davidian's Xanga

KILLER HEADLINE

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:26:01 GMT

Alright, this is the second to last post about my short film. Even I'm tired of hearing about it. Haha. However, a lot of great people worked on this film with me and I feel that they deserve some more recognition.
We made this short film for the Asian American Film Lab's 72 hour film shootout competition. Teams are given a theme ("a first goodbye") and have 72 hours to write, shoot, and edit a 5-minute short film. For those of you who are in film, you know how incredibly difficult is this task. There are multiple award categories, but the one area where we need your assistance is in the Audience Award category, which is awarded based on the highest tally of votes online. Voting closes at 11:59pm EST tonight, so in true LAST MINUTE FILMS fashion, you can watch and vote for our film by clicking on the above image.
A few notes before you vote. Please do not vote for our film simply for the sake of voting. Please only vote for our film if you feel that it is most deserving of such an award based on its creative achievement. As a creative, I'm not entirely comfortable with this system of merit as it can easily slide into a popularity contest. There are a TON of great films on that site and even I cannot say that our film is the most deserving of the Audience Award.
What I do ask for is that you guys comment on the film after you watch it. I would love to hear your thoughts and interpretations of the film and how we related it to the theme: a first goodbye.
Before we began, the other filmmakers and I made several creative decisions that I felt made our task much more challenging. We set up a few ground rules that would become our modus operandi.
Short film competitions are usually dominated by comedic plots as you can engage an audience with relative ease with a few quick laughs. We decided to go the other route. We filmed a dark drama. Dramas only work when the audience really connect and engage with the lead characters.
After learning the theme, we figured that most teams would go for a romantic interpretation of the theme. In order to set our film apart from the pack, we decided to film an anti-romance.
We also made the conscious choice not to mention any part of the theme in our film. All references to the given theme had to be visually implicit or driven by the plot. We took the chance that our audience might not "get it", but we assumed we had a smart audience. Besides, if the audience did not "get" it, the onus was upon us, the filmmakers, for failing to properly convey our message.
That said, please let me know if our choices worked! I suppose I should leave you with a few "director's notes":
I'm an economist by training, so I've always thought about the trade-off between career and family. As much as we'd like to sentimentalize it, every decision we make ultimately is an economic one. As individuals, we also have scarce resources, namely time. While everyone aims to "have it all", a successful career and a successful personal life, how much of that is really possible? How many successful people have affairs and a tormentous personal life? It seems that work-life balance is something that almost everyone juggles and struggles with in their life. Traditionally, we place family first and stress importance on life outside of work. We can always get another job right? But what if you felt that your life was your work. That you spent your entire life building up your career, trying to achieve success at all costs, no matter what it takes. Isn't one's devotion to a cause measured by the amount one is willing to sacrifice for it?

corporate shenanigans

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:28:02 GMT

had to get a full night of sleep last night because i felt my body begin to crash. and by full night, i mean 4 hours of sleep. my patience wears extremely thin when i'm tired and fatigued. anybody who's had the misfortune of sharing my bed knows that you don't disturb me when i'm asleep. don't wake the sleeping bear!! i won't hesitate to bite off your head (figuratively, of course, although there was that one time...) and i won't have any recollection of it the next morning. i can't tell you the number of times when the misfortunate have told me the next morning that i was a complete troglodyte that night, replete with snappy grunts and stone-cold death stares. when i first heard that, i didn't believe it. i'm such a nice guy by day, i swear! but after several days of sleep deprivation, i can see it what they mean. my inner cranky kid comes out.
i can't even begin to tell you how frustrated i've been getting lately. what's worse is that i must conform to these crappy courtesies over corporate email in order to maintain a semblance of professionalism. i'm counting the days to the end of my days in the corporate world... that said, i present you my guide to "Courteous Corporate Email Phrases" and the underlying subtext of what they really mean:
To be clear...
You're a fucking moron for not understanding me the first time around.
Please advise...
You make absolutely no sense what so ever, please elaborate, you moron.
Kindly...
Do it because I asked, you douche.
I will advise...
I don't have time for your frivolity, I'll put your query at the bottom of the list and think about answering it when it resurfaces.
Please...
Fucking shit...
Respecfully request...
Outside of your title, you're not worth the piece of paper that your business card is printed on, so I'm gonna tell you what to do...
I apologize...
I apologize for your idiocy.
Let me know...
I'd rather you not let me know...
Thanks...
Thanks for nothing, you fuck...
Should you require anything further...
you'd be an inept moron.
Please be advised...
I can't believe I have to fuckin' say this...
Just wanted to follow up...
I know you fuckin' disregarded my first request; I will now email you every hour, on the hour, until my request is fulfilled.
Please escalate...
You're such an inept lackey, my next email will be to your manager.
Regards...
You're only really regarded when you pay our firm...
Best regards...
You're only regarded because you're the sucker that's paying double for our services...
anyhow, the panacea to frustruation (sexual, occupational, etc) is alcohol. so for all of you xangans in nyc, please join me at my film festival fundraiser tonight at china1! party like a rock star or a movie star! if you come introduce yourself, i'll buy you a drink, just ask toskas! here are the details:
REELIN' IT IN:
Supporting the Asian American International Film Festival 2008!
Hey all you PING PONG PLAYAS and PRINCESSES OF NEBRASKA! To make a LONG STORY SHORT, the Asian American International Film Festival needs your support! This Tuesday, JULY 8th 2008, we are hosting a fundraising happy hour at China One to SLINGSHOT our way into the festival week. All proceeds will go towards support of the film festival and our wonderful volunteers, who have offered us a HALF-LIFE of service. Join us for a drink or four to kick back from THE SPEED OF LIFE. Festivities and drink specials (sponsored by Singha) start at 6:30pm. We'll have live music from Hsu-nami (will be featured at the Beijing 2008 Olympics) and I'm Turning Into.
Put on your dancing shoes and a FLOWER IN THE POCKET, and make us at least an OPTION 3 for your Tuesday night festivities. So invite all of your KISSING COUSINS because it's for a good cause and we think you're PRETTY TO THINK SO.
AAIFF'08's Launch Party was just the beginning. Come party with us in our second party of the summer, just two days before the festival starts!
Venue: China1 (50 Avenue B, at 4th Street, in NYC)
Time: 6:30pm-11pm (Bands play at 8pm)
Drink Specials All Night, sponsored by Singha Beer
Damage:
$10 with RSVP
$15 at the door
RSVP by 5pm TODAY to VOLUNTEERS@ASIANCINEVISION.ORG

