#24 hours and got so excited telling friends and budgeting and stuff and then woke up this morning like oh. yeah maybe shouldn’t put

[miffyghost]

I want a tattoo so badly but I have eczema and sensitive skin and I’m really worried I’ll have a bad reaction </3

[redfistblogs-blog]

Filming Days 1-3

     April 6th, 2017.  The first, and well, only scene that we worked on for that day and the next was Roman meeting Nightmare.  It was a 2-minute scene that took 2 days.  It was a fitting scene to start the production, because it had the most Noirish look in the entire episode.  The low-key lighting (with a lot of help from Venetian blinds) and the fog sold that aesthetic.

       While we heavily relied on the storyboard, we improvised some creepy shots on set.  Like the one that pans right with Roman in his office as he searches for the source of Nightmare’s voice, then pans left to show Nightmare now standing in the background.  And the close-up where lightning flashes to fully reveal Nightmare’s mask.

                        Cameraman Dennis Manning suggested this shot.

     Both Raw and Seth asked a lot of questions about their characters.  There were some debates on certain character choices, such as whether or not Nightmare’s cane is magical.  For the record, no one at Red Fist supported this, but for our own amusement (and because it was quicker to do instead of argue about for an hour), obliged the others by filming a quick shot where Roman’s gun is magically forced down by the Magicane.

     Raw was the MVP of the first leg of production.  Every day was a blast with him.  He was also a great mentor and guide for us.  Everybody was excited to meet and talk with him.  (Our technical crew, especially).  When Justin visited, he and Raw immediately hit it off.  He supported Matt every step of the way when being directed by him.  All in all, he was a class act.

                                                   Filming: Day 2

     April 7th, 2017.  The second day actually finished early.  Thank God too, because we were already exhausted from driving the actors to hotels/AirBnb homes and restaurants, and from airports for the last two days.  And there were some sore points on and off set, mainly because of a prima donna attitude.  But any exhaustion and toxicity were no match for the cathartic feeling of filming something unprecedented on multiple fronts.

     First off, this was the first time we had filmed anything of this script, which had been written over a year before.  This was also the first time any of us had worked on a Batman story.  (As lifelong Batman fans, that alone meant everything).  In addition, these first two days marked Red Fist’s inaugural web series (which meant, for the first time ever, professional working actors and a full crew), which dovetails into the fourth front--this was by far our best work at that point (and we were only getting started).

     It was also fun listening to Raw’s stories of working with various people on certain movies.  (He LOVES telling the one about egging on Samuel L. Jackson to cuss him out on the set of “Hateful Eight”).  And, it was cool to learn more about Raw and his developing career.  In between scenes, I even had the pleasure of reading with him for a video audition.

     That said, we didn’t want to say goodbye to Raw so soon; but the next morning, he was heading back home in Philadelphia.  Ben was scheduled to arrive that next morning, to film his scenes with Seth that night.  But who needs schedules when you have severe thunderstorms?

     See, there was a major thunderstorm happening in Atlanta, where Ben’s flight (from North Carolina) had made an emergency stop.  The rest of his flight was cancelled that day.  Over the course of about 24 hours, he was stuck at the airport, struggling to find a different flight, a bus, or rent a car that could get him to St. Louis in time.

     Since I had to get up at 3:30AM to take Raw to the airport, I went to bed earlyish (around 11:30PM).  But then Raw texts me at 3AM, and says for me to get some sleep, because his flight was cancelled too!!!  We were excited that he’d be staying at least another day, and would (maybe) get to meet Ben, but we were also fretting that we’d have to pay another night for a hotel for him, and find a new one on top of that.  (Hotels and flights were the bane of our budget).

                            Our rewards points are useless against him!

     Matt, Ian, and I all got to sleep until 8 the next morning.  And when we woke up, we realized we needed the sleep.  There was a whole new bevy of problems to address.

                                                      Filming: Day 3

     By this point, we were sick of Chipotle, Applebees, and just eating out in general.  The challenge of doing a million jobs is you don’t always get time to make food for every meal.  We don’t go out to eat anymore, so if you want Cheesecake Factory, bring your own.  I mean, nowadays we bring salad, bagels, pasta, beans, rice (you know, healthy stuff).  So screw your cheesecake.

