Getting Shit Done

This is what I'll be doing in February! Can you see me "kicking industry in the face"? :-)

Flash Dance

A couple of weeks ago I was part of a flash mob!

Where's Liv Now?

In Melbourne, Australia!  What have I been up to the last few years?  Went to Wellington, New Zealand for a short tech internship and to check out life down under.  Decided to stay for a bit, found a job as a Java developer, met a nice Kiwi bloke -- E, and settled into a (mostly) cozy life.  Four years later we decided to move and wound up in Oz.  How's that for a condensed version?

Life hasn't been filled with too many wild and crazy adventures, but it's been dotted with some interesting/random things that I've been lucky enough to do during and after my last personal sabbatical.

• Had 9 housesitting gigs in 2 years!  Plus 2 more in the past couple of years.  All by word of mouth.  I have such awesome friends with wonderful homes and pets to sit for too!
• Took fun classes in go-go dancing, hula hoop dancing, flying trapeze, springboard diving, acro yoga, aerial yoga, and laughter yoga!
• Learned dance moves from Michael Jackson's Thriller video at 2 separate Melbourne events
• Took the plunge and tandem paraglided in San Diego, tandem hang glided in New Hampshire, bungee jumped off of the Kawarau Bridge, river surfed on the Shotover River, walked on the Franz Josef glacier, and tried out indoor rock climbing
• Made a pilgrimage to the giant sculpture of Homer Simpson's hand holding a donut in Springfield, Vermont
• Inadvertently discovered how far some Canadian lovers will go on a quiet brisk weekday morning at a park bench in Old Montreal (all the way! and in more than one way even!)
• Attended a Spanish and surfing camp in Costa Rica.  Took a couple of surf lessons in frigid Lyall Bay, NZ.  Took a lesson in warm San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, but the session was cut short after I got stung by a stingray.
• Competed in a Single Girls Scavenger Hunt and dressed up with a team as nuns
• Cycled a 40km leg in the Round Taupo Relay
• Spotted celeb Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Conchords around Welly a couple of times
• Danced samba with the Wellington Batucada during the '11 Rugby World Cup season.  And watched the NZ All Blacks win the final on the big screen at the Wellington waterfront with thousands of fans
• Got up close to chilled out koalas and tiny Fairy Penguins in Phillip Island, Australia
• Travelled with E around the US and met up with my awesome friends and family, ate (mostly) yummy food, went on duck tours, escaped from Alcatraz, and got free entry to The Happiest Place on Earth
• Started using local terms like "flat" (for apartment), "jandals" (flip flops), "togs" (swimsuit), and "brekkie" (breakfast).  But I can't bring myself to say "tomato" the posh way.
• Wiled away zillions of hours in cafes enjoying filter coffee, siphons, lattes, and skinny flatties (flat white with skim milk)

The best part has been seeing new places, meeting new "mates," and reconnecting with old ones in person, online, or via the latest "goss'."  So let me know what you're up to and come visit!  I'm currently having another mini retirement while waiting for a work visa and working on adding to the list above.

Celebrity IV: I'm With The Band

One of my favoritest musicians in the world is Sara Bareilles (pronounced bar-REL-is). I heard her song "Gravity" on WERS two years ago, ordered her "Careful Confessions" CD, and have been following her ever since. Her powerful soulful voice and eloquent lyrics just captivate you. I finally saw her live for the first time during a late Monday night Christmas show last year at The Temple Bar in Santa Monica. My friend T joined me and became an instant fan. SB started her set with a beautiful cover of Joni Mitchell's "River" (even better than Sarah McLachlan's recent version), sang some of her new and old tunes, and ended with her signature song, "Gravity," making fun small talk with the eager audience in between songs while sitting behind her keyboard. I was hooked and have been to three more of her shows since.

