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| Latest News: 9.27.08  I recently had another interdojo karate tournament and I won first again in both categories I competed in!  I won 1st place in Combined Mens and Womens Yellow and Green Belt Kata, and 1st place in Women's Kumite. I'm proud of myself and I think back to how far I've come from being a chubby, uncoordinated, clumsy kid. :) I began taking wushu at NWTC for my acting career, and I absolutely love it. Wushu is probably one of the most challenging things I've ever done, but my teacher says I'm one of the best beginners they have. I went up for promotion and I am now a Level 3 (there are sixteen levels before you can become a black belt). Before my wushu class I try and channel Jet Li to get myself psyched up. Jet Li is the most famous practitioner of wushu and I had the biggest crush on him when I was younger. I had posters of him on my bedroom walls, tee hee :) "The Bodyguard from Beijing" is still one of my favorite movies of all time. It's a dream of mine to do a martial arts flick with Jet Li...  I've been getting busier with auditions and shoots, with a good number of callbacks and avails. I won a cybermodel contest sponsored by ISECards and I'll be on their advertising materials. I am also shooting a High Risk OB medical training video where I'm a lead playing a diabetic woman who goes from a span of pre-pregnancy to final delivery. As I had the padding put on my stomach, I instinctively felt the changes come over me even though the padding was almost weightless - my breathing altered, my walking altered, and I felt unexplainable hormonal surges. It's so fun getting into character :) Here is the wonderful life of being an actor. On Youtube, I found both the MadTV skit where I was cast as an arm candy, and then the Franklin Templeton commercial where I play a young mom. Mad TV: Franklin Templeton commercial that is still running now: 8.26.08 I've gotten into the habit of googling myself every once in a while ever since I was the subject of some false accusations a couple of years ago. Doing it again recently I found a nice surprise - one of the films I shot in the Bay Area won the Berkeley Video and Film Festival "Grand Festival Award for Features"! I played a mail-order bride, and here was the movie poster:  So far I've been part of an award-winning feature, award-winning pilot ("The Real Life" won the Accolades Competition "Award of Excellence for a pilot not yet broadcasted"), and an award-winning model contest ("One Model Place Showcase Gallery Selection"):  Cool Stuff! Recent events have inspired my latest sketches:  7.15.08 There aren't as many projects lately, but I'm still keeping relatively busy. I shot a skin care industrial for a major international cosmetics company last week, and the best part was getting paid and getting a free huge goody bag. :) I'm training harder to prepare for the worldwide seido karate tournament in NY in October, and staying on top of my chops by going to acting class every week. I'm switching theatrical representation, so I think I'll wait until the negotations resolve and then see about finding new reps. Just got new headshots, here's one of the ones that I like, I'll post the others ones soon:  I just got a call from my agent today that I'm on avail for another commercial shooting in September, hurray! ^_^ 6.4.08 I've been happily working lately, booking a big Verizon print job, and shooting a multiday commercial this week. I'm going to be a mom of three in the commercial (Mandarin and English versions, but not the Cantonese version), and I had two makeup tests before the shoot to specifically age me. It's always funny when makeup artists ask me if I like what they did. I tell them they can do whatever they want - add wrinkles, grey my hair, draw xs for my eyebrows, whatever it takes for the job!! Expect to see me aged when the spot airs :) Photos from a print job I did for a medical scrubs company just appeared on their newly launched website. I'm sprinkled throughout the website:  My dojo is having a summer special, and I'm on the front of the mailing flyer, whee:  5.20.08 I haven't sketched in a while, but I recently shot a multiday industrial and guess what I did during our down times, hehe... One of our prop pens was a Papermate Apex 1.6B and I totally loved it! I may replace my Bic mechanical with it as my utensil of choice:  4.29.08 April has been a valuable month of growth for me and my career. I sprained my calf muscle, so I had to hobble around on crutches for a bit and got replaced on a commercial I booked. Disheartening thoughts of what ifs would occasionally wander into my mind. But I believe everything happens for a reason, and I just tried to focus on recuperating and looking ahead. During that period of immobility, I think I truly learned how to be a patient person -- with my body, with my life, with my career. As soon as I was recovered, I booked two big print jobs, one for Nike and another for Apple! The Nike shoot was a kickboxing theme, and I was one of two lead kickboxers, yipee :) The pictures are going to be up in all the Nike Asia stores and the website in a couple of months. The Apple job is also shot for usage in Asia, so exciting! I've been blessed to have been recently called in for