Yes and No.
With a lot of controversy surrounding the whole thing about Tom Cruise and his ties to the Scientologists, the average audience member watches on with certain assumptions of their favorite performers in regards their respected spirituality. Actors are an uncanny fickle bunch. I should know, I fall into the same category as most actors. If someone was to inquire about my own personal view on spirituality, I'd simply give them a generic answer: "I'm Christian." Sure, I've seen and heard a more general response such as "I'm spiritual." (What the hell does THAT really mean?)
Posting about my faith and theology is for another future time. It's difficult to really separate my beliefs versus my experiences within a religious setting, and that is a challenge that the average person wrestles with in regards to spirituality. So therefore I'm gonna attempt to build a 10 foot pole to touch the topic in the near future.
I'm not really talking about that anyways.
I observed the last ten years while pursuing, training and working on various acting productions that the actor tends to create their own sort of religious order to a lesser degree than a fanatical follower when it comes to the technique of their craft of acting. I'm not talking about fundamental craft knowledge such as voice, diction, movement/dance though people will separate themselves along the various disciplines there too. (Linklater vs Fitzmaurice vs Alexander ect) I'm referring to the various schools of techniques in regards to achieving the performance state of "being in the moment."
Since my performance background began in doing stand-up comedy, I gravitated towards the improvisational based forms of acting when I began my formal acting training. I was lucky enough to learn from someone who was versed in VARIOUS schools of improv acting, so there was no hard-core loyalty insistence. Coming from San Francisco, Theatersports and Johnstone has a heavy presence in the improvisational scene. Elsewhere in L.A., N.Y. and Chicago, Second City and more Spolin based improv dominate the scene. As ridiculous as it sounds I've come across improvisors who refused to work with other improvisors not trained within their discipline. (Theatersports trained folks won't work with Improv Olympics or Spolin based Improv, and vice-versa)
On the other end of the spectrum, acting methods are split accordingly also. The average person has heard of "The Method," when it comes to acting. There just isn't ONE method per se. Almost if not all "methods" that's known is based directly and indirectly to theories on acting created by Stanislavsky. I look at the various schools and methods on acting the way I observe church and denominational splits. In a lot of ways, a new acting method created is normally the result of a split from another school of acting.
Now a new form of "Method" is taking shape. Known as "Contemporary Method," it evolves on a more eclectic approach. In addition to taking a little of Meisner and a little of Strasberg, ect, they'll add something such as "energy work, past lives," and other forms of pseudo-psychology. I would love to say that because of their eclectic nature, they have no qualms against other schools/methods, however that is normally not the case.
Why the split? Why the chasm between all the method/school/approaches to acting? All could be linked to the one common denominator: the "Guru." The acting coach/instructor/teacher ect in a lot of cases holds more power over actors than the actors should permit. Largely that is due to what belief and/or attachment the actors hold in respect to the desired results they're getting in relation to their coaching. A friend of mine who transplanted to L.A. from S.F. concluded that all her earlier acting training "sucked ass" as compared to the audition coach she currently and religiously trains with. The reason being was prior to her training w/this coach, she did not book herself in any major productions. She's spellbound by this coach.
This is not an unusual situation. Ask any actor why they gravitate towards a particular coach or school or approach and they'll explain how much they benefited. That's all the actor wants: to be able to do the best job they can possibly do as an actor, period. If you told another actor that you booked your last major role as a result of following a coaches advice to inhale through the left nostril and exhaling through the right while delivering lines, SOMEONE will attempt that on their next audition.
Take it out of the actor's context. If you're a single guy, and your friend who's also single but was known in the past for not being able to meet women suddenly shows up with multiple women on his arms, would you not inquire about the change? If you're struggling with your weight and your best friend who was overweight the majority of their life shows up lean, trim and fit, wouldn't you want to know what they did?
So Actor A and Actor B attends most of the same audition, and Actor B tends to be given the role. At other auditions Actor A notices that Actor C tends to book those roles. Actor A learns that Actors B and C are from the same acting training. Guess what the next training agenda is for Actor A. If Actor A lands a role shortly after they begin that particular training, that training becomes a new religion for Actor A until that training no longer works, and Actor A begins this cycle all over again with another form of training.
So as a student of personal development, as a former missionary, and as a working actor, I've decided to follow in the tradition of acting gurus past and present: I have created an acting training approach. What makes my training stand out is that it's open to actors and non-actors alike. All are welcomed. No one is turned away for lack of talent. Now lack of funds, different story. Payment must be made on time. Remember that once you begin your training, any positive incidents, results, or events that happened in your life was a direct result of ME and MY training!!! Because of that, anytime your family, friend, or colleague inquire about your sudden fortune of positive stuff, make sure you refer them TO ME. We (I) will grow this training to new heights. You will no longer need to goto church if you attended church. I AM your new church. I AM your new god. All good things in your life came from me and what I taught you. NOW KOWTOW!
...Happy April Fool's Day!
18 March, 2011
13 January, 2011
Tips on Goal Setting...BE CAREFUL!!!
