Weekend

Fri: Vietnamese dinner in Argyle, episode of Firefly

Sat: Brunch at Sola, Lincoln Park Zoo, dinner in Chinatown

Sun: Tennis

Lincoln Park Zoo (it's free!) has a very cool greenhouse/plant area. This is our second visit, the last time was two years ago right before a huge controversy/scandal when elephants died. Animals in zoos will always be controversial, but plants are equally fun to look at and do not carry controversy. These are da bomb:

And lamas are da bomb. I would want a lama if I ever have acres:

Cool pic of my flowers in Tiffany

from Cecilia in NYC. There's nothing like this in Chicago. Love it.

SUV moment

I love peace and am trying to be a big person, trying to say It's okay I'll do fine, trying to say I can innovate, but it pisses me off that I have two new competitors who are not playing fair by ripping off others. My mind is consumed by how I am going to crush them. I mean, that's how any normal business owner would react, right? It's not me being malicious, this is just a normal reaction!

Dear Competitors:

First Competitor, your website is an obvious copy of mine. You know, some people try to be creative and take pride in their original work. Maybe you should try it, you'll know what I mean. People say imitation is the best compliment, but I am highly offended that you would flat-out rip me off! Honestly, if you changed your site to not resemble mine, I'd be cool with you. But now I'm sorry to tell you this pool is not big enough for two fish. I've got tricks up my sleeve.

Second Competitor, you are hogging all the ad space. You are entitled to that, because all it takes is $, but it is totally unethical of you to steal an image from another person's site. If it were from my site, I would hunt you down and bitch slap you for that. You can't take a simple picture yourself, you have to steal it from someone else? And your aggressive ad placement just screams inferiority complex.

Prepare to get crushed.

in a pressure cooker

It's insane how much I've learned about singing and being a performer in the past 8 months or so. I know this is hard to believe, but being a singer/musician is a lot like being an athlete:
I. Physical aspects
a) muscle memory--training your muscles to have an automatic response from repeatedly practicing the action. First you build the muscles, then they move automatically when required. In singers, these are mostly abdominal muscles and muscles around ur mouth/throat, which are not easy to control (when compared to the bicep, for example), and the movement/contraction should be almost involuntary.

b) stamina. My singing sucks if I haven't eaten, which is why I stockpile bananas. I know it's "just" singing, but it's so tiring... for example, a recital that is about an hour long is quite difficult for a singer.

II. Mental aspects
a) concentration--both athletes and singers have to be "in the zone" to perform well. There are all sorts of weird exercises to help them tune everything else out.
b) evil mental garbage--ever see the movie "Wimbledon"? Thinking you'll mess up, thinking you're not good enough, what ifs... affect performance. You know how just some days you can't filter through the garbage, whether you're working or eating or reading, etc?

Well right now I'm singing a very beautiful aria called the Bell Song, from Lakme. My last lesson did not go well, because I couldn't stop thinking about the People Who Owe Me Money.

I'M BACK!!!

I've been living a hermetic blog life for a while but OK I have stuff to say.

Let me start of with the issue of PEOPLE WHO OWE ME MONEY.

Dear People Who Owe Me an amount of money large enough to be the down payment on a house, as in, you large corporation that rakes in the bucks but has issues paying vendors in a timely manner: I love you, I really do, you gave me loads of business and have been very nice to me and loose with money the whole time... [edited out details] ...and for that, I thank you.

However, it is not cool for you to pay me 1 - 2 months after your very complex order has been successfully delivered--early, even--without a single problem. I know this is not an outrageous amount of time for most large companies, but I am small, and if I had the money you owe me, I can put it into a CD account, for example, which is why there is such a thing as "interest" that occurs as time passes, to make up for those hundreds of dollars in earnings lost.

Again, you are awesome, I would probably want to work for you if I had a 9-5 job, and your products are legendary, but, this is just not cool.

To anyone who's reading...
I highly recommend the series finale of some dumb 5-season show called "Alias." OK I sorta love that show. I (badly) stayed up unnecessarily late to rewatch the finale. Some scenes feel like Mission Impossible 3. The bad guy REALLY gets it. I mean, the worst thing that can happen to a bad guy who wants to take over the world. The ending is very bittersweet, which is exactly how a finale should be. Surprisingly, every character is accounted for in the end. I appreciated that the creators did not rush through the story to end the flailing series. As a bonus, both the series finale and series premiere have scenes in Hong Kong. I would also recommend the first 2 seasons, especially the series premiere. Have you noticed that Sydney cries in every single episode (and I mean, in all 5 seasons, that's more than 100 times--because sometimes she cries more than once)? Of course one of the premises that makes the series work is that Sydney is extremely emotional--a very emotional CIA double agent woman who saves the world with her once-estranged father, her ex-fiance who got married to someone else when he thought she was dead, and her ex-fiance's new wife (who turns out to be working with evil terrorists), her half-sister whom she didn't know existed, and at times, her ex-KGB mother whom she believed to be dead most of her life who killed her ex-fiance's father among many, and the bad guy who is also her half-sister's father. Drama ensues.