three pilots, two films, and a sitcom, especially with a possibly pending SAG strike. I've been getting great feedback, and I'm having so much fun reading for all these roles. Here are four pictures from a music-themed shoot with Hill St Studios. I played the violin for over 8 years, and during the shoot I felt such a wave of nostalgia. I reminisced about old memories -- the adrenaline rush of concert night and playing with the orchestra, and the special intimacy of performing as part of a string quartet... Good times, good times :)     3.24.08 Boy, have I auditioned for some wacky fun roles lately! In addition to film auds, I've been getting called in for sitcoms now that the strike has been over. I've had three producers sessions! Yay for me. I've been meeting casting directors I've never met before, and they've all given me good feedback and called me in for other roles. Last week I had 5 auditions one day (which is insane just managing the logistics of traffic alone) and I ended up booking one of them. Things have been good. :) My dojo recently had our Spring Interdojo Tournament Fundraiser on March 15, and I entered in two events, kata (forms) and kumite (sparring). Now that I am a green belt, I can compete in kumite.  I won first place in Women's Kata (Colored Belt Division) and first place in Women's Kumite. I did Gekisai Dai Kata. Our next interdojo tournament is in September, and then I am planning on going to NY to compete in Worldwide Seido Tournament in October.  I got my print ad back from my Walmart and Midas shoots. I've been working on the nicest sets lately, it's been so wonderful.   2.10.08 January has started my year off with a bang! Financially I did really well with four print jobs and two video shoots. I also switched theatrical representation, and within the first two weeks they've already sent me on seven auditions including The Grudge 3, Paul Blart:Mall Cop (a new Kevin James movie), two pilots, an indie film, a Fox Searchlight film, and a made for TV movie. I've had fifteen commercial auditions in the past two weeks. I feel very blessed and grateful with my new commercial and theatrical representation working so hard for me, and I've been busting my butt 150%. While I'm still waiting to get the prints from some of my recent shoots, I heard that my friend's mom saw the Wal-Mart ad in a NY newspaper a couple of days ago. A lot of people have been telling me about seeing me in the Franklin Templeton commercial. I screamed when I finally saw it myself, hee hee! I saw it a couple of times during the Australian Open, and they air it a lot now on the National Geographic Channel. Here are some pics from a recent stock shoot with Reggie Casagrande:    Helio Ocean. *swoon~*   1.15.08 What an amazing year 2008 is turning out to be... barely two weeks into the year and I've already lost 5 pounds and booked THREE print jobs!! The first modeling job was as a nurse practitioner for Medelita scrubs and should be up on their website in March. The second was for LA Times as a promo for CareerBuilder, and it is scheduled to be on billboards, newspaper racks, and full page ads in about two weeks. I've never been on a billboard before, gasp! My third shoot is scheduled for this Friday for Wal-Mart that is going to run nationwide in Asian newspapers around Chinese New Year. I've booked the last 5 out of 6 print jobs I've auditioned for :) I feel very fortunate for these print jobs especially with the current situation in Hollywood. I would like this year for me to be filled with overcoming struggles, perseverance, and personal growth. 11.27.07 Wowza, exciting news!! I just booked a big print job for Nationwide Insurance and they're flying me out to Tampa, Florida next week. My flight there is first-class! It's extra meaningful to me because it'll be an experience in my life of many firsts - first time I've ever been flown anywhere for a job, first time flying first-class, first time going to Florida! I also just finished shooting a lead role in a USC graduate thesis film on Monday. I've had so many things to be grateful for this Thanksgiving :) 11.11.07 It was my birthday on November 2, and it was the best one ever - filled with laughs, indulgences, resolutions, and forgiveness. I'm at a really good point in my life. Since then, I've been incredibly blessed with success - I just shot a lead in a national commercial, have two upcoming print jobs, with a possibility of a third one. Nothing I like better than being busy busy busy :) I also heard from Bay Area friends that a show I hosted named "Wedding Television" more than three years ago has begun airing on KMTP. On a random note, I've been fascinated with ambidexterity since childhood. I'm clearly not even close when it comes to writing words, but I was so surprised when I tried sketching with my left hand for the first time recently:  Somehow I have a better initial grasp of proportions with my left hand and I'm much faster in translating it onto the page. I sketched each of those above images in under 5 seconds. Very strange. With my right hand I have to constantly erase and fix until I get realistic images to even remotely resemble something:  Armed with my beloved Bic mechanical, I decided to try and sketch something in my style southpaw fashion, and here it is on the appropriate side (click to see full image size): 