Throughout this blog and my previous older blog, I've extensively discussed my journey on the path to personal development, setting and achieving goals. Thus far, I've experienced lessons to apply to the next set of goals and endeavors. If there was one thing I learned so far on the journey, there are some things that work and work too well.
In setting goals, there is a Yin to the Yang. One of the basic tenements on going after a goal is that clear intention will always trump mechanism and outside influences. Also I learned to be careful to be specific in certain areas otherwise the goal can manifest itself in an unplanned manner. Definitely be specific, yet be flexible and let go. (Much easier said than done, I must admit) Take money for example, people often set financial goals, but are not specific enough. "Make more money by blah blah date" is not a grand goal because by that certain date, one can find various forms of loose change over that period. On the flip side, making a million dollars by the end of the week, though possible, may not resonate with the subconscious inner being of the person setting the goal, and that subconscious inner being will trump the intention. As of this date in the beginning of 2011, I am still feeling my way around the arena of financial goals and achievement. The finances will flow, I know it will.
Redd Foxx, the comedian and actor from a generation ago had a famous quote: "Kid, there's no such thing as an unrealistic goal. Just unrealistic timeframe" What he meant was that anything can be achieved within a reasonable amount of time. Of course the definition of "reasonable" can fluctuate on each situation.
Take this example. I am a proud team member of San Francisco PSI Seminars Pacesetters Leadership Dynamics Team "PrimeTime" 13. Pacesetters' Leadership Dynamics is a 90-day goal setting and coaching program, and I started that program in January of 2009. During that 90 days, I am allowed to set four main goals in my life: emotional/relational, mental/career, physical, and spiritual. On my physical goal, I set a goal that within the 90 days (April '09), I was to go from my present weight in the beginning of the program of 187 pounds to 167 pounds by the end. At the end of the 90 days, my weight was 174. 65% of that goal was achieved. For some reason, I was haunted by not making that goal. So what I did was referred to the quote from Redd Foxx and reset the target deadline. I even put an illustration of a pair of feet standing on a scale with the numbers "167" and the dates all over the stick figured photo. That date was December 31, 2009. Also, I placed the initials NSNK throughout the poster. (NSNK="No Shit, No Kidding")
During the Holidays of 2009, I decided to schedule my annual trek to Southeast Asia including stops in Hong Kong, Singapore, Davao, Kuala Lumpur, and Malacca. I departed from the States on the 1st week of December. My first day in Hong Kong, I was scheduled to meet a friend for Dim Sum lunch. A half hour before our scheduled meeting, I sprained my back and ended up bed-ridden for a day and a half. I missed my dim sum meal as well as any meal for the day. A week later, I visited my girlfriend and her family in Davao. The price for food in the Philippines was extremely low, and I felt like a kid in a candy store. Unfortunately I ended up with food poisoning and was not able to eat for another 2 days. (This was 2/3 days in the Philippines) Upon returning to Singapore for Christmas, I ended up with H1N1, and was quarantined to my hotel room for the next 48 hours. When I took a bus trip to Malaysia including Malacca and KL, I was not able to fully eat. In fact I did not end up having a full meal without complications until New Years Eve when I returned to Singapore. Guess what my weight was on NYE? Yup, it was on 167, and that too was a challenge to confirm since most scales there were metric.
Moral? Maybe there really isn't one. Well, from experience creating a vision board DOES work. Being specific works. Deadlines work. Oh, the means to the ends can be VERY discomforting at times if not specific enough to the mechanism. So, good luck, have fun, be thankful, and let go.
In setting goals, there is a Yin to the Yang. One of the basic tenements on going after a goal is that clear intention will always trump mechanism and outside influences. Also I learned to be careful to be specific in certain areas otherwise the goal can manifest itself in an unplanned manner. Definitely be specific, yet be flexible and let go. (Much easier said than done, I must admit) Take money for example, people often set financial goals, but are not specific enough. "Make more money by blah blah date" is not a grand goal because by that certain date, one can find various forms of loose change over that period. On the flip side, making a million dollars by the end of the week, though possible, may not resonate with the subconscious inner being of the person setting the goal, and that subconscious inner being will trump the intention. As of this date in the beginning of 2011, I am still feeling my way around the arena of financial goals and achievement. The finances will flow, I know it will.
Redd Foxx, the comedian and actor from a generation ago had a famous quote: "Kid, there's no such thing as an unrealistic goal. Just unrealistic timeframe" What he meant was that anything can be achieved within a reasonable amount of time. Of course the definition of "reasonable" can fluctuate on each situation.