The Making of KILLER HEADLINE

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:23:52 GMT

This is an awesome "Behind the Scenes" video shot and edited by the amazing Adrian Acosta (aka Amnesia Sparkle), one of our production still photographers and the bf of my DP/cameraman. Thanks Adrian! You'll see a brief glimpse of me in the video... Let's see if you guys can spot me and point me out. ; )

kick, push

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:45:46 GMT

i spend an obscene amount of money on dvds, books, and music. half of the stuff i buy could probably be downloaded for free, but there's just something organic about the physicality of a purchase. being able to hold an album your hand and flip through the included art enhances the listening experience. of course, the added enjoyment is not without its detriments - clutter. any respectable collection results in an inordinate amount of clutter. but this clutter is a good kind of clutter. it's like the clutter of having too many friends, except these friends patiently wait on the shelf for you to come back to them. revisiting old albums is like revisiting old friends.
for the past week, i've been re-obsessing about lupe fiasco's food and liquor. like most obsessions, it lasts about a week where i'll play it over and over again until it's back to the shelf to don a new coat of dust.
anyway, lupe's first single, "kick, push" is really something. i can't rave about it enough. i've always been so captivated by the heavy downbeat and the laid-back brass melody that i've never really paid attention to the lyrics. now after getting back into it, i've realized that the lyrics are so damn righteous and metaphoric. my man has truly captured the essence of an ideal woman in verse 2:

My man got a lil older became a better roller (yea)
No helmet, hellbent on killin' himself,
was what his momma said
But he was feelin' himself
Got a lil more swagger in his style
Met his girlfriend, she was clappin' in the crowd
Love is what was happening to him now, uh
He said I would marry you,
but I'm engaged to these aerials and varials
And I don't think this board is strong enough to carry 2
She said bow I weigh 120 pounds, now
Lemme make one thing clear
I don't need to ride yours I got mine right here
So she took him to a spot
He didn't know about
Somewhere in the apartment parking lot, she said
I don't normally take dates in here
Security came and said "I'm sorry there's no skating here"

aside from that, lupe fiasco is so tight with his flow. another favorite on the album is "american terrorist". how can you not respect a hip-pop icon who raps about socio-political issues and makes such an honest commentary? it's righteous. it's AWESOME.

things that make me hot...

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 18:24:11 GMT

girls with skateboards. girls with tatooed shoulders and arms. girls with surfboards. girls who smoke. girls who are "street".
walking down broadway from fulton, i caught a glimpse of two girls carrying skateboards. i couldn't take my eyes off of them. sure they were hot, but hot girls only hold my attention for a fleeting moment. a very fleeting moment. of course, they caught me staring at them and flashed a quirky smile. caught red-handed, i could only smile back.
i don't know what is about them that drives me wild. maybe it's the little bit of roughness around the edges. maybe it's the "fuck it" attitude. maybe it's the juxtaposition of femininity amid a traditionally masculine social construct. whatever the case, it drives me wild.
when guys say that they don't like girls who are "girly girls", this is what we're talking about. we're looking for girls with a little masculine edge who still exhibit all the endearing feminine qualities we all know and love: hotness. you don't have to look like a man to act like a man.
anyhow, i've got a ton of thoughts jumbling around my head right now, but this is the only thing i can blog about now.

it's in the can...