10.28.07 Hurray! The USC pilot where I was one of the leads has won the Award of Excellence at the Accolades Competition, a leading television content competition that often reviews professional aired works in multiple categories. It won in the PILOT category, which meant it competed against professional pilots. Here is the press release below:
10.16.07 I've been going through a transitional period since my last post - I got new headshots (posted to the right), changed commercial agents, and began taking a cold reading class. I've been going on a good number of auditions lately. I booked an AFI graduate thesis film and have a callback for another one this Friday :) Here are some pictures from the family car shoot I did:    8.10.07 I got promoted to my 6th Kyu Level 1 patch! ^_^ My favorite TV show right now is a Japanese show called "Ninja Warrior" on G4, where 100 contestants consisting of Olympians and others take on a challenging multi-level obstacle course. It's gripping, amazing, and hysterical. It comes on right before I have to go to karate too, so I get so psyched up. One of my goals for next year is to train and see if I can go to Japan and try out for the women's version. My Bank of America print ad is currently running nationwide in all of the major Asian newspapers, so let me know if you see it! I borrowed two documentaries from the library and I highly recommend them:   "The Future of Food" is absolutely eye-opening about the food industry and genetically engineered food, and "Murderball" is about the world of quadraplegic rugby and the power of the human spirit. In our karate class on Thursday night our teacher actually had us imagine we had lost use of our lower body and forced us to do all of these seemingly impossible things to make us realize what we could do if we pushed ourselves, and also to appreciate what we do have. It was such coincidental timing because I watched Murderball that night after class and was so inspired by their stories and the internal struggles they had to overcome. I am learning to look at times of adversity as the way to develop my inner strength. I did two sketches recently - one where my nosy posy nature was on super high alert, and the other sketch came to me after I was reflecting on how I've grown:  7.24.07 I booked a Bank of America print job! Go me! :) I'm shooting it this Wednesday night. I love doing print jobs. I just got back pictures from the shoot I did three weeks ago with Sarah Banch for an AMEX tourist couple spec.. who knew maps could be so fun?     Since beginning Seido Karate 6 months ago, my life has changed so much for the better. My partner and I suggested to drastically revamp our dojo's website to our teachers and they were really happy we took the initiative to help out the dojo without them asking. I did the HTML coding and Photoshop work and my brilliant partner was the art director down to the teeniest tiny design detail, analyzing every pixel, word, created image, and thought that went into the site. TADA! Click below to discover www.seidohollywood.com:  7.15.07 My dojo held a tournament today to celebrate our 2nd year anniversary:  Sensei Bobby from the Santa Cruz dojo, Senpai Todd from the Berkeley dojo, and Sensei Fintan came to be our guest judges. I competed in two categories: Adult Kata and Self Defense. You have to compete with your belt level material, so I did Pinan Sono Ni for my kata, and Self Defense #8. This was my first tournament so I told myself I was just going to try my best and gain competition experience.  I definitely want to enter in more tournaments, hopefully overseas so I can get to travel and sightsee as well. I really love sparring, so I can't wait until I'm a green belt because that's when you can qualify to compete in kumite. It was a really great experience and the day wasn't about winning or losing but about the spirit and heart of every competitor. Osu! I also did two new sketches while on the set of a new Pussycat Dolls Shoes commercial last week (remembering to bring my sketchbook prevented me buzzing around the crafty table, thank goodness):  7.5.07 I've done two stock photo shoots within the past week that were pretty fun, one for Redimages and the other for Image Source. I really do love doing print. Been working on my dojo's website which hopefully will go online next week. Also finished two new sketches while I was up in SF for Fourth of July:  6.13.07 Lately I've been really happy :) I'm learning cool new material and setting higher goals for myself in karate (Pinan II rules!!), shooting the Intel print job on Friday, and having at least 3 voiceover auditions a week. Hurray! Tonight was a productive night for both me and my dinner companion - I met my goal of sketching at least twice a week, and he met his goal for eating more and trying gain weight for his training regimen. Since I ate already, I was able to start and finish a new sketch whilst he was able to wolf down four beers and about 2,500 calories:  6.10.07 I passed my seido karate promotion test today and I am now a 6th Kyu Yellow Belt! I am a perfectionist, so I am not happy that I made two mistakes during testing. I really want to focus on being flawless next promotion because I know I am capable of