Take this example. I am a proud team member of San Francisco PSI Seminars Pacesetters Leadership Dynamics Team "PrimeTime" 13. Pacesetters' Leadership Dynamics is a 90-day goal setting and coaching program, and I started that program in January of 2009. During that 90 days, I am allowed to set four main goals in my life: emotional/relational, mental/career, physical, and spiritual. On my physical goal, I set a goal that within the 90 days (April '09), I was to go from my present weight in the beginning of the program of 187 pounds to 167 pounds by the end. At the end of the 90 days, my weight was 174. 65% of that goal was achieved. For some reason, I was haunted by not making that goal. So what I did was referred to the quote from Redd Foxx and reset the target deadline. I even put an illustration of a pair of feet standing on a scale with the numbers "167" and the dates all over the stick figured photo. That date was December 31, 2009. Also, I placed the initials NSNK throughout the poster. (NSNK="No Shit, No Kidding")
During the Holidays of 2009, I decided to schedule my annual trek to Southeast Asia including stops in Hong Kong, Singapore, Davao, Kuala Lumpur, and Malacca. I departed from the States on the 1st week of December. My first day in Hong Kong, I was scheduled to meet a friend for Dim Sum lunch. A half hour before our scheduled meeting, I sprained my back and ended up bed-ridden for a day and a half. I missed my dim sum meal as well as any meal for the day. A week later, I visited my girlfriend and her family in Davao. The price for food in the Philippines was extremely low, and I felt like a kid in a candy store. Unfortunately I ended up with food poisoning and was not able to eat for another 2 days. (This was 2/3 days in the Philippines) Upon returning to Singapore for Christmas, I ended up with H1N1, and was quarantined to my hotel room for the next 48 hours. When I took a bus trip to Malaysia including Malacca and KL, I was not able to fully eat. In fact I did not end up having a full meal without complications until New Years Eve when I returned to Singapore. Guess what my weight was on NYE? Yup, it was on 167, and that too was a challenge to confirm since most scales there were metric.
Moral? Maybe there really isn't one. Well, from experience creating a vision board DOES work. Being specific works. Deadlines work. Oh, the means to the ends can be VERY discomforting at times if not specific enough to the mechanism. So, good luck, have fun, be thankful, and let go.
31 December, 2010
New Years' Resolutions Are So "Last Year!!!"
You're never going to get me to answer that question.
"What's your New Year's Resolution?"
That question is probably perhaps the most counter-productive question for the majority of humanity seeking change and growth. Every month of January, I fight for parking spaces en route to the gym, and once I'm there, I'm salvaging what space is available for the workout class. Come the middle of February the attendance returns back to the normal regular gym attenders. That's just the physical resolution.
Please don't call me a cynic. I'm not. I'm sincerely into the growth for myself and other people. In fact, I'll be the first in line to support anyone and everyone who desires to make a change for the better in their life. So why am I so against the notion of making a new year's resolution? For starters, they don't work for the majority of people who pledge a resolution. I only use the gym as an example because I've observed this at the same gym for the past 5 years.
I am not ashamed of the fact that one of my past mentors was a 12-steps practitioner. Actually there were a couple of my mentors who regularly attended 12 steps meetings for one reason or another. One of the most valuable lessons I learned from their example was the value of TODAY. They didn't make bold, long-term resolutions, they simply made daily goals, one step at a time, one day at a time. From them I learned how to understand that expression:
So how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
They lived it, they practiced it. It was from them that I learned to make "daily resolutions."
For the past two years of my pursuit of personal development, there was never more of a time where I had an appreciation learning from my 12-stepping mentors than during the time I "played" a "game" called PLD (Pacesetters Leadership Dynamics) What this was in a nutshell, 90 days of personal coaching, relationship building, accountability, and goal setting within a "team" setting. Throughout the 90 days, we reported in doing numerous challenging team and individual exercises to learn not only leadership, marketing, and relationship skills, but also to take a deeper look within. There were moments during those 90 days where I wanted to quit and walk away. However because of what I learned from my past mentors in taking things "a day at a time," I was able to complete one of the most challenging three-months period of my life. In that time frame, I went from 187 pounds to 173 pounds. (I'm currently at 175-77; PLD was almost 2 years ago) I invited and brought 12 people to church with me. Prior to that, I was a "lone ranger" church attender. I went on 22 dates with 8 different young ladies after putting myself on a 4 year dating drought. (2005-06 no dates; 2007 3 dates; 2008 2 dates) I contributed directly to 3 local charities in fund-raising and direct volunteer work, contacted my sister whom I had not spoken to in three years, became the first male student of the S Factor pole dancing course, and introduced over 17 people to the concept of personal development, 10 of them eventually signing up for taking a Basic course.
Now if I had looked at all that I did during those 90 days and was told that over the course of three months, I was going to do all of that, I would've went after it for maybe a week or two, then eventually gave up. However, I didn't because I took it a day at a time, and eventually 90 days came and passed.
The main disadvantage of the New Year's Resolution is that once most people fall off their respected path, they tend to stay off until the end of the year to re-commit themselves over again. A lucky few will fall off the path and eventually return to the path, but for the most part the majority won't. With a daily resolution, if you fall off the path, you only need to wait to the next morning for a new opportunity. It's less wait for that clean slate. Granted if your new year resolution was to drop like 25 pounds, you won't be able to drop 25 pounds in one day. But what if your resolution for the day was to jog 45 minutes just for that day. Then your next day's resolution was to eat chicken, fish, veggies, fruits only, and do a body sculpting class that lasted an hour. Let's say the next day, you overslept so you missed the scheduled body sculpting class, then you gave in and ate the fresh batch of cookies that your client dropped off at your office. Guess what? You have the following day for another opportunity to actually follow-through on the previous day's resolution. The bottom line is that with a daily resolution, you don't have to wait until December 31-January 1 to start over.
