Things I Learned About Relationships This Year

June 1, 2015December 23, 2015Leave a comment

(*Note: Relationships can mean romantic, friendly, familial, or professional.)

As much as listening is important, it’s only good if the other person shares.
“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”–Martin Luther King, Jr.
(Cliche but) The people who want to be in your life will make an effort to do so.
Even if you go days/weeks/months without talking to a friend, what might be most important is if you can start right where you left off.

I think I learned a lot about what I want, need, and expect out of relationships. But I think I learned a lot about what others mind need from me, too. Sometimes those things align and sometimes they don’t. It really depends on the people involved. I will say though–

Surround yourself with people who want to be surrounded by you as well.

Three Words for 2014

January 9, 2015December 23, 2015Leave a comment

(*please forgive the late post)

1. eye-opening
Throughout the year, a number of things opened my eyes. I didn’t even realize it until later, but a lot of the things I’m passionate about now weren’t really in my so-called “plan”, my VISION if you will, until the middle of this year. I didn’t know how much diversity and social justice meant to me. I didn’t know how much writing meant to me. I didn’t know until those things were put at higher stakes.

A lot of people helped me open my eyes. I got a reality check. Some people and some things are worth the time and effort. Some aren’t. Some people were jerks. They opened my eyes to how people can be lame and unreliable. Don’t get me wrong, I understand that everyone has different priorities than me, but some people are just mean. On the other hand, some people were complete blessings. They pushed me and they believed in me. This kind of support came from friends I never would have expected to support me like they did a year prior.

2. heart-opening
Kind of self-explanatory if you know me pretty well. Bahaha. This year, I learned how to open up my heart to someone. It’s been amazing, to say the least. 🙂

Beyond my special someone, because of the eye-opening, I was able to open my heart to social justice. It’s important to me. Specifically, accurate representation is important to me in our American society. I know that I want to contribute to multicultural literature and theatre and my heart hurts because I want that so badly and I want people to understand.

3. starry
Over the past year, I’ve been able to see and listen to many different people doing things they were meant to do. Concerts. Poetry. Theatre. I admire artists so much. I admire their dedication and their passion. I admire their fire.

I also admire my friends. I admire the community that surrounds me. I am amazed by people every day, in their commitment to their work or relationships or goals. They leave me speechless and a bit panicked–like I need to be doing something more. They inspire.

Thanks, 2014.

Don’t quit your daydream, 2015.

Internship Lessons

August 14, 2014December 23, 2015Leave a comment

Last month, I had the pleasure and privilege of interning at an awesome theatre company in San Francisco. It was seven weeks of ups and downs, but it was a learning experience and for that I’m grateful!

Here are Three Things I Learned:

Sometimes, you are just the intern. You will have to ask questions. You will be challenged. You will screw up. And you just have to deal with it. This is hard at first, because you may want so badly to take on the world (in terms of the internship), but you can’t do anything without approval first. Other times, it’s not so bad because that means less responsibility (It also means ice cream, meals, and reusable water bottles all for freeee!). You will move up the ladder!
Your worth as a worker is valuable no matter what. You might be an unpaid intern, but you are still a human. Everyone is. Your time and effort is worth something always. You are doing these people a huge favor just by volunteering your time to them, so make sure you are gaining something in return. Don’t let an intimidating work environment stop you from learning.
Theatre is hellish, but it is also wonderful. Professional theatre is just as (if not more) insane as theatre done in school. After last-minute planning, doing, and stressing, at the end of the day, the production was a huge success! Theatre requires a certain level of insanity and on-the-flyness. It is not for the easily discouraged. It is challenging, but it is worth it! The pay-off is so so so wonderful.

Even though it was seven weeks of seriously not-fun commuting from the South Bay to SF and crazy officeness, I grew more into my niche as a theatre-maker. I was able to be the production assistant for an awesome play-in-development, meet the future of theatre in the form of my fellow interns and great playwrights, and learn more about production. I’m so grateful. And I’m also exhausted.

Love What You Love: VidCon 2014

July 21, 2014December 23, 2015Leave a comment

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending VidCon 2014! (Apologies for the late recap!) It was probably one of the coolest thing I will do all year! After meeting the stars and producers of the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, listening to supercool spoken word artists like Sarah Kay, watching the Potter Puppet Pals live, and participating in a discussion about diversity on YouTube, I have a new-found appreciation for YouTube.