It doesn't sound like it, but I've been very busy! Until this moment, now I'm not very busy again. Yay.

I think I might be going crazy. My mind's having these images or stories flash in and out that I sometimes can't figure out are dreams or reality.

I have been very busy making a living ever since getting back from HK but can finally breathe as I shipped off the order yesterday, yay!! However, I was able to carve out time to see the best movie of the year in the opinion of the wong-ko household: PAN'S LABYRINTH. It is disturbing and depressing but oh so glorious. It's a movie that sticks with you. I am rooting for them for all their Oscar noms.

Too bad for the Departed, only got acting nom for Mark Wahlberg.

Hong Kong

Holiday in HK was fun. Got to see important people. It always gives me a lot to think about, which might not always be good... Some pics...

BEFORE the trip:

Me with major Christmas decorations and a sea of people in the background:
Jared fixing his hair:

At Florence's wedding:

Tuesday Syndrome

Tuesdays are i-hate-me days. I work my butt off practicing an aria about 100 times in a week, then go to my lesson and totally mess it up! Man, opera is freaking hard. There's everything technical, then there's emoting. I personally, humbly speaking, find it very hard to emote in a language I don't speak! It's too easy to forget what you're singing.

And my teacher totally coddles me! She is very unmean! But I still feel like crap.

On a different note, see an absolutely AMAZING Eponine here. "One more day all on my own! One more day with him not caring!" Original Broadway cast of Les Miserables. Kinda scary Marius and Cosette (why does Cosette have to wear the ugly black dress with lace collar BTW?). Everyone else is beyond brilliant. I've watched this video like 15 times.

Paris

My husband surprised me with a trip to Paris over thanksgiving so we went for 5 days!! It was fun. We went to see all the touristy stuff. France is so craaazy I could've taken a thousand pictures. Like all the ornamentation on the buildings, those boggle my mind. Fashion-wise, there was a huge trend of wearing your boots over your pants, I guess that's kind of an 80s comeback. And it is very strange, there are really no fat people in Paris. But I must say their subway is really disgusting; I've been spoiled by the MTR in HK.

Shot of the river:

A store window with a fancy castle:
PRINCESS MONONOKE!!! (At the Louvre):
Notre Dame:
Crepes:
At Versailles. Since we went in the winter, Versailles wasn't looking its best. This fountain was sooo cool though, the bottom tier has four merfolk (split-tail style, like the Starbucks logo), then cherub mer-kids above, then fish, then lobsters on top. HOW COOL:

Self-explanatory. I am thankful that a steady-handed tourist girl walked by at this moment:

I can't believe I watched 4 episodes of X-Files while folding and chatting tonight. I'm so happy I got to chat with Karen for a long time tonight :)

SCULLY: That was Detective Manners. He said they just found your bleeping UFO.

ok i didn't actually watch 2.5 of the episodes since I was chatting. Another one's starting right now but I am going to sleep!

hi world

For the past week, every day has seemed like a grind repeating itself over and over again. Every night when I turn my light out at (avg) 3:45am, I feel like where did the day go, this is just like yesterday. There's so much in my head that I wish to calm by reading or writing, neither of which I can do, because I've been doing a project that has me working from the moment I wake until the moment I turn the light out... but I'm shipping that order off today!

One exception was Casino Royale and Babel that we saw on Saturday.

Casino Royale: the new Bond is very... sinewy. If the world is a buffet and we are all food, the new Bond would be roasted prime rib. A yummy, juicy hunk of steak. The Bond girl (Eva Green) would be molton chocolate cake.

(Me: an out-of-season mango.)

Babel: remind me never to see another Babel/Traffic/Syriana type movie ever again. You know the ones--1) three separate stories that are connected, 2) involves children dying or in danger, 3) scenes that take place in the desert or Mexico or both in the case of Babel, 4) stars a cast member from "Ocean's 11", 5) moody cinematography and music and reality-style camera work, 6) and don't forget the political issues such as drug trafficking, oil, gun control, illegal immigration! OK I liked Syriana a lot. But these movies are so depressing and disturbing, I can't deal. I will stay away from any future movies that give off a Babel/Traffic/Syriana vibe.