Just remember that for each new day is a new opportunity for a daily resolution. Don't forget to be thankful for that new day. The reality is the fact that there is no guarantee for tomorrow. So be thankful for today, and go all out with your resolutions. So what if you fall short. Just do your best.
So once again remember not to ask me what my new year's resolution is...OK, OK, my arm's twisted...oww...OK, here's my resolution:
My New Years' Resolution is to make today a great day!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
"What's your New Year's Resolution?"
That question is probably perhaps the most counter-productive question for the majority of humanity seeking change and growth. Every month of January, I fight for parking spaces en route to the gym, and once I'm there, I'm salvaging what space is available for the workout class. Come the middle of February the attendance returns back to the normal regular gym attenders. That's just the physical resolution.
Please don't call me a cynic. I'm not. I'm sincerely into the growth for myself and other people. In fact, I'll be the first in line to support anyone and everyone who desires to make a change for the better in their life. So why am I so against the notion of making a new year's resolution? For starters, they don't work for the majority of people who pledge a resolution. I only use the gym as an example because I've observed this at the same gym for the past 5 years.
I am not ashamed of the fact that one of my past mentors was a 12-steps practitioner. Actually there were a couple of my mentors who regularly attended 12 steps meetings for one reason or another. One of the most valuable lessons I learned from their example was the value of TODAY. They didn't make bold, long-term resolutions, they simply made daily goals, one step at a time, one day at a time. From them I learned how to understand that expression:
So how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!
They lived it, they practiced it. It was from them that I learned to make "daily resolutions."
For the past two years of my pursuit of personal development, there was never more of a time where I had an appreciation learning from my 12-stepping mentors than during the time I "played" a "game" called PLD (Pacesetters Leadership Dynamics) What this was in a nutshell, 90 days of personal coaching, relationship building, accountability, and goal setting within a "team" setting. Throughout the 90 days, we reported in doing numerous challenging team and individual exercises to learn not only leadership, marketing, and relationship skills, but also to take a deeper look within. There were moments during those 90 days where I wanted to quit and walk away. However because of what I learned from my past mentors in taking things "a day at a time," I was able to complete one of the most challenging three-months period of my life. In that time frame, I went from 187 pounds to 173 pounds. (I'm currently at 175-77; PLD was almost 2 years ago) I invited and brought 12 people to church with me. Prior to that, I was a "lone ranger" church attender. I went on 22 dates with 8 different young ladies after putting myself on a 4 year dating drought. (2005-06 no dates; 2007 3 dates; 2008 2 dates) I contributed directly to 3 local charities in fund-raising and direct volunteer work, contacted my sister whom I had not spoken to in three years, became the first male student of the S Factor pole dancing course, and introduced over 17 people to the concept of personal development, 10 of them eventually signing up for taking a Basic course.
Now if I had looked at all that I did during those 90 days and was told that over the course of three months, I was going to do all of that, I would've went after it for maybe a week or two, then eventually gave up. However, I didn't because I took it a day at a time, and eventually 90 days came and passed.
The main disadvantage of the New Year's Resolution is that once most people fall off their respected path, they tend to stay off until the end of the year to re-commit themselves over again. A lucky few will fall off the path and eventually return to the path, but for the most part the majority won't. With a daily resolution, if you fall off the path, you only need to wait to the next morning for a new opportunity. It's less wait for that clean slate. Granted if your new year resolution was to drop like 25 pounds, you won't be able to drop 25 pounds in one day. But what if your resolution for the day was to jog 45 minutes just for that day. Then your next day's resolution was to eat chicken, fish, veggies, fruits only, and do a body sculpting class that lasted an hour. Let's say the next day, you overslept so you missed the scheduled body sculpting class, then you gave in and ate the fresh batch of cookies that your client dropped off at your office. Guess what? You have the following day for another opportunity to actually follow-through on the previous day's resolution. The bottom line is that with a daily resolution, you don't have to wait until December 31-January 1 to start over.
Just remember that for each new day is a new opportunity for a daily resolution. Don't forget to be thankful for that new day. The reality is the fact that there is no guarantee for tomorrow. So be thankful for today, and go all out with your resolutions. So what if you fall short. Just do your best.
So once again remember not to ask me what my new year's resolution is...OK, OK, my arm's twisted...oww...OK, here's my resolution:
My New Years' Resolution is to make today a great day!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
24 December, 2010
Grandma Loves You, But Take Some Dancing Lessons!
It's been 9 Christmases since my maternal grandmother was alive. Oh boy did she lay a major guilt trip when I saw her that Christmas day. And the thing is when she lays a guilt trip or gives a sob story, she tells it in the 3rd person. She put guilt-tripping into an olympic style art-form. She is constitutionally capable of getting things done her way. Talking about intention; she's all about 100% intention. She's also a story-teller to a highest degree.