                      I know you like overpriced food, but we ain’t got none!

     Anyway, the third day we didn’t film at Fat Chimp.  Actually, we didn’t even film during the day.  Since Rawn Weasley had to stay an extra night, and couldn’t get another flight till the next day, we had to scramble to find him a new hotel.  Well, we did that in no time; that was easy.  The real challenge actually had nothing to do with Raws al Ghul.

     The storm made its way down to North Carolina, where Ben Curns (Gordon) was.  All flights for that day were cancelled for him.  He was scheduled to film two scenes with Roman.  We couldn’t get Seth Michaels (Roman) back the following weekend (when Ben would’ve been filming more scenes anyway).  On top of finding a hotel for Raw, we also had to help Ben figure out a way to get to St. Louis, because he was still stuck in Atlanta!  The last available flight he had been crossing his fingers to get was cancelled too.  By that point, no bus or train was going to be fast enough.  The only option was rent-a-car, which just wasn’t in our budget (over $100 a day!).  Just like that, Ben, against his will, had to catch the next flight back to North Carolina.

                           Life imitating one of the greatest comedies ever.    

   That meant one thing--rewrites!  Which we had to film that night!  Naturally, Gordon was removed from the city hall scene with Roman.  And we had to tweak Roman’s opening lines from something like, “Gordon’s with me tonight” to “Gordon had a pressing matter so he’ll be here in a little bit”.  Since this show already melded multiple genres (Film Noir, Martial Arts, Gothic Horror), we figured a dash of documentary wouldn’t hurt.  We also had to change the scene where Roman visits Gordon’s office to hand him the file given to him by Nightmare.  Roman was no longer in it, and Gordon’s secretary gives it to him instead.  Like Day 2, Day 3 was shortened to where we filmed Roman’s remaining two scenes at Cathedral.

     And that was so much fun.  A lot of our friends came out for the shoot to be journalists, bodyguards for the mayor, and some just hung out in the background.  Raw was still there, clad in unforgettable yellow sweatpants, a lime green tank top, and an overcoat that I don’t think was even his.  If we were gonna finish the first leg of filming without Ben, I’m glad Raw was there to entertain everyone.

                                 Especially this miles-deep sea of reporters.

Raw’s full get-up was too legendary to be caught on camera, but you get the idea.  (On the right is also our friend, actor Adam Flowers).

     All of the footage we needed from Raw and Seth was in the can, and we could finally take a breather before next week’s filming.  Well, almost...

[kayduhyeahduh]

2016 comes to an end.

Because I enjoyed making the log I last year, I’ve done it again for this new year.

1/1/16 - Started the new year again at the countdown in LA with the light projection on City Hall with Daniel and Joanna

1/13-15/16 - Chicken Strip Road Trip was a reunion of Berkeley friends to go on an adventurous 3-day trip around SoCal

1/16/16 - Flew back up to Berkeley in order to tend to OASES Coord tasks + finally move into my first ever apartment

1/17-18/16 - OASES Coordinator Retreat at the Point Montara Lighthouse Hostel, bonding and understanding the responsibilities of being a coordinator

1/18-21/16 - New Year’s Resolution Training Camp for BDC; a series of workshops by talented dancers who were able to provide some of their wisdom and talent with me, was an awesome experience to step out of my comfort zone with!

1/19/16 - Start of classes for the Spring 2016 semester

1/20/16 - Celebrated Janice’s birthday with a surprise!

1/22-24/16 - CalSO Leader Launch Weekend; a 3-day retreat for those becoming CalSO Leaders. Was an exciting, nerve-wracking, and humbling experience to get to know all 40 people in the team including pouring my heart out to complete strangers

1/27/16 - Interview for my Retirement Office position for Work Study

1/28/16 - Received an email saying that they would like me for the position at the Retirement Office!