it. I really love my dojo and I've grown so much as a person because of my training. Osu! I've been so busy for the past two weeks, so it was nice to have some time to watch TV after promotion and just relax. I watched "Miami Ink" for the first time and I love the show. They ran a marathon on TLC and I just couldn't get enough! I didn't even know that tattoo art really attracts me, and I was so impressed with the skill of the artists. Their highlighting, freehand, coloring, shading, and portrait work really inspired me to work on my sketching. I've always been intimidated by people with tats from ignorance, but after watching the show I understand and was so moved by the emotional reasons people get them. It's a truly beautiful show of art and life. I'm learning that I really love graffiti, tattoo, and surrealist art. Like so many other parts of my life, I'm still trying to find the niche for my art. My heart felt so full of joy - watching the show, feeling so juiced up by their creativity, and then giddily doodling in my sketch book during commercial breaks:  6.5.07 Two excellent bits of news: I booked an Intel print job shooting next week, and I am going up for karate promotion to 6th Kyu Yellow Belt this Sunday! I'm so excited!! 5.29.07 Just got back from an amazing 4 day karate training retreat at Yosemite National Park.  I feel so grateful to have discovered seido karate and honored to be a part of my dojo. Osu. 5.14.07 Did anyone tape Survivor last night? I saw my ACMA promo air during Survivor when I was at the gym, I want to somehow get a copy of it. Another hug for those who came out to see me at the Coppola Readings. I'm a different person because of it, and I'll carry this experience with me for the rest of my life. I achieved a lot of firsts - first time I've ever done such emotionally intense material, first time I've ever truly become a character and lived through her, first time I've ever totally been lost in the moment where I didn't even think about my lines and they just blurted out, first time I've ever felt really proud of myself, first time I've been convinced perhaps I do have something to offer.. With each performance I think I got a little closer to the heart of it, and during our third and last performance I knew I had achieved truth. Through this experience I've proven so many things to myself. I know now that my attraction towards acting is more complex than love, and something closer to need. It's the only thing that makes my heart feel full. I was really lucky to work with such a talented director, playwright, and fellow actor as well, and I feel like I can finally call myself an actor now. They spelled my name as Chayna on the program, but what is one small typo compared to an experience for invaluable personal growth? I'm adding a new page to my website. I did two new drawings this weekend, and I've decided to create a page of my pen and pencil sketches. It's really freeform, I don't really have a set idea I just draw... when I was supposed to be paying attention during lectures, when I was supposed to be paying attention during meetings, when I couldn't find any other way to express how I felt:  5.7.07 Come to my staged reading during the UCLA Francis Ford Coppola Festival! Here's the flyer:  UCLA graduate students perform one-act plays at the Coppola Festival. Admission is free and it will be held on UCLA's campus. We're going to be second to perform. It's my first live performance, so I'm a bit nervous. I'm really trying to force myself to do things that I have fears about so that I can overcome them. We had our first rehearsal tonight, and you know what? I actually loved the process to just do the whole damn thing in one go. You really have to know each and every beat, objective, intention, nuance, etc. It's not start and stop like film where scenes are shot out of sequence and over multiple days, you get retakes and a lot of shots for one scene... I've never felt the satisfaction and excitement of living out the whole script sequentially and in real time. The demands on my performance then are much higher, and I'm learning so much already. Before I thought I hated it before I tried it, but now I think I may love doing theater! I'm a bit shocked, really :) Goes to show that you should never trust the discouraging voice in your head telling you what you can't do (mine even sneakily convinced me that I didn't even want to try it so that it could maintain control). Do it anyway and prove it wrong. I feel so free now, like I can do anything! 