She loved her gambling lifestyle. No she wasn't a professional gambler by any means, but she would be the type who'll know the high-rollers on a first name basis. A social bug. When I was in my first year of college, I moved into her flat because of the close proximity to school. I worked at a movie theater at that time, so I often worked late. She'd come home even later. I think it was her gambling tendencies which enabled her to take risks and chances. When I was growing up and we had our family outings at the amusement parks, it wasn't my sister or my parents who'd go on the roller coaster with me, it was grandma.
My 2nd cousin is a lot older than me to the point that she was considered to be the "niece" of my grandmother. (as opposed to the technical "grand-niece") According to the both of them while my grandmother was visiting my cousin, they decided to road trip from the Los Angeles area to Las Vegas. Apparently my cousin was a regular at one of the casino/hotels there and offered my grandmother to use her line of credit on the tables. In gratitude, my grandmother told my cousin in 3rd person, "don't worry, Aunt Elma will share her winnings with you!" In due time, my grandmother was sitting on the blackjack table in an $8,000 hole. (I'm averaging out the accounts of the numerous versions of the story. The "hole" was as low as $4000, peaked at $16,000) Somehow my cousin was able to secure another couple thousand dollars in additional credit for the table. My grandmother played aggressively from that point, betting on "double downs" every other hand. Bottom line, she made that line of credit back with a couple thousand ahead. My cousin immediately stopped her from playing once she came out ahead.
She was a fitness buff. She regularly participated in "dry swimming." People often asked her what her workout regimen was, and she'd replied with a very straight face that she "dry swam." What exactly was "dry swimming?" MJ or "Mah Jonhg."
During the wedding reception of my other cousin, my grandmother grabbed me immediately after dinner because she wanted to dance and was not able to find anyone else to dance with at that moment. After two songs, she escorted me back to my table, gave me a kiss on the cheek and went, "Grandma loves you very much. You need to take some dancing lessons!"
I have to say there was no one like her. She was the second youngest of 5 sisters and one brother. (Technically there were 6 sisters, but my great-grandfather gave one of the sisters away for an unofficial adoption) She kept her Chinese ways, yet she was as much American as anyone else. She ran a takeout restaurant until she retired as a formal dining hostess. She dressed appropriate for the occasion as expected. She spoke her mind...often!
I remembered her especially during Christmas because of a Christmas dinner years past. I was in my mid 20s while my younger cousin was either turning 21 or 20, and he "discovered" drinking. So my cousin and I sat around the snacks table exchanging drunk stories when our grandmother came up to us and went, "oh Grandma knows how to drink better than you two." So my cousin in his youthful bravado decided to challenge her into a drinking contest pulling me in.
She won! She out-drank us. I'm not so sure if she out-did each of us, or both of us put-together because, well I was pretty out of it after awhile. We did know for sure she won. Her and her champagne cognac. She never settled for less than the good stuff.
Maybe this Christmas in her honor and in the honor of my grandfather, her husband, I should take a shot of Remy. (They both loved their cognac) Ah, a Christmas toast for her, and a Lunar New Year toast for him!
She loved her gambling lifestyle. No she wasn't a professional gambler by any means, but she would be the type who'll know the high-rollers on a first name basis. A social bug. When I was in my first year of college, I moved into her flat because of the close proximity to school. I worked at a movie theater at that time, so I often worked late. She'd come home even later. I think it was her gambling tendencies which enabled her to take risks and chances. When I was growing up and we had our family outings at the amusement parks, it wasn't my sister or my parents who'd go on the roller coaster with me, it was grandma.
My 2nd cousin is a lot older than me to the point that she was considered to be the "niece" of my grandmother. (as opposed to the technical "grand-niece") According to the both of them while my grandmother was visiting my cousin, they decided to road trip from the Los Angeles area to Las Vegas. Apparently my cousin was a regular at one of the casino/hotels there and offered my grandmother to use her line of credit on the tables. In gratitude, my grandmother told my cousin in 3rd person, "don't worry, Aunt Elma will share her winnings with you!" In due time, my grandmother was sitting on the blackjack table in an $8,000 hole. (I'm averaging out the accounts of the numerous versions of the story. The "hole" was as low as $4000, peaked at $16,000) Somehow my cousin was able to secure another couple thousand dollars in additional credit for the table. My grandmother played aggressively from that point, betting on "double downs" every other hand. Bottom line, she made that line of credit back with a couple thousand ahead. My cousin immediately stopped her from playing once she came out ahead.
She was a fitness buff. She regularly participated in "dry swimming." People often asked her what her workout regimen was, and she'd replied with a very straight face that she "dry swam." What exactly was "dry swimming?" MJ or "Mah Jonhg."
During the wedding reception of my other cousin, my grandmother grabbed me immediately after dinner because she wanted to dance and was not able to find anyone else to dance with at that moment. After two songs, she escorted me back to my table, gave me a kiss on the cheek and went, "Grandma loves you very much. You need to take some dancing lessons!"