1/28/16 - AFX Spring 2016 Auditions

1/29/16 - Movement Spring 2016 Auditions

1/30/16 - Danceworx Spring 2016 Auditions

2/4/16 - Start of the first ASKII practice, a project team on AFX Spring 2016

2/6/16 - OASES Coord Social!

2/13/16 - Leave for Kendo Yuhihai Tournament in UCLA

2/14/16 - 2016 Yuhihai Intercollegiate Kendo Tournament where ASUC Team A wins 1st Place!

3/2/16 - Filled out paperwork with Timmy, Arno, and Yang for the new apartment lease for the next year

3/18/16 - Professional Photoshoot for CalSO

3/21-25/16 - Spring Break for UC Berkeley; spent a majority of it in town not adventuring out but more just enjoying the break and working whenever I could

3/27/16 - Celebrated Serena’s birthday with a surprise!

3/29/16 - “Tim n’ Frandz” Miniset first practice!

4/8/16 - Training session for my first ever Research Assistant position (short-term) with Haas School of Business focused on Marketing

4/9/16 - AFX ASKII Photoshoot

4/9/16 - CalSO/UC Berkeley Yield Event in Sacramento

4/13/16 - AFX Show and Tell

4/14/16 - AFX ASKII performed as the last team for the EAU Night Market

4/16/16 - Danceworx Spring 2016 Showcase; performed with Lost Kids and ASKII

4/22-23/16 - A night I can’t forget.

4/23/16 - AFX Showcase; performed with AFX ASKII

4/26/16 - Brief dinner with the housemates for the upcoming year

4/30/16 - OASES Budget Interviewing and Deliberations; they started around 8am and continued onto about 9pm....

5/1/16 - OASES VAD; had a hectic time being part of the committee organizing this banquet and learning the choreography, but it was definitely a learning experience

5/2/16 - OASES Open LC Meeting

5/3/16 - OASES LC Interview

5/3/16 - OASES CAD; nice relaxing meal for all of us coords

5/3/16 - AFX ASKII Banquet; rushed over to the 2nd half of the banquet after finishing up CAD

5/4/16 - Found out I was chosen to take on the LC role for OASES!

5/6/16 - Celebration Party at the Retirement Center to commemorate the time and hard work the graduating seniors had put in for the office

5/7/16 - Kendo Instructors Dinner at Ohgane for KBBQ to close the end of the practices for the school year; it was nice catching up with people from there as I hadn’t been going to practices really after Yuhihai

5/9-13/16 - Finals Week for Spring 2016

5/17/16 - Flight from OAK to LGB

5/18/16 - Daniel, Corliss, and I hung out for the short time I was in LA and enjoyed the day. Unfortunately, there was some complications on my part and I received a strongly worded voicemail from Janice’s dad..

5/20/16 - Flight from LGB to OAK

5/21/16 - CalSO Staff Move-In

5/22-30/16 - Camp CalSO; an intense week and a half of training by applying the theories and discussions we went over in the seminar course we all took in the Spring into more practical situations

6/1/16 - First OASES LC Meeting

6/2-3/16 - (1/14) Freshman Admit CalSO Program

6/6-7/16 - (2/14) Freshman Admit CalSO Program

6/9-10/16 - (3/14) Freshman Admit CalSO Program

6/13/16 - (4/14) Transfer Admit CalSO Program

6/14/16 - (5/14) Transfer Admit CalSO Program; this is when I first gave my FYE in front of hundreds of students and a large audience of parents/guests. It was such a humbling experience and it also made me cry in front of lots of parents/guests hahaha

6/16-17/16 - (6/14) Freshman Admit CalSO Program

6/18/16 - Movement [M]VP Auditions

6/20/16 - (7/14) Transfer Admit CalSO Program

6/21/16 - Summer Abba Auditions

6/22/16 - Got a call from Angie that I was selected to be in Summer Abba!

6/22-23/16 - (8/14) Freshman Admit CalSO Program

6/24/16 - (9/14) Transfer Admit CalSO Program; I ended my last ever Transfer program with having the opportunity to present my FYE again with students and then parents/guests. This time I didn’t cry! And it was similar yet very different from how my first time was.

