The crowd pleaser of the night was Sour’s “Hibi No Neiro (Tone of Everyday)” directed by Masashi Kawamura, Hal Kirkland, Magico Nakamura, and Masayoshi Nakamura (mucho thanks to Anderson Le for hooking this one up!):

Kina Grannis’ “Valentine” directed by Ross Ching, Far East Movement’s “I Party” directed by Choz Belen, and Taiyo Na’s “Immigrant Mother” directed by Gary San Angel were also very well-received by the audience. All in all, everyone I spoke to said that they really enjoyed the program and that every single video, even the ones lower in production quality, stood strong in concept.

A highlight of the night for me was when Gene Cajayon came up to me after the program and thanked me for putting it together. He told me that he’d been thinking of quitting filmmaking, but my program inspired and encouraged him! I was actually really encouraged by his words and by others’ feedback throughout the night, cuz’ to be honest, I had been thinking this might be my last year curating the program after last year’s not-so-strong program. Btw, Gene directed THE DEBUT, which I’ve actually owned on DVD since college, so it was very cool to meet him!

Anyway, I’m so glad people liked the music vids this year! For those who missed the screening, you can watch all the videos online here:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=E4112D44F4663E7F

Finally, thanks again to all who came out last night! Mucho thanks to all the filmmakers and artists who were in attendance. And of course, to LAAPFF/Visual Communications for giving me the opportunity to curate this program, to Toyota for sponsoring, and to the Downtown Independent for hosting us!

It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged! Where to even start? Gosh, I have so many things I need to blog about!!!

Anyway, I’m now back in Taipei. Crazy… I was in HK for a month longer than planned! Haha! I guess I should share WHY at some point, but for now, in short, God’s been taking me on quite the adventure! The journey really began long ago… but it became GODSPEED when I got into HK… quite fitting as HK lifestyle is super fast-paced, so fast, I got a bit overwhelmed and tired very quickly at first. Also, I started feeling homesick in HK and was actually quite anxious to get back to LA… but I’ve been learning to not be anxious and learning how to rest in God… cherishing the quiet times.

So now, I’m actually enjoying every single day here in Taipei though it’s been raining. Normally, I don’t like the rain, but it’s given me a good reason to buy a cool fobby umbrella. Haha. And well, it’s also given me a good reason to stay inside for a change and have the time to blog! So! Stay tuned for bits and pieces of my recent adventures…

I was reading an old blog of mine and exactly 3 years ago, a friend IM’d me the following:

After a while, you learn the subtle difference between holding a hand and chaining a soul, And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning and company doesn’t mean security. And you begin to learn that kisses aren’t contracts and presents aren’t promises. And you begin to accept your defeats with your head up and your eyes open, with the grace of an adult, not the grief of a child. And you learn to build all your roads on today because tomorrow’s ground is too uncertain for plans. After a while you learn that even sunshine burns if you get too much. So plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. And you learn that you really can endure… That you really are strong. And that you really do have worth. ==> People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, People may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway. If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; Succeed anyway. If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway. What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway. If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway. The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway. Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway. You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.

I was able to relate to this back then, but it makes even more sense now… does anyone know who wrote this or where it comes from?

when your parents are on Facebook? Well, for me… after my dad figured out how to upload and tag photos, he moved onto Facebook apps.

Just a few days ago, I received multiple “Happy Island” and “Fishville” requests… all from my dad! Lol. Since I had sworn off FB apps, I just let the requests sit there for awhile. Eventually, I figured I shouldn’t leave my dad hanging. The next thing I know, I have to feed my fish every two days or they’ll die. Lol.

Then just yesterday, I accidentally signed onto FB chat and guess who IM’d me?

Puahaha… too cute. Dad, if you’re reading this, don’t get too addicted to the FB apps, ok?

It looks like a faithful wife sitting by her comatose husband’s bedside in a small hospital room despite what doctors say. Their young daughter is tip-toeing next to the bed. She’s too young to know exactly what’s going on. For all she knows, her father has been sleeping for a very long time.

The family and friends that surround them are praying for God’s healing power. There is a peace that falls upon the room and you can feel the love flowing. Despite the circumstances, everyone is hopeful. As individuals pray over the man, you can see him reacting! He WILL wake up. The faith is there.

As they leave to take a dinner break, the wife places a cassette player next to her husband. She turns it on and you can hear the cute little ramblings of their young daughter. The wife tells her husband in Mandarin, “Honey, we’re going out for now, but we’ll be back!” And though, physically, no one is there, this man will never be alone. He’s covered by so much Love.