I have to say there was no one like her. She was the second youngest of 5 sisters and one brother. (Technically there were 6 sisters, but my great-grandfather gave one of the sisters away for an unofficial adoption) She kept her Chinese ways, yet she was as much American as anyone else. She ran a takeout restaurant until she retired as a formal dining hostess. She dressed appropriate for the occasion as expected. She spoke her mind...often!
I remembered her especially during Christmas because of a Christmas dinner years past. I was in my mid 20s while my younger cousin was either turning 21 or 20, and he "discovered" drinking. So my cousin and I sat around the snacks table exchanging drunk stories when our grandmother came up to us and went, "oh Grandma knows how to drink better than you two." So my cousin in his youthful bravado decided to challenge her into a drinking contest pulling me in.
She won! She out-drank us. I'm not so sure if she out-did each of us, or both of us put-together because, well I was pretty out of it after awhile. We did know for sure she won. Her and her champagne cognac. She never settled for less than the good stuff.
Maybe this Christmas in her honor and in the honor of my grandfather, her husband, I should take a shot of Remy. (They both loved their cognac) Ah, a Christmas toast for her, and a Lunar New Year toast for him!
24 November, 2010
Ode 2 Da Biggity "O"
I practically wear my "Oaklandness" on my heart and my sleeve. No bones about it. Even a couple of weeks ago, I was interviewed on my tandem skydive by the staff who asked me in the interview where I was from. Without thinking, I immediately responded, "Oakland." Nevermind the fact that I've been living on the West side of the Bay during the past 5 years. (Menlo Park, South San Fran, and Colma) I make an effort to visit my parents who are buried in Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland on a weekly basis. I used to get my hair cut in the Rockridge area until my agent sent me elsewhere. I attend at least one Raider game during the football season no matter how poorly they been playing this past 7 years. I've supported my high school alumni association bearing the city's name. Even during the World Series run, my SF Giants gear was in silver and black.
Five years ago, I attended a pool party located in Hillsborough. The artistic director of the theater company I was associated with at that time invited me to his house out there. It was crashed by local Hillsborough teens who simply showed up in their swimming gear and mingled. One of the young ladies mingled with me at the hot tub. She was impressed that I was an actor working with one of the theater companies in San Francisco, and then she asked me where I was originally from. Conversation went like this:
HER: So where are you originally from?
ME: Oakland
HER: Um, which Oakland????
ME: Uh, how many Oaklands have you heard of?
HER: You don't mean that Oakland?
ME: I guess so. I'm from that Oakland.
She promptly got up from the tub and left. I then proceeded to tell the hosts which group of folks didn't belong to the actual party. They were eventually asked to leave, but less than an hour after they left, the police came by because of "suspicious characters were reported to have attended the event."
Yes, I'm from that Oakland. Oakland, California. Recently crowned #5 as the most dangerous city in the U.S. We have the Oakland Athletics, an NBA team who aren't ballsy enough to say that they play here, and of course the prodigal sports franchise, The Oakland Raiders. If L.A. is considered to be the West Coast hip hop capital, then Oakland comes a close 2nd. Original home to the Black Panthers, and in the wake of the Oscar Grant justice scandal, a much needed resurgence of the Panthers could (hopefully) come under way in Oakland.
It's ironic that I was recently added to the Yelp Elite group representing Oakland considering how long I've been living in the Daly City area. Yet it seems there is really no voice coming from Oakland on behalf of Oakland. I read and saw what other people on Yelp and Facebook are saying about Oakland, and their observations are either one-dimensionally inaccurate or it was coming from a P.O.V. of a non-Oakland native.
People often ask me why not return to Oakland if I have such a high regard for it. If I still consider it "home," why not "return home?" For one, I don't need to sleep there on a regular basis to still call Oakland "home." I'm there almost every week. I dine there. I spend time with my friends who are still there. My parents and grandparents are rested there. Even if I were to fulfill my home ownership goals within 5 years, (Home in Hawaii, Singapore, Vancouver, and SF) Oakland would still be considered home to me. No matter who I choose to marry, I will make sure SHE not only steps foot in Oakland, but will get a feel of what Oakland is about. The same goes for my children in the future. So the question is, how can I return to Oakland when in reality, Oakland never left?
Five years ago, I attended a pool party located in Hillsborough. The artistic director of the theater company I was associated with at that time invited me to his house out there. It was crashed by local Hillsborough teens who simply showed up in their swimming gear and mingled. One of the young ladies mingled with me at the hot tub. She was impressed that I was an actor working with one of the theater companies in San Francisco, and then she asked me where I was originally from. Conversation went like this:
HER: So where are you originally from?
ME: Oakland
HER: Um, which Oakland????
ME: Uh, how many Oaklands have you heard of?
HER: You don't mean that Oakland?
ME: I guess so. I'm from that Oakland.
She promptly got up from the tub and left. I then proceeded to tell the hosts which group of folks didn't belong to the actual party. They were eventually asked to leave, but less than an hour after they left, the police came by because of "suspicious characters were reported to have attended the event."