6/25/16 - AFXsi Auditions

6/26/16 - GBE from LA to Berkeley with Tiffany; that was quite the experience...a 6-7 hour bus ride turned into 12 when our bus’ rear wheels popped and we were stuck on the side of the road for about 4 extra hours. Fortunately there was still some light AC and the spirits of the incoming freshmen and guests were still high which made the experience much less stressful

6/27/16 - Got a call from Christian that I was selected to be in AFXsi BAE!

6/27-28/16 - (10/14) Freshman Admit CalSO Program

6/30/16-7/1/16 - (11/14) Freshman Admit CalSO Program

7/7-8/16 - (12/14) Freshman Admit CalSO Program

7/11-12/16 - (13/14) Freshman Admit CalSO Program

7/14-15/16 - (14/14) Freshman Admit CalSO Program

7/15/16 - Around 2-3am, I had submitted my application to be next year’s orientation Student Coordinator, for what now will be called Golden Bear Orientation (GBO). I had hesitated the whole time since we got the email for the application until one of the interns had reached out to me privately and really recommended that I apply. Then I really decided to, on a whim, start my application at midnight and then turn it in the following 2-3 hours.

7/16/16 - CalSO Staff Banquet & Talent Show; the culmination of our hard work for the summer came to a close during this these two events as we enjoyed a nice meal and long list of performances. Of course, to end the night, we had prepared to say our goodbyes to one another, filling up the Ida Sproul Main Lounge with a mixture of chatter, laughter, hugging, and lots and lots of tears. Seeing how our move out time was by 10am the very next morning and not everyone was prepared for that literally or figuratively, Tiffany and I walked Roxi home and then I helped out in any way that I could, eventually knocking out around 4am

7/17/16 - Officially the move out date; I had already moved a majority of my stuff out beforehand and so I had one more trip to my apartment before I was finished. The twist is that I woke up an hour before our deadline and so I rushed to take a shower, move stuff out, and then try to help others within an hour. Even after that all, about a third of us still were going to be in Berkeley and we had brunch together before saying our goodbyes. I remember after this I had helped out Tiffany unpack and just reflect on our CalSO experience until she had to catch her flight back to SoCal.

7/19/16 - I had to accept the fact that Summer CalSO was over by going back to working at the Retirement Center. It was only once I got there did I realize that I forgot how to do a lot of the things I was taught...whoops

7/22/16 - Taking the next step to my ‘on-the-whim’ application process, I went in for my interview for the GBO Student Coordinator position. I saw all familiar faces of the Directors, Program Coordinator, Graduate Student Interns, and we had a nice time. Because I’ve been working with them for at least this past summer, I wasn’t nervous really and throughout the whole time I felt as if we were simply having a conversation (with me mostly talking about my answers of course). We shared smiles, lots of laughter, and reflection. I walked out thinking it was a great interview and left it up to the team to decide whether they liked my answers and/or if they saw me as a fit for their vision of the Student Coordinator team.

7/29/16 - Received a call from the Director of New Student Services telling me that she’d love to offer me the position as one of the Student Coordinators. Obviously I could not deny this opportunity!

8/11/16 - Heard back from Alta Bates Summit Medical Center that they have openings for shadowing an Occupational Therapist! Began the process to be a volunteer at this clinic.

8/11-14/16 - I took the small window of time I had before Fall responsibilities and went back home to LA. I didn’t really do much other than go to appointments and lay around home, but it was still nice to be back.

8/15-19/16 - Hot and disgusting; the two words I’ll describe my trip to Indiana, specifically Purdue University. As a Student Coordinator, the NSS department flew us all out to the midwest to observe and study Purdue’s orientation program as it mimics a model we want to transition into. I didn’t necessarily know what I was expecting from it, but it definitely blew my mind from the efficient way they dealt with 6,000+ students all at once. I ended the trip by getting back to Berkeley and making the Closing Ceremony of Makeup CalSO to see all my cherished leaders again (:

8/19/16 - Heard back from University Health Services, Tang Center, that they have an opening for volunteering under the Physical Therapy department! Began the process to be a volunteer at this clinic.

