Thanks to mun2, I learned how.
Reflection: Early Years
I was prompted to rewrite my bio today… and somehow I started writing a novel of an autobiography~ lol. This is what I have so far:
I was born on March 20, 1983 in Knoxville, TN. My parents came from Taiwan so that my father could acquire a Masters degree in Food Science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. According to my dad, he fell in love with this country within the first week of being here after his housemates took him around for some sight seeing. He loved the wide open spaces and abundance of fishing.
Because of his new found love, he decided he wanted to stay in the States instead of returning to Taiwan to work. The people around him told him that Computer Science was the ticket to stay. He ended up visiting the Dean of Computer Science at his school which whom he struck a deal to audit classes. His acceptance into the program would depend on how he did on the exams. My dad aced them.
My parents were very hard working. While my father earned his degree in Computer Science, my mother took night classes to improve her English and develop job skills. They both worked at a Chinese restaurant to pay the bills. After my dad graduated, my family moved a lot due to my father’s career. We were on the east coast for a little bit, then my younger brother was born in Sacramento, CA in 1985. After that, we moved a few times within Silicon Valley where we eventually ended up in Cupertino, CA, home of Apple Computers.
Growing up in Cupertino, I always felt that I lived in a “Truman Show type bubble.” I always felt that there had to be more to life than what I knew in this little suburban city. My brother and I were latchkey kids. Although we played together as young children, by the time I was in junior high, we did our own things. Also, our parents were strict about us hanging out with friends, so we didn’t go out very much.
Therefore, I had a lot of time to myself. I pondered the existence of God, I thought a lot about life and its meaning, and I found ways to entertain myself (i.e. radio talk shows with my stuffed animals). During this time, I also discovered a hobby in making websites, chatting on AOL, and joining online social networks. I published my first website circa 1996 on GeoCities (prior to that, I had made a “website” on my dad’s company’s Intranet circa 1994). Since I was the only one amongst my peers doing this, everyone who knew about it thought it was cool. Shoot. I was a pioneer back then.
In high school, I continued to build websites. I would code everything in Notepad and create my own graphics. I learned how to do a lot of things by reading other people’s HTML source codes. On AOL, I went through different screen names, from cHiNkBeBe52 to Azn66girly to bamboo6irl. I eventually picked up the nickname “Peachies” because I would always buy a bag of Trolli gummy peach rings and share them with my friends. This name stuck and went on to become my online persona.
In college, my online persona took on a personality of its own after I started blogging about Asian American films, music, events, etc. This all started after I took an Intro to Asian American Studies class at UC Santa Cruz. This class changed my life. I started to become passionate about raising the Asian American voice in mainstream media. I wanted to make a difference, so I started joining grassroots movements within the Asian American community, blogging avidly on Xanga.com regarding Asian American moves in media, and connecting with like-minded individuals.
I credit Judy Yung, BETTER LUCK TOMORROW, Evan Jackson Leong, L.S. Kim, and a band called Nemo for inspiring me to follow this path.
To be continued…
BLIND HEART
Here’s a short independent film I worked on recently. It’s a story based on celebrity art teacher Conni Gordon’s life as a teacher and ex-Marine. I got to play a small role as Conni’s assistant, “Fiona.” The film is directed by Shuja Paul and stars Sam Brittan, Ginger Parker, and Dawn Davis.
Reflection
In 2011, I…
1. Lived very day by day.
2. Went to Cambodia.
3. Fell in love.
4. Reconciled a broken friendship.
5. Started being a lot more health-conscious.
6. Discovered a hobby in taking photos of food.
7. Experienced heartbreak.
8. Started taking acting classes.
9. Narrowed down my list of close friends.
10. Decided to live on my own.
11. Was very blessed.
2012, I’m ready for ya. Bring it.
The resurrection of…
Kim Jong Il… Eharmony.
We’re one of the “best links on the web” according to Jeff Yang for Wall Street Journal’s “Speakeasy” blog: Kim Jong Il: A Guide to the Best Links on the Web
Appropriate? Inappropriate? Haha. I admit, it’s a little bit strange to be poking fun at someone who just passed away, but I think we can make a special case for Mr. Kim. *insert moment of silence* On a serious note, I’m definitely hoping and praying for positive changes for North Korea… and with the passing of KJI, the future’s definitely looking brighter.
“The Rebound”
Verseatile’s latest music video featuring Traphik, Rick Carter, and myself! Directed by Chris Kwon. Track produced by J-Phonics. If you dig it, you can download it here: http://verseatile.bandcamp.com/track/the-rebound
Thanks to Mike “Verseatile” Chun for reaching out to me to be a part of this. I had fun playing a playa! LOL.