Yes, I'm from that Oakland. Oakland, California. Recently crowned #5 as the most dangerous city in the U.S. We have the Oakland Athletics, an NBA team who aren't ballsy enough to say that they play here, and of course the prodigal sports franchise, The Oakland Raiders. If L.A. is considered to be the West Coast hip hop capital, then Oakland comes a close 2nd. Original home to the Black Panthers, and in the wake of the Oscar Grant justice scandal, a much needed resurgence of the Panthers could (hopefully) come under way in Oakland.
It's ironic that I was recently added to the Yelp Elite group representing Oakland considering how long I've been living in the Daly City area. Yet it seems there is really no voice coming from Oakland on behalf of Oakland. I read and saw what other people on Yelp and Facebook are saying about Oakland, and their observations are either one-dimensionally inaccurate or it was coming from a P.O.V. of a non-Oakland native.
People often ask me why not return to Oakland if I have such a high regard for it. If I still consider it "home," why not "return home?" For one, I don't need to sleep there on a regular basis to still call Oakland "home." I'm there almost every week. I dine there. I spend time with my friends who are still there. My parents and grandparents are rested there. Even if I were to fulfill my home ownership goals within 5 years, (Home in Hawaii, Singapore, Vancouver, and SF) Oakland would still be considered home to me. No matter who I choose to marry, I will make sure SHE not only steps foot in Oakland, but will get a feel of what Oakland is about. The same goes for my children in the future. So the question is, how can I return to Oakland when in reality, Oakland never left?
18 October, 2010
Experience
According to Merriams-Websters Dictionary, experience is defined as:
1a : direct observation of or participation in events as a basis of knowledge b : the fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct observation or participation
2a : practical knowledge, skill, or practice derived from direct observation of or participation in events or in a particular activity b : the length of such participation
3a : the conscious events that make up an individual life b : the events that make up the conscious past of a community or nation or humankind generally
4: something personally encountered, undergone, or lived through
5: the act or process of directly perceiving events or reality
So in other words two people can go through the exact same event, yet there are two different experiences.
Why is this so important? Because in this down economy it is important and imperative to know what people are pursuing and avoiding from an experiential standpoint. In other words, what experience are people pursuing and/or avoiding and at what cost are they willing to pay.
Personal development courses always include a section on building material wealth. The top two foundational wealth books Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles say the same thing in that people will be compensated according to the value added to the goods and service they provide. Hill calls it "definite terms of service" while Wattles refer to it as "use value vs. cash value." They basically state the same thing. However I remain struggling financially confused over those statements.
Finally while studying from personal development pioneer Stewart Emory recently, it finally clicked. He theorized that people don't necessarily pay for goods and service per se as opposed to the experience they personally experience while using that product or service.
What does that mean?
Going back to Wallace Wattle's "use value vs. cash value," he used an example of trading for fur: a person could barter with a fur trapper a rare piece of art appraised in the millions of dollars for a hundred pounds of fur, but the fur trapper will not experience a use value for that trade. However if someone else bartered a $200 rifle for that same amount of fur, the fur trapper would experience a higher use value for that gun. If that piece of art work (sculpture or painting) does not add to the trapper's livelihood, it's unlikely that the trapper will consider that trade a positive experience. On the flip side, though the gun was less in cash value, if the gun adds to the livelihood of the trapper, then his experience of that trade will be more positive from his/her perspective.
Human beings spend their entire existence either avoiding or pursuing an experience. Even if we break it down to the basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter, is there not some form of experience associated with even that basic need? Take no look further than a Yelp review. Restaurants are rated according to the reviewers' experience. What did they experience when they tasted the food at restaurant XYZ. What was their experience from the service level of the staff at XYZ.
The same thing with advertising. Are the products and or service really being sold on the commercial or is there a specific experience being associated with a particular product or service in that commercial being watched? Take a look at any fitness product. What's really being sold, the product or a possible experience of feeling attractive or more attractive?
Even as an actor. My job isn't just to create an authentic character based on the writing of the playwright or screenwriter and my personal physical and emotional attributes. I'm also responsible for the experience of not only my audience member, but that of the production staff and my other fellow actors involved.
1a : direct observation of or participation in events as a basis of knowledge b : the fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct observation or participation
2a : practical knowledge, skill, or practice derived from direct observation of or participation in events or in a particular activity b : the length of such participation
3a : the conscious events that make up an individual life b : the events that make up the conscious past of a community or nation or humankind generally
4: something personally encountered, undergone, or lived through
5: the act or process of directly perceiving events or reality
So in other words two people can go through the exact same event, yet there are two different experiences.
Why is this so important? Because in this down economy it is important and imperative to know what people are pursuing and avoiding from an experiential standpoint. In other words, what experience are people pursuing and/or avoiding and at what cost are they willing to pay.
Personal development courses always include a section on building material wealth. The top two foundational wealth books Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles say the same thing in that people will be compensated according to the value added to the goods and service they provide. Hill calls it "definite terms of service" while Wattles refer to it as "use value vs. cash value." They basically state the same thing. However I remain struggling financially confused over those statements.