I saw her next in February at the Century Lounge in Providence, Rhode Island, where she opened for Brett Dennen. I went with my sis G, another fan who I recruited. Sara talked to some fans after her set, but I was too startstruck to go up to her even though she seemed very down-to-earth. I got warmed up by chatting to the dude who was manning her merchandise table. Her latest newsletter asked for volunteers to help sell during shows, so I asked the merch man how he was lucky enough to get the job. Turns out he was her tour manager, Mr. C, and selling was part of his many duties. He encouraged me to volunteer (probably so he could get a little bit of a break during the busy touring schedule), and I was keen to help out. With some prodding from G, we later got up the nerve to actually talk to Sara and congratulated her on another great show. G and I mentioned the previous performances that we had gone to (G saw her in Boston the week before), and that we may even drive down to New York for that weekend's concert. She must've thought we were stalkers or uber fanatics. But she was still nice to us and was impressed with our devotion. Soon after, I signed up to be a merch girl.

We didn't make it to the New York show, but I caught Sara and her band again in April when they opened for Aqualung in Boston. A week before the show, Mr. C emailed me asking if I could help man the merch table. I was so excited! This was my chance to be a psuedo part of her entourage, get in the show for free, and maybe even schmooze with Ms. B. herself. I arrived at the Paradise an hour before the show and re-met Mr. C who actually remembered me from Providence. A little bit later Sara came out to the table, gave me a hug, and thanked me for helping out. I was surprised that she remembered me too, but she admitted that Mr. C did have to remind her that we chatted at the RI show. Aqualung's tour manager, Ms. C, who was selling the band's wares on the table next to ours, asked if we could help her sell too since her volunteer had a last-minute change of plans. A couple of my friends saw the show with me and enjoyed her music. I'm very thankful that they also stuck around to help us sell stuff because it got quite busy after each set with buyers for both Aqualung and Sara B. By the end of the night, we sold a bunch of T-shirts and CD's, I gleaned some insight on the music biz, Sara autographed my CD cover, and I got pictures with her, Aqualung singer Matt Hales, and their respective tour managers! What an amazing night!

The next time Sara and her crew were back in Beantown was a few weeks ago when she opened for Mika. I didn't check for tickets until the weekend before the show and was bummed to find that it was sold out. As a last resort I emailed Mr. C the day before the performance asking if they needed some last minute merch help. It was serendipity because he received my note just as he was writing to hunt for help! The show was at Avalon, which is right next to Fenway Park, and during a Red Sox game, so it was quite a festive night. Mr. C greeted me at the back stage door of Avalon before the show, gave the security guard the secret password, and led me to the sale table. I felt like we were old buds as we text messaged throughout the night to coordinate logistics. Sara was amazing as usual, and she mesmerized the packed room. In this and the Paradise show she surprised the audience with a haunting cover of Peter Gabriel's In Your Eyes and played songs from her upcoming album. At the end of the night she thanked me again for helping out and raved about my dedicated sales work as she introduced me to her percussionist, proclaiming, "She's the shit!" I was so touched!

Sara Bareilles is right on the verge of hitting it big. Her track "Love Song" has been on the radio and was recently the iTunes single of the week. Her first major label release, "Little Voice," is officially out in stores and iTunes today. I received my preordered copy in the mail yesterday and I'm already almost voiceless from hours of singing along to it. Go check her out!

Cool Geeks, Treadmills, & Wallpaper

A week and a half ago, a co-instructor from last summer's MEET program called me for a favor. She's the resident advisor at MIT's Sigma Nu fraternity which was entering an act for the annual Lip Sync competition. They needed some more girls for one of their dance routines and wondered if I could help out. After a handful of probing questions, I figured it would be fun doing the swing dancing bit and trying to pass myself off as a college coed. So I agreed to do it.

I didn't realize how elaborate the Lip Sync act was until my first night of practice at the fraternity house. (Which happens to be the old Fiji house, for my oh-so-many former frat party mates out there.) One end of their enormous second-floor ballroom was filled with two rows of treadmills which they bought for the show! The act that they had produced was a recreation of a trio of OK Go videos:

1. A Million Ways. Geeky cool slick moves. The ΣΝ guy who played the singer even shaved his head on the day of the show for authenticity.
   
