So I finally did it. I took my hosting skills public. Ya see, usually I do it in front of a camera and one camera dude, not in front of a large, oh so very large, crowd. So this was my first forray into true professional public speaking. It's kind of ironic that this is the type of work I have chosen to pursue because as a child and teenager I was painfully shy. I had a phobia of doing speeches in class or of singing in the class play. But all these years later I think I finally kicked that fear. Sure, the days before the award show I was rife with anxiety. And yes, the moment before I stepped on the stage the first time, I didn't know if i would make it. Passing out seemed like an inevidability. But amazing to say, I made it. And apparently I didn't do too bad either. Oh what a relief that is!!

So here is a picture of myself and my partners in crime, Derek and Terence. This is the MC Mafia. Yea, we look so bad ass!



Ok, so I do look like a giant but damn it we look tough :-)!

Here we are being "demure" and "classy". Two words NOT usually associated with me, but I tried my best to be a "lady"...

Yes, congratulations are in order because we are new proud parents of.....(hehehe not what you're thinking hehehe)... Renee, the coolest mongrel ever! We adopted her from the Hong Kong Dog Rescue and I am completely smitten. She's an elegant old lady who is just the biggest cuddle monkey on the face of this earth. I connected with her the moment I encountered her, and let me tell ya that that actually means a lot because there were about a hundred dogs jumping all over me, trying to get some human loving, but she really made such an impression on me. So for one week, I thought about her non-stop, even dreamt about her, and figured that that meant we had some unexplainable connection. Whether we do have a connection, or I'm just an insane dog loving person who reads way too much into what animals do and think, she is definitely a very happy cookie right now...

Just got back from a little jaunt in Hokkaido, Japan. As usual it did not disappoint. I've been to quite a few places for skiing, and there is something about the snow in Hokkaido that is different. It's like cotton. It's as soft as the peach fuzz on a baby angel's ass. No, seriously, it's like skiing on a cloud. Unfortunately I am not the most talented or seasoned skiier so I'm not very graceful on the slopes, but I get the job done without injuring myself or anyone around me :-). The thing about skiing is that even if you don't crash in some dramatic way, it still hurts. You find yourself aching in places you didn't even know you had muscles. Probably one of the best workouts in the world!

So this picture was taken at the half way there pit stop. I was just so happy to finally be surrounded by snow again. Living in HK I really REALLY miss distinctive four seasons. I miss the sweltering heat of the summer that fades into colorful and crisp autumn that fades into ass whoopingly cold winter and onto perfectly mild spring... At least I got some snow :-)


And this is Mt. Yotei. What a view huh?


There is this cute little bar  there with a coke vending machine for a front door and an original Banksy just randomly on a wall behind a booth that was done years ago, I think before he got famous.


Every morning there was a different snowman outside of this hotel. I actually watched one of the employees make one and let me tell you that they took it VERY seriously.


Big ass snow flakes!


So it may just be that the english translation is a little off, but can anyone out there tell me what a seaquirt is?? I am dying with curiosity since I didn't have the balls to try it for fear that it really was the "squirt" of some sea animal...

I have been a bit off the radar lately and I do apologize for that. Perhaps I just find most of what I do not really blog worthy so in actuality I am sparing you all from my boring dribble. But, finally, I did something of interest in the recent weeks. I was sent by Channel V to cover the Asia World Premiere of Valkyrie in Seoul Korea. It was a pretty strange and fun experience for me. Strange because it was the first time I had worked that side of the barrier at a red carpet, and let me tell ya, it was like a mosh pit. Before the craziness of the red carpet I had two sit down interviews with Brian Singer and Chris Mcquarrie, director and writer of Valkyrie. I was uber nerbous as these two were responsible for one of my all-time favorite movies, "The Usual Suspects", but it was all fine because they were both super cool. Then the true insanity started as we started out on the "press" trail following Tom Cruise. Not in a creepy paparazzi way at all, but as in different small shin digs they had going on around town so that Tom Cruise could meet the fans. It was always high pitched screaming and a sea of camera phones. But finally came the moment in which I was actually sent for...my one minute red carpet interview with Tom Cruise himself. 

So, this was my little "area" that was only really surrounded my a mere red rope that was meant to stop these ravenous Cruise-ites...yea right, but we'll get to that in a moment...



We stood there for about an hour. The crowd was heaving with tensed up fanatical energy. A Korean across the way from me slapped on his homemade "Valkyrie" eye-patch and....BAM the place exploded! There he was at the entrance of the red carpet. I was taken aback. Dude's definitely got charisma. He then proceeded to take another 45 minutes making his way down the relatively short carpet shaking hands and taking pictures with EVERYONE. It was really amazing.

At this point, my palms are sweating so badly that the microphone keeps slipping out of my hands. Then, after an eternity, he started talking to the reporters before me, and to my absolute horror I see that he shakes all their hands first, and I panic as "He's gonna think I'm a sweaty pig! Holy Crap Tom Cruise is gonna think I'm a greasy monkey!!!" And then...there he was in front of me...



It was all kind of blur as I tried to keep my composure and not look like the newbie I was. Apparently I got the right questions out of my mouth and responded appropriately, and didn't make an ass out of myself, so all in all  the interview was a success. But then, as he moved on to the next reporter the entire crowd decided that I could be used as a stepping stool for them to get closer to their idol, and came down on me like a Korean tsunami. It was crazy! Thank goodness my producer Sam is not slight of build and managed to rescue me from the ground and push me to the outside of the crowd. After the Cruise man had finally moved on I found my previously pristine sign that was hanging on a nice little silver stand trampled on the floor. They somehow had even managed to rip my sign down in their frenzy...



I survived in one piece, and it was one heck of a learning experience. Now I feel like I could probably handle any sort of red carpet interview situation. It was like  a red carpet boot camp :-)

Had a really fun day the other day shooting for Scene and Heard on Channel V! We were shooting at the Asian Gaming Show which showcases new up and coming video games, consoles, and toys galore. All my favorite things! Yes, I'm a gamer, and I'm unashamed . I spend countless hours playing World of Warcraft, some may even call me an addict. I've been playing video games since the Atari, so its been a long standing love affair. So, I completely understood all these kids at the convention. I too have a love for video games. I don't dress up in little outfits to declare my love, but I get it.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of some of the nuttier and elaborate outfits, but Melvin, my producer on the shoot, snapped a few for me...


M