“Hamilton” Transcends Time and the Stage

Every now and then, I expand my dialogue about storytelling by going beyond the boundaries of books and out into the mediums of TV and film. I do so by doing these analysis pieces once in a while about a TV show or film that has reached a significant time in its history (i.e. series premiere, series finale, film release, anniversary of a release, etc.). Previously, I did an analysis on Stargirl; a Disney+ original film based on Jerry Spinelli’s YA novel of the same name. Today, I explore another film that was exclusively released on Disney+, although originally, it wasn’t supposed to be, as I give a glimpse at the recording of the original Broadway cast of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton.”

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About the Journals Pt. III

It’s been over two years since I last addressed this topic, and yet it feels like there has been enough change in the times for me to talk about it once more.

The last time I wrote about my constantly growing collection of journals, it was through the lens of writing about the day-to-day during a crazy political climate. While that much is still very much true now, obviously the circumstances have altered quite a bit. Over 18 years after I started actively keeping a journal, I now find myself writing through a global pandemic.

What Did I Miss?: April 2020

Appearances

A Tigertail Commentary Panel – I am one of four women featured in this panel, discussing Alan Yang’s film directorial debut, “Tigertail.”

Calls from the Frontlines | Long Distance Radio – I make another audio appearance on this podcast, as I call in to share how I’m doing during the shelter-in-place order during the COVID-19 pandemic ( you can hear me starting at 45:24).

Published Works

The Producers of “Asian Americans” Look Back on the Making of the Documentary Series – For PBS, I interview several of the producers about the making of this five-part documentary series.

“Asian Americans” Producers Hope for Enlightening Experience During COVID-19 Crisis – For PBS, I interview several of the producers of this five-part documentary series about releasing it during this pivotal time in history.

Review of “The Boba Book: Bubble Tea and Beyond” by Andrew Chau, Bin Chen, and Richard Parks III – For Goodreads, I provide my thoughts about this book that, in the best possible ways, is part cook book, part cultural analysis, part success story, and part  memoir.

The Lessons Learned and To Be Learned from Darren Criss in ‘Hollywood’ – For The Nerds of Color, I do a dive into Darren Criss’s role in this latest Ryan Murphy creation, how he has come to understand his privilege as a white-passing, mixed race Filipino American, and why I hope the Asian American community at large will learn a thing or two from his character’s arc.

A Look Back at My First Film Festival Screening

It has now been a week since I experienced my first film festival screening as a screenwriter. It was part of the fourth volume of unKonference; an event organized by San Francisco artist Kristian Kabuay. It’s a participant driven event that avoids a lot of what comes with a conference like entrance fees and academic institutions. It’s all a way to make space for discussions, particularly within the Filipino American community.

A Film Festival Screening and A Zoom Play

When was the last time I did a spotlight on two major announcements for my weekly Saturday blog post? That would have to be back at the beginning of August 2018 a.k.a. “simpler times.” To think that I would have some big announcements to make in the midst of a pandemic might sound kind of odd, and yet that’s exactly what is happening today. So here it goes:

Thoughts About Fiction in the Time of COVID-19

A few months ago, I read the latest novel from the thoughtful sci-fi author Mike Chen, A Beginning at the End. I won’t go into too much detail about it, but if I were to describe it in a very brief synopsis, it follows three adults from different paths of life and how they all find themselves coming together, in the aftermath of – wait for it it – a global pandemic.

Racism is a Virus: REQUIRED Analyzing

In this world right now, there are two viruses being spread, and only one of them is making national headlines. The other virus that I speak of is racism. While I’ve spoken of racism in the past in this corner of the Internet, this is really the ugliest it has gotten towards the Asian American community in quite some time.

A Time to Create and Support Creatives

Three months ago on New Year’s Eve, I think it’s fair to say that many of us weren’t expecting the first major pandemic in over a century would kick off the beginning of the 2020’s, and yet here we are. Movies, conventions, and sporting events are being postponed or cancelled completely. People who work in the medical field, restaurant industries, banks, and grocery stores are busier than ever. This week in the Bay Area, a shelter-in-place went into effect for the next few weeks. Countries like Italy are on complete lockdown. We can’t see any family or friends in person aside from those who we already live with, and for people like me, it’s already driving me bats.