4.24.07 I am crazy busy. Everyday I have either a shoot, multiple auditions, or a fitting. This is madness! In a wonderful way of course  I passed my promotion test and am now an Advanced Blue Belt 7th kyu. After 2.5 grueling hours I was still able to bust out 15 fingertip pushups (no knees, ever!) at the end! I love seido karate so much, 5 times a week is almost not enough. My training so far has not only been a physical journey, but moreso of a mental and spiritual journey. Osu! I've been really fortunate that my most recent four projects are from people who want to work with me again. For the fight scene I worked previously with the director on a pilot, I have an upcoming modeling shoot with the Smashbox photographer who shot me for Eclectic Clothing, I am doing another film with a director at AFI, and then I have been cast in a staged reading with a playwright who I took acting classes with up at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. I was offered all the roles (except for the staged reading which I had to audition for), which makes me feel really good about the impression that I leave with people! I am sore and bruised from the fight scene that I shot on Sunday, but I'm really grateful for the experience. I had to be thrown backwards onto a mat, fall onto a hard floor, and fight for 10 hours. I didn't know there was going to be falls involved, but I just rolled with the punches (no pun intended, hehe). I have so much appreciation and respect now for stunt actors, they really don't get enough credit! I have a better understanding of the physical demands so when a big martial arts role does come up, I'll be ready for it! Even though we weren't punching/blocking/kicking for real, we still had to look like we had that intention so every bit of contact still hurt. A stunt coordinator was there to make sure that our shoot was safe, and the spec was shot on 35mm so once the film was rolling we really had to nail it! I've never done theater, and I was trepidatious about auditioning for my friend's 2 person play. It is a really intense play and I was really hemming and hawwing about being so busy and not being able to prepare enough, but I forced myself to go to the audition. In actuality I was really just fearful about being able to carry off the material, which I'm not comfortable with. I also had a stereotype in my head about the "big" acting associated with theater, since my acting is more subtle. The playwright told me that it's good that I'm not comfortable with the material, because then I'll really grow as an actor. Then I got called for the callback and had to do the ending scene, which is the most intense of all. I didn't give in to that doubtful little voice in my head that told me I couldn't get into the scene, and there was nobody more shocked than I was when I was crying from being in the moment in the scene. Driving home I was so proud of myself.. it's these victories as an actor that are so PRICELESS. I felt so full of joy and so proud of myself that I've broken through this block I have about "theater acting" and how I felt so alive when I allow myself to just focus and act. That in itself was reward enough, but I got also cast for it! I'm getting paid for rehearsals and the final performances, which will be at the Coppola Festival during Mother's Day weekend. Time to go learn my Japanese lines for my AFI shoot. It's a documentary about Bobby Fischer and I'm playing a Japanese commissioner. Oyasuminasai! 4.22.07 The past two weeks have been so busy, I feel so blessed. Working on a lot of cool projects, this Sunday I will be shooting a USC project where I will be in a fight scene. Our stunt coordinator is Colin Follenweider, who was the stunt double for Spiderman 3. Fun stuff! He taught me how to fall and gave me adjustments on my moves to make them look better for the screen. When my schedule opens up I'm going to try to take some stage combat classes and hopefully get some more martial arts roles! :) 4.21.07 I am going up for my 7th kyu karate promotion on Saturday! Osu! After my hourlong conditioning class, I will have the promotion test, then THREE auditions after that, then my fight scene shoot on Sunday. Whee, what a busy weekend! 4.17.07 Had an interview today with Brian Robbins, director of "Starship Dave", the new feature film with Eddie Murphy, for the role of Lab Tech. I got booked for it on the spot! It used to be a principal role, but they cut the lines, so now it's a highly featured role with one of the lead actors. I'm glad I got the role, but of course I'll be crossing my fingers that they add some lines back in! :) 4.13.07 I shot both the ACMA promo and the Nike demo this week. I found out the ACMA promo is going to run nationally to promote the Academy of Country Music Awards airing on CBS on May 15. It is my first SAG commercial (AND first national airing spot), so it was especially meaningful for me. It should start airing soon, so let me know if you see it! :) The Nike demo was really hard, I had to kickbox really aggressively with this other girl who held various black belts and we had to improvise. It was exhilarating and my adrenaline was pumping, but I was really conscious that I didn't want to get injured considering how fast we were kicking and punching. I think I held my own as well as I could considering she had 10 years of experience on me, but it really inspired me to be even more dedicated to my training. 4.10.07 I booked the Nike Non-Air Demo! Yes! 4.9.07 Nike Non-Air Demo @ Skirts Casting I had to show off my kickboxing skills at the audition! 