In all honesty, I am not a huge YouTuber. I mainly use YouTube to listen to music or when my friends send me funny videos (see: Jenna Marbles, vlogbrothers, etc) to watch. I don’t really watch any users avidly (aside from my wonderful friend and vlogger @hypermele (check her out! :))). That being said, that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the form! Before VidCon, I knew that YouTube was up and coming as an industry-thing and alla that jazz. After VidCon, however, I realize that YouTube is not just a commodity or video-uploading browser-whatever-thing (forgive my lame terminology). YouTube is a place for self-expression, personal exploration, and passion!

Some of the big YouTube stars admitted on the main stage to having stage fright or having social anxiety before getting “big.” They all shared their personal stories of overcoming their fears and going after what they loved. They gave viewers hope that “it will get better.”

Now, I realize that YouTube and the Internet in general is full of people who consider themselves socially awkward/inept–I know because I feel like I’m one of them. In actuality (and I hope I’m trying to put this in the most sensitive and respectful way possible), a lot of people who use YouTube may struggle with social interaction. Some of their closest friends may be people on the other side of the country who tweet at them occasionally or like their videos. YouTube connects them all together. I think that’s incredible and I think that’s one of the most important thing about VidCon.

This convention brings together people from all around the world to appreciate creators and their creations. Waiting in line for the Lizzie Bennet Diaries signing, I saw several convention-goers walk away from the table with huge smiles on their faces, clutching their signed notebooks. In line for the Spoken Word panel, I overheard conversations with YouTubers about their common interests, which in turn turned into a card game of War. Passing through the Merch Hall, I watched (and participated in!) a real game of Quidditch for people who are highly committed to the sport. Sitting in the audience of the main stage, I witnessed an actual marriage proposal–VidCon being the couple’s “special place.” Something is unlocked within people here. They find a community in this place; they find people who understand a part of them that not many others do.

Seeing so many happy people in one place made me happy–happy that a place like that existed and happy that they could be happy. I don’t know if that makes sense, because, like, people should be capable of being happy, right? Yes and no. I mean, as an angsty teenager, I know that life sucks and people suck, not all the time, but sometimes it feels that way. I was just happy seeing the joy on kids’, teens’, and adults’ faces for the three days I was there.

It was a pretty great experience 🙂

NOW, despite the awesomeness that was VidCon, I want to mention some of the not-so-awesome things. This was VidCon’s 5th and biggest year. It was my first time attending so I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but I have been to other conventions and big events. It was not superbly organized. Of course, it was all well done and fun–but the security did not seem to be very good. I don’t want to go into too much detail of it, but I will say that I think everyone involved in such a huge event should be on the same page. Another thing was the crowds and crowds of people. There were SO many attendees–and that’s great and awesome! But it came with a price of long lines to meet creators and… fangirly screaming. I don’t know if it’s just me, but a lot of the high schoolers that I saw at VidCon seemed to be like teeny-boppers. I’m not sure how to describe it. Like, for me, VidCon is for nerds and I’m a nerd and being a nerd is the best thing ever, but some people… it was like they were posing. BUT WHO AM I TO JUDGE THESE PEOPLE especially if they love their favorite YouTubers like the rest of the attendees? I’m just simply saying. To me, VidCon is more than just a place to get pictures with some cute user.

OKAY, here’s a list of things that I was able to experience:

Julia Nunes
Tessa Violet
Boyce Avenue
Sarah Kay and other spoken word artists!
The stars and writers/producers of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Captain Sparkles (Jordan)
ALMOST John and Hank Green
Diversity Panel with Superwoman, Hartbeat, BlackNerd, MalfoyIsOurKing, Jimmy Wong, Glazell
Earth to Echo
Potter Puppet Pals
Alex G
Kandee Johnson
Star Wars Storm Troopers
Silent Disco
Quidditch!!!!!!!!!
SourceFed
Driftless Pony Club

Thus concludes my (late) VidCon blog. Thanks for reading! Hopefully I’ll be able to update more next week with why I’ve been so busy this month. Until then, cheers! 🙂