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Steady State

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I have been trying to write this post for weeks now. It has been sitting as a draft on my computer, empty save for the title: Steady State. I am long overdue in updating you--and I have dearly missed writing in this blog. Of course, somehow, I was seized by a fit of inspiration and now at 4:47am seems the right time to get back to writing. A lot has happened in the past month. It has now been exactly six (6!) weeks since I moved to New York, a full three fortnights. In that time, I have appeared in my debut production, learned how to self-tape an audition, submitted 5+ auditions, learned how to skateboard, carted furniture back from 2/2 NYC IKEAs on buses and subways, ridden the M train to Middle Village (?!), decorated my room, skied in Seattle, taken the A train to JFK and to Columbia, navigated public transit home at 3am, fallen ill to the seasonal flu (no, not COVID), and made a lot of good memories.  As the list above shows, a lot of my time in the city is spent on the train, and
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Respite

Author's Note: Just felt like writing today! No pictures today. There is less to talk about today, and that is good. For the past week since I've moved, I have been running pell-mell through the streets and subways of NYC, chasing my dream. This morning, I chased a very different type of dream by sleeping in until 10am. Today is Monday, and for the next three days I have no obligations from the show. It's the first day since Christmas in March where I haven't had something show-related to go to. It feels nice to feel the sun on your face and do the doldrum daily tasks: clipping your nails; washing/changing your sheets; struggling with the DMV's arcane regulations. (PRO TIP: Selective Service allows immediate self change of address and can be used in a pinch for proof of residence.) That's not to say that the grind has stopped! I'm currently very excited about the following three casting calls. 1) Short film project - NOT A LOVE STORY , Asian male lead, a fil
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Opening Night: Skater Boy Goes To Ikea and Wall Street

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Author's Note: Hey y'all! Feels like its been forever. A lot has happened since we last chatted. This blog post has more pictures (as promised). Part 1: "I #$%* with the Vision HEAVY" - Nina Last we talked, my room looked like this: I can't believe I was proud of this pigsty. I was particularly proud of my accent rug and the natural light of the room. The built-in closet was a nice plus. But the room still wasn't me. Well, to be frank, the room was TOO me. The toolbox on the ground, the dining room chair tucked away in the corner so I could hang blinds, the strikingly male lack of a bed frame. I had my vision, but I needed some time. First on the list was the long awaited wall art. I ended up choosing a set of Van Gogh prints off Etsy because I loved the frames and the colors matched my walls. Highly recommend this seller! 90$ for 3 pieces of framed wall art is a steal. But I couldn't hang the wall art yet! I needed to find my bed frame first, so I could k
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Job Hunting and the Female Gaze

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Author's note: Less pictures this time around, more text. I'll make it up to you next time, I promise. Part 1: Booking my First Gig! (cont.) This is the story of how I landed a role in a play 2 days after moving to New York. Networking. It's pretty easy: you find someone who looks interesting, reach out to see if they have 30 minutes free to discuss, and then if the vibes are right, that can be the start of a relationship! On my second day in New York, I reached out to an actor that posted in a Facebook group for Asian-American actors about an upcoming play he was starring in. He was kind enough to agree to a quick phone call...which turned into talking for more than an hour. At the end of the conversation, he mentioned that his play had an actor drop from the show days before the premiere.  It sounded too good to be true. But when I reached out to the director Thursday night, I was told that the role was mine if I wanted it. And I definitely wanted it. Most of the crew had
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My Wonderful Roommates! My First Show! Cats!

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Disclaimer: the author of this blog feels the need to specify that his first show will not, in fact, be Andrew Lloyd Weber's seminal classic featuring Jellicles. Welcome to Brooklyn headshot by the INCOMPARABLE @gao_an   Hey everyone! If you're on this blog, it's probably because you know me personally. If not, you go - internet stranger. In short, I quit my software engineering job in January to focus on acting professionally. I moved to New York 3 days ago, and so far things have been going better than I could have ever planned or imagined. Here are some highlights from the past two days! Day 1: Not Getting Serial Killed I found my apartment on Facebook, of all places. I'm a man with modest desires: I want a washer dryer in-unit; I want a space that I can squeeze in a couch to entertain; I want to pay less than 2k in rent. In short--I want to live in Brooklyn, not Manhattan. A friend suggested I reach out using Facebook groups, and I found a place on Gypsy Housing NYC
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