4.6.07 Booked the ACMA promo I auditioned for last week! Yay! 4.1.07 My dojo, the Hollywood branch of Seido Karate, will be giving a demo at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Little Tokyo on Sunday, April 1st from 3 - 3:30pm. Come watch if you are around the area! 244 S. San Pedro St, Los Angeles, CA 3.30.07 ACMA Promo @ Sheila Manning Casting 2.28.07 Was interviewed by a reporter from the Chinese World Journal, and the issue came out today. Will upload an online version soon! 2.25.07  Me backstage without the outer cape on (there were three elements to the costume, a strapless corseted dress, a gold organza cape, and then the heavy flower cape):   Here is a video clip of the segment: The entire night was such a memorable experience. Gayle King was conducting interviews right by me backstage, so a lot of stars walked by us - Gwyneth, Keith and Nicole, Helen Mirren, Ben Affleck, Cameron, Rachel Weisz, Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks.. it was unreal! Our dressing room was right next to Celine, Jack Black, Will Ferrell, John C Reilly, and Anika Rose so we would run into them in the hallways. Being on stage and getting my makeup and hair done were fun, but I tried to not get caught up in those distractions. My focus needs to be hard work and striving to achieve acting that matters and all the other stuff will fall into place. Zhang Yimou, if you were watching, I'm available for your next project! ^_^ 2.22.07 I will be featured as a model for the 79th Annual Academy Awards! I was the first girl to audition and they cast me right on the spot as one of two models for the movie! I will be wearing Gong Li's needlepoint costume from the movie "Curse of the Golden Flower" and featured during the announcement of the Best Costume Design nominees.  Watch me this Sunday about an hour and 25 minutes into the show - the segment should air around 6:55pm PST. I am literally less than six feet away from the stars in the front row, including one of my other favorite actresses, Kate Winslet! 2.13.07 I've updated my portfolio with pics from the Redimages shoot:     2.10.07 Audition for NBC pilot @ Ted Hann Casting 1.27.07 I passed my blue belt promotion test for seido karate today! I am so proud of myself. Osu! 1.20.07 Audition: 'The Painting of Insadong' @ Kennedy/Adler Casting 1.19.07 Audition: 'The Eye' @ Nancy Nayor Casting Feature film with Jessica Alba signed on as lead. 1.15.07 Callback @ Alyson Horn Casting 1.8.07 Audition: 'Propel' @ Joe Blake Casting ** update ** I just saw the commercial on TV (the one with Taye Diggs, John Stamos, and Derek Jeter) and the role I went in for (1 of 2 Asian salesgirls) ended up being cast with a Caucasian woman. It goes to show you can't focus too much into the actual booking, but on the only aspect that you have control over - how good of an audition you give. 12.25.06 Happy Holidays! 12.15.06 Have had a lot of auditions in the past month, hurray! Most recently a lead role for a film produced by the Weinstein Co - I saw Bai Ling's name on the sign in sheet reading earlier that day for the same role I was! 11.28.06 I started taking karate lessons and they are the highlight of my day. I am determined to become a black belt. 11.10.06 Booked: Radio spot VO for Simon Giftcards! 10.27.06 I have theatrical representation with AKA Talent. I get such a wonderful feeling from them and I'm really optimistic for our upcoming partnership. Yay! 10.26.06 Booked: Lead role in USC pilot 'Reel Life'! It will be filmed under the USC TV Pilot Program and overseen by mentors with years of episodic and pilot experience. I will get to have two different directors, and we will shoot in November and then again in Feb/March. Woo hoo! 10.22.06 Booked: Supporting role playing a reporter in USC short 'Timeless' 10.21.06 Callback: USC short I've been going on a lot of USC auditions, at least two a week! 10.17.06 Booked: Mandarin Voiceover for AFI short 10.12.06 Booked: MadTV I'm featured as one of the models in the Tiger Woods sketch airing in November!  Jordan's stunt double, the other model, Jordan Peele from the cast, and me. It was a really fun set to work on! 10.3.06 Callback: PSP Commercial @ Petrol Advertising. 10.2.06 Interview for NCIS with director @ NCIS Studios, Valencia. 9.28.06 The in-class scene went great. The teacher, Stephanie Nash, told my director after class that I did an excellent job and I really understood my character, inside and out. I put a lot of work into building and analyzing her character. My director said his classmate watched my performance and wants me to act in his film! 9.20.06 Booking: I got cast as Chick for an in-class acting exercise for a graduate film class. I'll get to perform the opening scene from 'Crimes of the Heart' in front of future directors and get feedback from the instructor, a Yale School of Drama graduate. I'm excited :) 9.16.06 Callback: "Pranksters" produced by Off The Truck productions. 9.13.06 Audition: "Dirt" at FMW Casting. Courtney Cox is starring and producing in it! 9.6.06 Callback: USC short. 8.25.06 Finished taping a pilot produced by Telepictures. Got great feedback from the crew about my on-camera personality and charisma. The stage manager said out of tens of thousands of actresses I really stood out. Cool stuff :) 8.15.06 Two pictures from my Eclectic Clothing shoot (click for larger image):   8.12.06 I am now officially SAG! 8.1.06 I booked a voiceover role for the hit Disney show, Hannah Montana! I will be playing Brianna, a teen calling in to a radio show. Woo hoo!!!! 7.21.06 I got called in to audition for an animated feature for Focus Features! The Senior VP of Casting requested me to read for one of the supporting roles. Too cool! 7.20.06 My third SAG voucher! I just need to wait until the paperwork processes and then I can join SAG! 3 vouchers from 6 months in LA, I am too fortunate! 