short.

More updates are sure to come.

Mucho <3

Shake 'n bake

Warning: there are a lot of pictures in this post...

So my cooking adventure actually started on Wednesday night...

I prepared all the dry ingredients.

Thursday, I went shopping...again (I basically go grocery/bakery shopping at least 4 days a week), and dry rubbed my baby back ribs. Laid the ribs out on aluminum foil, finished mixing the rest of my dry ingredients in, and got down and dirty with my babies, mm mmm, smelled soo so good. All cooking aside, I swear, I have changing neon signs on my forehead; one for every occasion of my life. Too bad I don't have one that says please hum/sing an accompanying Broadway musical or movie theme song to this dramatic moment in my life. How cool would that be? Yea...anyways, if you remember, I had the one sign that said "please hollar at me. I like creepy fellas and old men speaking their dirty thoughts out loud, taking pictures, and whistling", one saying "please speak Asian to me -- helps remind me of my Japanese background" -- **wait what?**, one that says "I'm a native New Yorker so please ask me for directions" -- if you actually knew me, I'm terrible with directions and use the GPS for every place I drive or walk to. And now, "I'm a lost little Asian girl in the market". To be honest, these last two really aren't that bad. I like trying to be a good Samaritan, so I throw my quick solving problem cap on and try to help out...now if I could just do that for myself. And the last one, well obviously, I don't have to stand wide-eyed trying to figure out where everything is and how to find out what is fresh or ripe and what is not. Seriously, how often do you go to the store to get capers, ham steak -- no...it's not in the deli section and no, they do not know what it is, or frozen artichoke hearts. Anyways, I've spent a lot of money,  a lot of time, had a lot of adventures and learned a lot about grocery shopping. You would think that it was easy, but do you know how to pick good meat/veggies/fruit? Do you know the specific guidelines and "rules"? I always thought it was innate or something, Well, lo and behold, that "I'm a noob at shopping" sign instantly went up upon entering the grocery store -- I even had the chef at shop rite trying to figure me out.

**If you didn't know, I'm half Chinese and half Korean**

Alright, so Friday I baked like a mad man!

Chocolate Chip cookie from scratch...seriously these best recipe ever :)

These were AMAZING!!!

For Saturday's BBQ I made Campanelle Tuna Salad, Sweet Chicken Bacon Wrap, and RIBS! We also had special curry shrimp, hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken

Took for ever to season and reduce the liquid

Soda did the trick -- got rid of that salty zing after tast

I didn't get to try them, but they were gone in an instant. All three racks. We also celebrated 3 birthdays:

♫ ♪ ♫ Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you... ♪ ♫ ♪ 

Gotcha!

 And finally today, Sunday.

nom nom nom

More updates to come...but for now, I have got to get some shut eye.
Mucho <3

Story #60: Bake-off...

...with myself??

I'm so excited. Even though I wish I took a little more time and was a little more careful, I am very happy and proud of how they came out. But now that I know what I'm doing (well I kind of know what I'm doing), hopefully next time I will be even MORE happy with the results. I wish you could see the cakes in person, they look much better than the photos below (they were both for a fellowship diner):

The start of my fondant making experience

Left Cake was 99% covered in fondant and the cake on the left was a ganache covering with fondant strip on the bottom and squiggle

s

Oh, I also made these KILLER chocolate chip cookies...a recipe my brother sent me. They are amazing. Well, I think they were amazing. Best I've ever had at least.

Anyways, in honor of my newfound dedication to baking a lot for the rest of this year, I went to Michael's and bought a lot of baking utensils and glitter! There's a 50% off of one item coupon that you can print right off their website...I think within 2 days I went there 4 times and used at least 5 coupons. My mother taught me well :p

Finally, about work-work. I'm debating on whether or not I should just take the week off...I'm thinking and assuming that the lack of work is a mixture of downtime in shows and me being cycled out from the casting system. Meaning that there are moments when I will be super busy and others where I will rarely be used...which would be now. Plus, this way I can finally just relax and focus on things I want to do instead of having this subconscious anxiety of fear in missing phone calls.

Next on my list to bake for the week (not finalized): a fruit tart, two cakes, a cheesecake and truffles. There will be pictures at the end of the week! :)

More updates to come.
Mucho <3