More Verseatile: http://www.youtube.com/verseatilemusic
Tag, You’re It! – Rocky Jo
It’s been over a year since I wrote a “Tag, You’re It!” blog. And well, in honor of LOVESICK‘s premiere in Taiwan, I’m writing about Rocky Jo, extraordinary director/writer/editor who’s also one of the most positive and humble peeps I know.
Rocky, Rocky, Rocky… first of all, how many Asian guys do you know with that name? Secondly, what kind of Asian is Rocky? Well, I’m afraid I can’t reveal that or he’d kill me as he’s always been so secretive about it… But I’m sure you can take a good guess with his recent film release and how well he speaks this Asian language here. Haha~ :X
So I first met Rocky at the San Diego Asian Film Festival in 2005. My short documentary, Future Rock Stars of America, screened in a program with his short film, Bunny & Clydo. Prior to meeting him, I had actually noticed him at the festival party the night before, cuz’ 1) he was very aloof and 2) he was wearing a Japanese school uniform looking suit to match a very Japanese hairstyle which made him look like he came out of an anime. Lol.
After getting connected, Rocky reached out to me about a music video project in 2006. He’d always wanted to direct a music video for an Asian American artist and I happened to know a lot of them. With what he had in mind, I pointed him in the direction of At Last aka Tatum Jones. Next thing you know, I was getting my first real experience as a producer (“Ain’t No Sunshine”). In 2007, Rocky asked me to produce for him again. This time it was for a short film that he wrote called My First Crush where he wanted to fuse Chinese, Korean, and Japanese elements. I tell ya… Rocky likes to confuse people about what kind of Asian he is. Haha.
From my experience working with Rocky, my job was always easy because he always knew exactly what he wanted. He basically showed me the ropes of producing and was very hands on with the entire process. And at the time, I honestly had no idea what the heck I was doing with my life, so Rocky was definitely very encouraging and nurturing of my exploration with producing.
Can’t have a Rocky picture without a peace sign. Here we are with the main cast members of MY FIRST CRUSH.
Since working together on those two projects, Rocky and I have actually become better friends than colleagues. From going to the same church and grabbing lunch on Sundays, to being at each others’ baptisms to praying it up for each other, Rocky is my BRO. And well, I’m super proud of him and excited for him, cuz’ God has definitely given him lots of favor.
And Rocky doesn’t take any of that for granted. He loves what he does and he’s serious about it. He’s always wanting to do the right thing and he just wants to share his heart. I don’t have an ounce of doubt that he’ll do big things. I mean, shoot he already has and it’s only the beginning :]
Official Bio:
Rocky has directed over 100+ world class athletes including Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Derek Jeter, Peyton Manning, Mia Hamm, and for clients such as Toyota, Gatorade, the US Marines, US Navy, US National Guard, Cisco Systems, and numerous NFL, NHL, and NBA teams.
Born in Texas, educated at Boston U. (dual in Finance and Film), Rocky landed in LA where he honed his highly kinetic and often anime-influenced directing style. With his deep knowledge in writing, editing, and coloring, his projects have garnered a number of awards. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, he loves just working with great people to tell amazing stories.
Read more…
See where he’s been and where he’s going: rockyjo.com
Audrey’s Recap
Sooo, what did I end up wearing to Audrey’s Fashion Night Out? A gold-sequined dress from Michael Kors which Ashley Choi (#FF @ashleychoi) picked out for me! On top of styling, Ashley did my hair and makeup, too :]
Anyway, I didn’t capture any video from the night, but here’s one from Pacific Rim Video Press. It’ll give you a good idea of the event:
And to be honest, I actually missed half of the fashion show… cuz’ I was busy making friends by the food (you can usually find me close to food at any event haha). So I didn’t get to see Kaba Modern or Blush… I was definitely distracted by an incredible carrot cake and other delectable goods provided by Vanilla Bean Bakery. Haha. I’m a foodie, not a fashionista. Other than that, I had a good time catching up with friends. Mucho thanks to Audrey for inviting me out! :]
THE REFUGE
Finally. It’s here! Check out this short that I worked on with the talented Nicholas Acosta, Adrian Zaw, Jo Mani, Sam Puefua, Giordany Orellana, Don Le, and many others! Special thanks to Geo from Just Kidding Films for making the connection :]
Woohoo. Guess I can finally make my “reel” public 