7.15.06 I got booked for a short film, Oni Goroshi, where I will have to learn and speak Japanese. I love the opportunity to learn new languages :) 6.25.06 The June/July issue of East West magazine came out and I am one of the top five finalists! They said that there were tens of thousands of online votes cast, and I am *so grateful* to each and every person who voted for me! Thank you thank you! I also have a demo reel now! You can see it here! 4.13.06 I am trying to become the 2006 face of East West magazine! [East West] is a nationally distributed magazine that has a contest every year for one reader to be on the cover of their December issue. I had to submit my picture, and a 100 word essay on why I am the combination of East and West about three weeks ago. I got selected as one of 30 semifinalists! The five finalists will be picked via ONLINE VOTING ALONE!!! So I need your help to register and cast a vote for me! One vote per person (no limit on IP addresses). 1. Go to http://www.eastwestmagazine.com  2. Click on the "Register to learn more.." and register for an account (you need to put a valid email) 3. Check your email and click on the activation link 4. Login and vote for me!  Since it's just based on online voting, the top five finalists will be the ones with the most friends and family, so I need to try to get as many votes as I can! Please tell your friends and family to vote! The final winner will be picked by a panel of judges in the industry to be on the cover and have a spread in their magazine!! Thanks everyone!!!!4.8.06 I've been selected as one of 30 semifinalists to be the face of East West magazine! The five finalists will be selected via online voting. Online voting starts April 13, so check back for the link! 4.3.06 I received numerous offers and finally decided to sign with CESD, the top commercial/VO/modeling agency in the city! 3.28.06 I got my second SAG voucher! I was selected to play a geisha on CSI:Crime Scene Investigation! 3.23.06 I got my first SAG voucher! I was picture-picked by the director Joe Caragan of the pilot "Faceless" to be in a scene with Sean Bean! I'm such a big fan of him, it was so exciting! 3.14.06 I booked a Bank of the West commercial! Almost all of the other people who auditioned were submitted by their agents, but I got the part! Woo hoo! 3.13.06 I wrapped on 6 days of shooting for my lead role in "Fortune Cookie Connection." I can't wait to see it! 3.8.06 I did my print job for Eagle Eyes sunglasses today with photographer Ron Finley. He's an accomplished photographer who has done over a thousand TV and print ads for national clients. He asked me if I did a lot of print, because I was really good at it. The client also wanted to have me model more sunglass frames than planned because they thought I did a great job as well. I've posted one of the pictures in my portfolio. 3.4.06 I had an audition for an hosting show on Imaginasian. The producer said she remembered me from an audition about a year ago and she remembered I did a good job. I hope I get it! 3.1.06 Next Wednesday I am booked for a print job modeling some eyewear. I love print jobs that are triple-digits per hour. 2.27.06 I've been working background to try to get my SAG vouchers. I was on the set of CSI: Miami, and David Caruso was walking back from set, and I avoided making eye contact because some stars don't like that. Then I saw him walking towards me, and then he said, "Hey, how are you doing?" I said, "I'm doing good, you?" He said, "Are you cold? Can't they get you another jacket or something?" I said, "No, that's okay. I'll just bounce around to stay warm." Then he proceeded to tell me about the nearby buildings and how they were all going to be torn down to build high-rise buildings and lofts. Then he said, "Are you sure you're not cold? I'll get you my jacket." I said, "No that's okay! Thank you so much though!" Then he walked to back to his trailer. He comes back two minutes later with a jacket, and gives it to me. What a nice guy! 2.26.06 I got another lead role for a student thesis film called "The Arrangement"! I love the script, and I'm really excited about it. It shoots beginning of March. 2.23.06 I was called in for an audition for "The Bold and the Beautiful" today! The head casting director was one of the teachers at my TVI Actors Intensive, and she must have liked my performance during our workshop. It was for a principal part as a nurse, and I really want it so bad. I did the best job I could during the audition, so I have no regrets! 2.15.06 I got cast as the lead for an NYFA thesis film! 2.14.06 I worked on the set of NBC's "Las Vegas" today, and it was a different experience than "Crossing Jordan". I was a casino patron, and also a desk clerk. I should be clearly seen as the desk clerk :) Nikki Cox and Vanessa Marcil are so thin in person! 