8/20-21/16 - Right after Indiana, OASES retreat was next. We went out an hour north of Berkeley for this. It was interesting being one of the facilitators for this retreat because for the most part, it was a lot of impromptu execution. But in the end, we were able to go through it all with a somewhat successful agenda.

8/24/16 - The first day of instruction for Fall 2016!

8/24/16 - My first ever interview for a Research Assistant at UC Berkeley! I thought I did okay...?

8/25/16 - I got an email saying that the LCD Lab at Berkeley wants me to be an RA at their lab! My first ever research position!!

8/27/16 - My first kendo practice after about half a year of break...wow it was weird being back. But I intend on being more active this semester!

8/28/16 - AFX Fall 2016 Auditions

8/30/16 - First All-Staff Meeting for GBO! All Coords got their office keys too and we all got the chance to go into the office ball pit!

9/5/16 - Got a call letting me know I got onto AFX Project: FTFO

9/7/16 - Went in for an interview to volunteer at Alta Bates Hospital under their Occupational Therapy department; everything went through with ease (:

9/13/16 - Went in for my first shift at UC Berkeley’s University Health Services Center: Tang Center, under their Physical Therapy department!

9/15/16 - Went in for my first shift at Alta Bates in Oakland under their Occupational Therapy department!

9/18/16 - Went in for the LCD Lab Orientation for new Research Assistants!....I remember being very sleepy that morning.

9/23/16 - NUFP Orientation and also GBO Coord + Pro Staff Retreat. I applied for the NUFP Mentorship on a whim because I wasn’t sure if Student Affairs is a career field I’d want to go into, but I figured I might as well expose myself a bit more just to broaden my perspective and decide from there. And for the retreat, we finally got a better understanding of what our position and the new model of orientation will entail! It was nice being back at the Alliance Redwoods campgrounds as a wave of nostalgia came by from CalSO Leader retreat. 

10/2/16 - Intersect Conference at UC Berkeley, a lowkey conference that emphasized the concept of intersectionality, diversity, and various forms of oppression. It was an interesting experience to say the least, getting put on the spot with pressure from some people once they found out Tanisha and I were Student Coords, but it was still informative nonetheless.

10/6/16 - Came back to Berkeley from Oakland to what I thought was a lunch with Serena, but I was incredibly oblivious that she actually set it up so that Scoop Squad can have an early birthday lunch for me at Great China. It was really nice to have this and my heart was definitely full. And later that day after practice....I got surprised again by them all caking me with whip cream. I remember seeing them in the corner of my eye when my whole team was already singing happy birthday to me and I just had to accept my fate )’:

10/7/16 - Tiffany surprised me (gross) with a birthday dinner picnic on the field next to Doe Library, prepping delicious food, music, and ambiance as we enjoyed an unofficial birthday date for the two of us.

10/8/16 - OASES Coord Social; gradually turned to a birthday celebration for me, but I also found out this night that I could fall asleep in a loud karaoke room

10/16/16 - GBO Mentor Non-CalSO Group Interviews!

10/31/16-11/4/16 - GBO Mentor Non-CalSO Individual Interviews!

11/5/16 - Movement Showcase with AFX FTFO!

11/6/16 - AFX FTFO Photoshoot at BAMPFA

11/9/16 - AFX Show and Tell

11/13/16 - GBO Mentor Reveal! Definitely a memorable night getting to see the group we’ll be supervising and having as role models for the Orientation Leaders (:

11/14/16 - Met up and had somewhat of a closure talk with Janice. It was a bittersweet talk we had, seeing someone I was so close to act and talk with such a distant tone. Updating me with little emotion attached to what was being said made me realize how far we grew apart to be.

11/19/16 - AFX Showcase with AFX FTFO!

11/20/16 - OASES CoRe (Coord Recruitment) Interviews and Deliberations; definitely went much better than last semester...LOL

11/21/16 - Sofia, Evan, and I met up to finally figure out groupings for the Coords to OMs! Excited to see how they bond together throughout this term.

11/22-27/16 - Started my Thanksgiving Break a bit early with Tiffany; spending my Thanksgiving away from family for the first time.