Finally while studying from personal development pioneer Stewart Emory recently, it finally clicked. He theorized that people don't necessarily pay for goods and service per se as opposed to the experience they personally experience while using that product or service.
What does that mean?
Going back to Wallace Wattle's "use value vs. cash value," he used an example of trading for fur: a person could barter with a fur trapper a rare piece of art appraised in the millions of dollars for a hundred pounds of fur, but the fur trapper will not experience a use value for that trade. However if someone else bartered a $200 rifle for that same amount of fur, the fur trapper would experience a higher use value for that gun. If that piece of art work (sculpture or painting) does not add to the trapper's livelihood, it's unlikely that the trapper will consider that trade a positive experience. On the flip side, though the gun was less in cash value, if the gun adds to the livelihood of the trapper, then his experience of that trade will be more positive from his/her perspective.
Human beings spend their entire existence either avoiding or pursuing an experience. Even if we break it down to the basic necessities of food, clothing, and shelter, is there not some form of experience associated with even that basic need? Take no look further than a Yelp review. Restaurants are rated according to the reviewers' experience. What did they experience when they tasted the food at restaurant XYZ. What was their experience from the service level of the staff at XYZ.
The same thing with advertising. Are the products and or service really being sold on the commercial or is there a specific experience being associated with a particular product or service in that commercial being watched? Take a look at any fitness product. What's really being sold, the product or a possible experience of feeling attractive or more attractive?
Even as an actor. My job isn't just to create an authentic character based on the writing of the playwright or screenwriter and my personal physical and emotional attributes. I'm also responsible for the experience of not only my audience member, but that of the production staff and my other fellow actors involved.
Purpose
To create forms of entertainment that educates and enables the audience members to create an experience of self and community empowerment.
07 August, 2010
Tales of Two Photographers
When I was accepted to be represented by Mary Tonry of Tonry Talent Agency in San Francisco, I was stoked. I auditioned for Stars 2 years ago and was not accepted. I didn't bother pursuing any other representation afterwards. I focused on my personal growth which didn't necessarily had to do with acting, but I needed to work and I didn't want to work doing a 9 2 5'r. I had an agent in Singapore through Fly Entertainment.
May of 2010, I finally took the plunge and sent Tonry a cover letter with my (very old) headshot and resume. Went in for the audition, and had a very encouraging conversation with Mary Tonry. To my surprise, I was already being sent out for auditions the very next day. She gave me a list of photographers so I could update my headshots.
Note: when your acting coach and your agent recommends a photographer or two, narrow it down to them. I went ahead with a different photographer on my agent's list. I called and made an appointment with her. We met in Union Square on a rainy day, and took care of business under an awning of an upscale jewelry store. I'm sure the sales folks were amused as I switched from one outfit to the next. For the price I paid, it was to be an hour and a half shoot where she'd photoshop and retouch 5 shots. A week passed after the photo shoot. Then another week passed. Then I called her about when I'd see the proofs en route to an audition. At the audition, I was tapped on the shoulder by someone. It was the photographer. Turns out not only was she a photographer, she's also an actor represented by the same agent. No biggie, she simply said, she'll have the proofs mailed to me later that week. Once I received the proofs, I narrowed them down to the top 20, 5 shots, 4 outfits. I took them to Mary to have a look at them and she wasn't too thrilled with them. I took the shot Mary liked and listed it along with 4 other shots and told my photographer the final 5 to be touched up. Three weeks afterwards, I received an email with 5 high pixel digital proofs of shots that I ended up retouching on my iPhoto. Yup, she did a very half-assed job retouching them. I eventually took the proof of the one shot Mary picked to a printer and had copies made with my name. The copies were completed in July even though the initial photo shoot was in May.
Couple of weeks later, I dropped off the copies of my headshots and asked Mary about getting a haircut slightly different from the photos. She warned that it was a possibility that I'd have to redo my headshots. The next day, I had my haircut and sure enough, it was different from the headshots I took. This time I was smart to contact a photographer who both my agent and long time acting coach recommended.
At the photo shoot, this photographer came about 20 minutes late. Turned out he remembered the conversation we had over the phone about a jazz pianist Keith Jarrett (Keith is my middle name) and he ran late because he was busy burning a cd for me of Keith's music. Then our photo shoot was interrupted as the photographer looked at my outfits. We went to the nearest CVS Pharmacy with a clothing department to find a "suitable" commercial wear. Finally after a thorough makeup and hair run through, we were down to business. This photo shoot was more physically challenging as this photographer was more demanding from me.
Less than 24 hours later the photographer emailed me what he felt were my top 18 shots. I disagreed with him passionately such that he had to call me directly to settle matters. Within 3 days, I received the entire proofs. My biggest challenge was finding the best out of what was a high number of excellent shots.
The top photo is from my second photographer last week. The second one is from the one I took a couple of months back. Can you see the difference? I sure as hell can. I can't say you get what you paid for because there was only a $60 difference.
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