Confession:

I LOVE "SPY GAME" (the movie)

I'm a dork

No wonder I'm a K(nock)O(ut) :P

Time's Op-Ed article last week I found very funny. It's about a study that shows people form opinions about other people in a 100-millisecond glance based on their faces, using a very low-level part of our brains. For example, Clinton looks like an "affable rascal" and Putin is "less gentle grandpa than live mink." The interesting question posed is to what extent do our personalities form our faces VS. our faces forming our personalities. Here is an excerpt (it's not on their website):

"Faciel symmetry appeals to us too. Dick Cheney's least trustworthy feature is easily his smile, a lopsided thing that makes him look as if half his face is pleased with something while the other half is paying bills....

The mingling of face and temperament raises the question of whether the two co-evolve or one produces the other. Was John Kerry's hangdog face responsible for his sodden campaigning? Did Richard Nixon grow his shadowy stubble, or did his shadowy stubble grow him? The British weekly New Scientist has touched on this, exploring what is known as nominative determinism--the common case of people whose names echo their jobs. There is a director of penal reform Frances Crook, the marine biologist Steven Haddock. American culture has been rife with such synchonicity--pitcher Rollie Fingers, Senator George McGovern. 'Are these whimsicalities of chance," Carl Jung once asked, "or the suggestive effects of the name?'

If name drives careers and faces drive personalities, we should have sympathy for politicians consigned by countenance to personalities they might not have chosen. As the midterm elections end and presidential hopefuls look ahead to 2008, there are perils for both the lovely and the unlovely. Those easy on the eye should take care not to overstate the point (MITT ROMNEY: MORE SYMMETRICAL THAN EVER!). Those with aesthetic hurdles should consider whther it's finally time for that eye lift or chin tuck...."

Recital

Today was the recital for my teacher's students. First off, it was in a house that had the most stunning entertaining area I'd ever seen; they obviously only bothered with the 2 living room areas, dining room, and kitchen; their bedrooms and basement was just so-so. It had a contemporary style with clean lines and spacious rooms and large beautiful wall art, huge ceiling-to-floor windows stretching and wrapping around the whole area. The room we sang in is made just for this type of thing (the homeowner's a huge opera fan), with a Steinway grand piano, friendly acoustics, hardwood floors, and light flooding in from the glass walls and skylights. OK I just had to start with that.

About 14 people sang (my teacher has 32 students though). My song went okay I guess. Well basically, every person who sang, I'd be like "OMG this person is SO GOOD." I was so focused on how good everyone else was, I don't really know how I did.

The order went like this: 2 ladies who aren't very "serious" singers went first, then 8 advanced students, then intermission, then 4 less-advanced students. I was in the "advanced" section, something that increased nervousness... and these people were freaking GOOD...

In the advanced section 1) there were 2 musical-theater girls abt 25 yrs old who were amazing show stoppers, just perfect and showy. I didn't really get to talk to them, but they sounded completely pro to me. One of them had been with my teacher since she was 10, which makes it 14 yrs with her, waa?

2) There were 4 opera men who were REALLY good, at least I though so! One of them is 27 and is my teacher's star student who's going pro soon. However, I was more blown away by a teenage tenor, who, unfortunately, went right before me.

3) And there was 1 opera girl and me. She was good. I guess it didn't blow me away. Dunno.

For the less advanced people, 2 of them were like 17-18 I guess, and I know one of them wants to apply to music school this yr, and they were yeah not very impressive. Although everyone COULD sing, just not all great, sorta like how everyone on America's Next Top Model could be a small-time model somewhere. Anyway, of the less advanced, one of them was 15, and she was sweet, and one was 12, and she was such a charmer, cute to the extreme, and a decent musical theater singer... actually, she is EXACTLY like the little girl in "You've Got Mail" (Tom's Hank's aunt) who sings "Tomorrow," remember? Anyway, she did three songs and finished with "I Feel Pretty." She nailed the "for I'm loved by a pretty wonderful boy!" Everyone died of her cuteness.

I even suck at blogging

There's stuff I want to blog about but just can't be bothered sometimes because... my thoughts are so trivial! I'll provide a smattering...

AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL: had me in stitches last night! I loved Caridee from the beginning and think she will win (she's soooo pretty and really good at modeling), but last night she was freaking hilarious... that show rocks.

RECITAL: this Sunday. I'd rather not talk about it because it nauseates me. Before my lessons I feel good about my singing. Then I get there and my teacher tells me everything I need to work on and then I feel bad about it. Then I practice a lot and then feel good again. Then go to the lesson and realize everything I still have to work on. Etc.