2. Here It Goes Again. Yes, with eight running treadmills!
   
3. The wallpaper version of Do What You Want. There isn't much dancing in the video, so for the act some folks choreographed a swing dance routine for 3 pairs of couples (which I was in). Then they applied the wallpaper idea by silk screening a backdrop and the couples' costumes with the same black-and-white ornate pattern. The effect on stage was super cool, and it looked like heads and arms were floating around in front of the wallpaper.

Turns out ΣΝ has a recent tradition of winning the Lip Sync contest with their unforgettable biennial entries. Previous victorious acts had the themes Smooth Criminal and Pulp Fiction. This year's act was undoubtedly another worthy production.

After weeks of brainstorming, planning, and practicing (though I only joined for the last half-a-dozen rehearsals), we performed our dance number at the Lip Sync this past weekend. Many of us tried to calm our nerves as we waited in the wings of the big stage at Kresge Auditorium. But soon after the music started and the lights went up for the first part of the act, the crowd went crazy! They screamed again when the treadmills were revealed, the guys leaped through them, the wallpaper backdrop went up, the backflipper and hula hooper stuntpeople appeared, and many other moments in between. The continued cheering sustained us dancers and stage hands through all three mini routines and the finale which featured all three groups dancing simultaneously. Our act was hilarious, well-executed, and a unique change from the numerous hip hop and pop acts of the night (though many were good). At the end of the evening, ΣΝ was victorious again, and we were awarded with the Best Act of the show!

Here is our winning performance. The audio and lighting aren't ideal, but you get a glimpse of the triumphant spectacle of that evening.

Celebrity III: Real Celebrities

I've gone up to L.A. quite a few times since I've been in San Diego, mostly to hang out with my fabulous friend TH who is an actor. I saw her act in one of her performances and she took me to see a couple of sketch comedy shows that her friends were in. She spots famous and not-so-famous celebs everywhere, so I've gotten a little bit into star sightings myself. One quick sighting was Lisa Rinna going up the escalator at The Grove, a big shopping center.

One of the shows that we went to was a collaboration of Asian American sketch comedy groups in L.A. The sketches portrayed shows at the troubled fictional Asian American TV station, Asia Home of Language Entertainment network (AHOLE). One show was The Asian Surreal Life, a takeoff of The Surreal Life, featuring actors playing Bai Ling, Rick Yune (I had to look him up myself, but it was well worth it), and George Takei. That night Takei was actually in the audience! He was a good sport and after the show teased the young actor who portrayed him as a stern man donning a blazer and ascot smoking a tobacco pipe.

The Sunday before Martin Luther King Day, a bunch of us went hiking in Topanga Canyon. Near the beginning of the trail, a group of people crossed us going the other direction. Seconds later my friends notified me that the people who just passed were husband-and-wife team Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick! Celebrity expert TH wondered aloud why were they even here when they live in New York. Then she realized that the Golden Globes were the next day so they were probably in town for that. The next night, Sedgwick won for her amazing role in The Closer.

Speaking of actors, you know the game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon? I can actually trace myself, a non-Hollywood-type even, to him in five steps! It all starts with my fabu friend TH ...

1. I have a friend TH
   
2. TH has a writing partner R
   
3. R is married to C
   
4. C works on the TV show The Closer which stars Kyra Sedgwick
   
5. Kyra Sedgwick is married to Kevin Bacon!
   

Small world.

Celebrity II

Another time recently when I've been in the "limelight": (Photo has since been removed)

A few college friends have pointed out that I'm pictured in our alumni club's many announcements for a trip to Costa Rica. I went on a similar trip a couple of years ago, and the travel folks used a group photo of us adventurers crossing a rope bridge beside a beautiful waterfall. Yup, that's me in the front. I hope someday I can be in a public photo looking glamorous and elegant instead of being sweaty in baggy clothes or a rubber suit. But you can tell I had a fun-filled time. We went zip-lining through the rainforest, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, volcano-watching, and surfing!