2.13.06 I worked background today on the set of "A Simple Twist of Faith" with Reginald Veljohnson (the dad from Family Matters) and Stacy Keenan (the daughter from My Two Dads). She hasn't changed a bit! 2.10.06 I got new headshots! I've posted them to the right. I love them! 2.8.06 I'm trying to get my SAG vouchers, so I worked background on NBC's "Crossing Jordan" today! I played one of the morgue receptionists, and the cast and crew of CJ are so nice. I was talking to the wardrobe person, and then I was walking to set, and Jerry O'Connell was walking into his trailer, and he introduced himself to me immediately! Then later on, he said, "Hey, how's it going, Chyna?" He remembered my name! He's such a down to earth person, it's really cool. The name of the episode is "Mysterious Way." 1.31.06 - 2.4.06 I took a 5 day National Actors Intensive at TVI, and it was the best week of my life! I auditioned in front of casting directors and agents, had career strategy sessions, and made friends with other actors. Most of the workshops were cold reads, and I got such great feedback from all of the casting directors. It's surprising when all of these actors get the same script, but they perform it so differently. I don't know why I'm good at adding layers to a character, analyzing scripts, or really being connected, but I just loved loved loved every minute of it. I really feel like I learned years of experience about how the LA industry works in 5 days. I really would have floundered when I came here if I hadn't done this intensive, hurrah! 1.23.06 My voice over that I did for these two children's series are getting ready to tape Episode 2. The first episodes will be getting ready to be sold in stores - Moon Lake and Undersea Adventures. They will probably be carried in Wal-Mart. I have four voices total, and two are recurring roles (Alice and Jonjo's Mother). I will have to go up to SF this weekend to tape Episode 2! 1.21.06 I've been in LA for 5 days and I already got a gig - being an extra for Traffic in the Sky short film. I told the director I was an actress from SF, and he bumped me up to a featured role as the best friend of the lead female. I got to do a lot of great networking and met some cool people. I can't wait to do more stuff in LA! 1.16.06 I have moved to LA! 1.13.06 I got cast as the lead for the 'Perfect' music video for the band Miggs! MTV has requested for a music video from them. Even if this doesn't get picked up on MTV, the band will use it for their promotional purposes! You can listen to the song on iTunes or on their myspace: http://www.myspace.com/miggs. 12.25.05 Pictures from the pageant! I didn't win, but I was so proud of my performance. I gave it my all! They introduced us on the stage during the Christmas Eve concert at El Dorado. I didn't know we would be up on stage, and I had 5 minutes after flying in to change and put on my makeup! I am the second from the left. The Pageant! Click on the picture for a short video of the opening dance. I'm in the front center. You can hear towards the end the usher telling my friend she can't film! The choreographer put me in the front for all three formations!  A blurry picture of my talent dress. The ushers were saying you couldn't take pictures with flash, so hence the blurriness.  My evening gown. Click on the image for a short video of my walk where I talk about my beliefs in education and family, and living life with no regrets.  My Q and A: "What would you do if your boyfriend fell in love with your best friend?" (Some of the questions were like, "If SF mayor Gavin Newsome called you and asked you to be his gf, what would you do?", "If your parents wanted you to marry a millionare, and you found out the night before the wedding he didn't have the money, what would you do?")  Us in our chipaos at the awards segment of the show, I am the third from the right. I am so proud of myself that I did this pageant. After I found out I won Miss October, I had been shocked to find out we all had to compete in a pageant. Despite my discomfort, I forced myself to do it to face my insecurities. After all the preparation that I've done, having to take so many pictures as Miss October, and just putting myself out there during the pageant and believing that I could win, I feel like a different person. After the pageant we were assessing the performance, my friend was commenting that I did a great job, and that I carried myself with this newfound confidence. And it was true - I did feel more confident, because I had finally accepted myself as an individual with all my strengths and flaws. I was surprised because I thought that not winning would make me lose confidence, but this pageant actually gave me the most precious gift of all - confidence in myself. Not to mention I'm in the best shape of my life! After I got back to SF, I did a guerilla modeling shoot with my friend because I was still hopped up on adrenaline. I think before I never would have been able to pose for him because I would feel awkward being a "model" in front of my friend. But now I feel like this is who I am. And I think my modeling and my acting will benefit so much from my newfound self-assurance.    Help vote for me for Miss Sing Tao People's Choice! As you all know, I am competing for the Miss Sing Tao beauty pageant title this Christmas in Reno. They are having an online voting system to have a People's Choice winner. Please cast your vote before December 24th! Go to this website: http://www.chineseradio.com/vote3.htm  Vote for me, that's option #10 (since I'm Miss October). Thanks! <3 Chyna |   
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