CURRENTLY READING: Acting for Singers. I wish I wasn't reading this book because reading about singing/acting is very weird/pointless.

BIZ: very busy as I've been saying... which is good but I want a day off. At this very moment I'm not super swamped because I'm waiting for some paper and can't do this order until it arrives--it's for the Oilily store window displays, so I'm excited I'll get to see them (2 Oilily stores in Chicago area).

LOST: last night was their "fall finale" or whatever. They've decided to do two finales per season... I know, weird... but basically they had new shows for 7 weeks, then a 2 month break, and back with 16 straight weeks. So 2 finales. Anyways... Mal was in it! Mal from Serenity/Firefly! He was in Kate's flashback. (Again, for those who don't watch Lost, I know you have NO IDEA what I'm talking about.) Ah, Mal. He played a cop who married Kate. Kate's flashbacks are my favorite, I like her stories.

OPERA: I really want to go see Salome at the Lyric Opera. The diva's supposedly crazy good. A voice that comes along "once in a hundred years," according to my teacher. And I want to see Salome, the most screwed up opera ever written! It was banned from the Met for a long time.

X-FILES: I watched 3 episodes last Monday night. Um, as a reminder, I watch while origami-ing. I really didn't want to see those episodes. One was the one where zoo animals were getting abducted by aliens. The next was the boat that made people age really quickly (I really dislike this ep and had been afraid it would come on). The 3rd ep was the sideshow circus people, Fiji Mermaid.

more of evolution, creation, etc.

This made me chuckle. Letter to the Editor in response to Time's cover article "What Makes Us Different" that explains the differences and similarities between humans and chimps (who share 99% DNA):

"'What Makes Us Different?' We're made in the image of God; chimpanzees are not. In understanding the genome, scientists can neither add to nor take away from this truth. Spiritual realities are not the province of the natural sciences. What is truly different between human beings and even our closest cousins in the animal kingdom is the ability to reason. The great apes are not reasoninig creatures, which doesn't mean they are unable to think in their own way. They just aren't able to sit around and pose questions like, What makes us different?"

had to share

u know what I realized from watching X-Files reruns? The guy who plays Alex Krycek appeared as a different minor character less than a year before he started playing Krycek!

blah blah blah

arrrr
I'm gonna send my submission to the RTHK/The Standard Short Story Competition 2006 tomorrow. I read this article online abt last year's competition receiving a record-breaking 800 entries in the junior and senior categories!! This is very disappointing because that means my chances are much lower than I thought. I don't know how many entries they got before when they were with the SCMP, but I came in co-3rd runner-up in 2004 (there was a 1st prize, a 1st runner-up, a 2nd runner-up, and two 3rd runners-up), so I thought there can't be THAT many entries. Now the task of winning seems much more daunting. How am I supposed to beat 400 people (that is if one estimates abt half of the entries are the junior category)? I don't think I'm gonna enter anymore if there are that many entries!!

I've been running on the treadmill now that there's a gym in our apartment building. I am literally in the last 3rd percentile worldwide when it comes to running. But I've actually not died yet so I think I got better stamina from all the tennis.

And I am officially very swamped... um, swamped and trying to be a singer, and write my short story, and go to the gym, and go to church, and... see Marie Antoinette and the Queen and the Prestige. Whatever, no biggie.

OH by the way, I am totally addicted to X-files rerun marathons while origami-ing on every Monday night from 11pm - 4am (which, I'm only up 'til like 3am, I sleep from 3am to 11am), sometimes Fridays, and right now it's Thursday and it's on, yay but I sometimes hate watching X-files reruns really late b/c it can get to be freaky. Like I had to not watch during that Brady Bunch house episode. It was kinda like the Shining! But a few months ago there was one of the funny episodes, and the local small-town sheriff was Luke Wilson and it was funny hahahaha... that's my favorite episode I guess... I sorta dislike the monster episodes most... the gov't conspiracy/alien ones used to be my favorite but they're maybe too serious, like sometimes you just want to watch a silly Buffy episode, not the ones about killing the "big bad." Anyway, yeah I like the funny X-files and ones that are kinda different, like the hallucination mushroom one, and the one that was like "Groundhog Day," those were good ones, and I think they were back-to-back. The one on right now is another small-town, log-cabin, sheriffs and rangers, and mysterious death ones. Sometimes I try to keep track of how many times Mulder has died. I think it's somewhere around 15, if you include misunderstandings.

I should NOT be blogging. What I should be doing now is threading tiny little needles with tiny little threads, then stringing them into tiny little cranes, adding a tiny little bead with a tiny little hole, then tying a tiny little knot. Repeat 175 times. It can make a girl crazy, lemme tell ya.