Celebrity I

I was on the front page of the New York Times yesterday!!! (Article on the bottom right corner) No, I wasn't getting arrested. Here's the scoop.

I had been wanting to take a surf lesson in San Diego for months, but I hadn't gotten around to it. Three weeks ago, in the middle of cold January (yes, it gets cold in Southern California, specially the ocean), I finally decided to go on a weekend surf clinic given by Surf Diva in La Jolla. It was perfect timing because on the first day I learned that a NYT photographer was there to take pictures of us girls in the clinic. He told us the photos would probably be in the paper the coming Monday. So two days later I excitedly scoured the paper, online and in print. But there was no sign of a surfing article. The folks at Surf Diva figured the story was dropped, and I gave up on getting my 15 minutes of fame from being mentioned in a small snippet in the Sports/Travel/Metro section of a highly respected national newspaper. Then today I was shocked when a friend said I was on the front page!

The topic of the article, surfing becoming upscale, was a bit surprising though. The other girls in the clinic and I didn't consider ourselves wealthy. Two of them were teachers and I'm still unemployed. But we're certainly not beach bums, and we definitely feel pride and coolness rather than stigma from surfing.

Surfing was a blast! The instructor, the woman cheering me on in the photo, was super friendly and encouraging. She told us her inspiring story about quitting med school in the Midwest and moving to California to be a surf instructor before she even knew how to surf. The water was frigid, but after a few minutes our focus was distracted away from the temperature. I was able to get up on the board a good chunk of the time! Plus I didn't drown. Bonus! Gliding on the waves is pure ecstasy. I get so stoked, floating in my own world for a few precious seconds with no idea how I got there. Then logic comes back to me and I start thinking I should be doing something like steering or speeding up. And before I know it, I'm at the shore or I've wiped out. But it's all totally worth it.

I've taken almost 10 lessons in the past 3 years but very sporadically. Snowboarding inspired me to try surfing. I thought, "Falling on water has gotta be even more fun than on snow or ice!" My first lesson was in Hampton Beach, NH. Yes, New Hampshire! It was July and the water a refreshing 70 degrees. Snowboarding and the handful of times I skateboarded in junior high really helped with balance, and I was able to get up on the board during my first 3 tries! But that's only a third of the work. There's also paddling and catching the wave which are much harder for me. Plus there's the art of not panicking and getting back up above water after you nosedive and get caught under a wave or two or ten. One of the best pieces of advice that I've gotten was from instructor and big wave rider Milton Willis on the ABC's of surfing and life: Always Be Cool. Very Zen, huh? I have lots of skills to master. My second lesson was a month later in Maine. The next year I enjoyed the warm waters in Costa Rica for two days with instructor Gucci. I've also gone to Nantucket, a couple of places near San Diego, and Hawaii where one time I actually walked the board and almost hanged ten!

Boo!

Happy Halloween! Yes, I'm alive and well on this eve of the Day of the Dead. It was a very busy summer and fall. I've been trotting the globe nonstop, going from country to country, continent to continent. OK, not quite. I've mostly been living the life of leisure -- spending endless days at the pool with a juicy novel and yummy cocktails. All right, that's not completely true either. But I HAVE been traveling, chillaxing, and hanging with the homies these past few months. I finished teaching in MEET in Jerusalem -- an amazing experience but thoroughly exhausting; enjoyed island life in the Old Country, the Philippines; visited a friend in spectacular Iceland; went to a wedding in Red Rock country -- Sedona, Arizona; hung out with some fun actors in fabulous LA LA Land; and caught up with old buds in Beantown. Right now I'm condo-sitting for my brother in San Diego and "project managing" his home renovations. All those years of watching This Old House is finally paying off.

I'm going to slooooooooowly catch up this blog on the events from the past couple of seasons. For now, here are some of my favorite photos from my recent trips.

What's next? Who knows. More traveling for sure. Maybe I'll live up to my junior high newspaper's joke prediction of becoming the next Gidget.