11/23/16 - Planned an entire day of adventuring around SF with Tiffany, starting off at the Embarcadero, walking through the city to Union Square, ice skating together, walking up and down treacherous hills to get to Little Italy for Sotto Mare, a delicious Italian seafood restaurant, and then ending the night with more incline up to Coit Tower where Tiff and I enjoyed a nice view of the Bay, and I (finally) asked her to be my girlfriend (she said yes!!). Without a doubt we were very tired and delusional (I also had a bad fever throughout the whole day but it’s fine) and I’m still surprised we were able to walk all the way back to the Embarcadero BART station to reach Berkeley and make it to my apartment.

11/24/16 - Cooked various sorts of dishes for our Thanksgiving meal for two. Oven baked biscuits, homemade mashed potatoes, oven roasted carrots, homemade gnocchi with string beans and alfredo pesto sauce, cornbread stuffing, pecan pie, and medium rare filet mignon (: Also some champagne, but we weren’t the biggest fan...

12/4/16 - OASES VAD, definitely gave me some feels. Was asked to come up with some choreography for the dance and it was fun being behind the scenes again and seeing everyone enjoying the celebration of the end of the semester.

12/5/16 - OASES LC Interviews and Deliberations!

12/6/16 - OASES CAD at Racha’s, delicious Thai food and great company with just the coord team. It was very heartwarming to end it all with gifts and speeches, probably the last OASES banquet I’ll attend. We ended the night with going to Iris’ apartment to drink and bond significantly more than we ever did anytime in the semester. It’s unfortunate that we only did here, but it definitely was a memorable night.

12/7/16 - OASES Last Coord Meeting of Fall 2016 :’(

12/12-16/16 - Fall 2016 Finals Week

12/17/16 - Went home with Daniel and his parents! Came in time to attend our high school friends annual Holiday Party (:

12/20/16 - In the morning, my parents and I went to court early for the hearing on filing a restraining order against my brother. Later that day, Katrina and I caught up and enjoyed each other’s company since the last time we were able to hang out.

12/22/16 - Daniel, Joanna, and I just relaxed and Daniel’s place with some of The Habit food and watched videos

12/24/16 - Biannual dentist check up in Torrance!

12/29/16 - Met up with Tiff and Christina in Torrance (: Started the day off with a late Christmas gift exchange. Tiff got me Orange + Dark Chocolate, FOUR POUND MILK CHOCOLATE, a portable phone charger, and A FREAKING HANDMADE DOG STUFFED ANIMAL LIKE WHAT THE HECK? And then she showed me around Torrance and Hermosa Beach. Then we ate at Din Tai Fung, well worth the wait (: Then we went on over to LA to see Downtown for a bit, enjoy the LA Zoo Lights, and then I took them over to the delicious Ave 26 Taco Stand. After all this was done, we called it a night and I drove them back to their car.

12/30/16 - Met up with Corliss; it’s been awhile since her and I have met up one on one, and it was nice! Satisfied craving for Hot Red Bus, Tpumps (Ptumps), and then we went on over to a mall in Arcadia to try Matcha Matcha (and look for joggers). Couldn’t find joggers that I liked so we then drove to Glendale Galleria and found joggers at Uniqlo. Went back to her place to enjoy some dinner and hours of some more existential talks about life. At some point it got way too cold and hazy, I needed to go back home

12/31/16-1/1/17 - What better way to end the year, than spending it in LA again for the third year in a row for the countdown? Tiff and Christina drove ALL THE WAY up to my house, so I had to show them around the Valley where I grew up and went to school/college and worked. From there, we went to K-Town to enjoy some filling Boiling Crab and continued to take the subway to Downtown to take them around on a tour around LA. It wasn’t long until the countdown came closer for us to find an ideal viewing spot and cheer on the remaining minutes of 2016.

And with all of that, 2016 has come to a close and 2017 will bring me new challenges and surely rise me up to new heights. I’ll be finishing up my undergraduate degree this year and prepping for another stage of my life. Can’t wait to see how 2017 will show to be.

It’s going to be an interesting year.