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 12:20:01 GMT

still photography by Jesse Chiang & Peter He

and so it ends...back to life, back to reality. the past two weeks were by far the most grueling, trialing and challenging weeks i've had in a while. we hit several large bumps and road blocks, but managed to surmount each and every one! a very big thanks to everyone who helped out! you guys made it all worthwhile. and a very special shoutout to our unbelievably hospitable hosts, the linco family.

morning routines

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 08:58:52 GMT

the first thing i do every morning is cuss and sigh. growing up in the church during my youth, we were taught to exalt God and exclaim "Oh Lord Jesus!" as we arose. maybe i should go back to doing that. i remember being happier back then. i suppose i still do a variant of that on some mornings - usually when waking late. "jesus christ! look at the time!"
i'm definitely not a morning person. don't talk to me in the morning. i like it quiet. i hate alarms, i don't put the radio on, but sometimes i'll keep the tv on the news really low.
i don't really use alarms, but i set them as a safety net. more often than not, i'll wake up before the set time. that's the worst. what do you do when that happens? you don't want to get up yet, so you lie idly in bed just waiting for that dreaded alarm to sound. i really need to stop doing that.
today, i jolted out of slumber at 5:45am. earlier than usual, but late for me since i was planning to get in the office at 5am. since i was already late, i figured i'd forget about going in early and began my morning routine which usually goes like this:
1) "fuck" *heavy sigh* get out of bed.
2) check emails received overnight, reply to urgent.
3) check facebook and xanga for new updates.
4) fix breakfast (pour milk, then apple jacks)
5) go back upstairs, eat breakfast
6) read nytimes.com, cnn.com, bbc.co.uk.
7) shower, shave, brush teeth.
8) get dressed
9) look over daily agenda, grab work bag.
10) head to kitchen to pack snacks for the day
11) leave for work
some days when i like to mix things up a little, like today, i'll forget my keys or leave my work badge at home and only remember when i'm halfway through my 10 minute walk to the subway. life is great.
i think i would make the worst father in the world in the nutritional sense, but the best father in the world in the eyes of my kids. i am a total sucker for kid cereals: apple jacks, frosted flakes, and of course, my fav, cinnamon toast crunch.
anyway, i need to make better use of my time in the mornings. i really need to get an RSS reader page set up. so for all of you who've disabled the RSS feeds on your site, your choice for privacy is impeding my efficiency.

time to work abroad

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 21:59:08 GMT

From the NYTIMES:
" 'U.S. credibility and the credibility of U.S. financial markets is zero everywhere in the world,” said Joseph E. Stiglitz, a professor of economics at Columbia University who has sharply criticized the Bush administration and praised China’s economic management in the past. “Anybody looking at this from the outside says, ‘There’s been a lot of hot air coming out of the U.S., so why should we listen to these guys when they didn’t know how to manage risk?’ ”
i suppose now is as good of a time as any to start looking abroad for job prospects.

salt of the sea

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:08:12 GMT

she brushed her lips against my ear as she whispered into it. i remember feeling the staccato breaths in her words travel down the canal, where they rang true against the drum. her arms wrapped tightly around me to steal the warmth of my body.
from a distance it was an idyllic scene stolen off the pages of a script. two silhouettes standing on a pier, bodies blurred in an embrace, gazing into the confluence where dark skies meet the ocean. but if one were to look beyond the surface of things, it'd be remiss to say that something was not amiss.
her words were punctuated by the crashing of the waves. she was offering explanations and reasons - a dirty laundry list of my inadequacies, of her inadequacies, and how they did not, would not dovetail. she recounted our failings, how hard things had become.
i smiled haphazardly. it's the only reaction i know in moments like these. "are you in love?"
"it takes more than love."
"with him." i replied, looking out into the distance at the silhouette looming ominously against the lamppost on the shore. i turned back to meet her eyes.
she looked away.
"we were such a good thing. where did we go wrong?" i smiled.
she offered no response.
"i remember thinking you were incredible," i continued. i spoke of our dreams.
"dreams aren't what they used to be," she replied without emotion, despite her eyes betraying her true beliefs. she knew i recognized this. "i have to go," she said.
i remember how she wore the scent of the salt of the sea in her hair as she leaned in to press her lips against mine. i remember how she then whispered into my ear those three weighted words that hung so heavily upon my heart that i could bring forth no adequate response. i remember how i nodded as she broke the embrace. i remember how she disappeared into the darkness as she walked back up the pier to join the silhouette standing upon the shore. and i remember how she never turned to look back.
it would be the last time i would taste the salt upon her lips.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:20:24 GMT

"We took a walk that night, but it wasn't the same
We had a fight on the promenade out in the rain
She said she loved me, but she had somewhere to go
She couldn't scream while I held I close
I swore I'd never let her go..."