A cup o' chai latte

wow.. just finished watching that Japanese drama "Shota no Sushi" finally! what can i say.. it is one of the best tv series I have ever seen. The scriptwriting and directing is excellent, filling each episode with lots of drama and intensity into the hero's life, but yet he always has that indomitable will to succeed. He has to become Nippon Ichi! (Japan's #1). This series is hardcore sushi-making. It covers all aspects of sushi, and brings the culture completely to the forefront of your everyday diner who has no idea about the miniscule details contained within sushi. Pair Shota up with a few very menacing rivals who try to destroy him not only in cooking, but his ambition and personal life as well, and you have a good refreshing drama. What I liked about Shota was his innocence and his belief in himself. I guess I think quite similarly in life, which is why I was glued to my seat rooting for Shota. Well heck, Vic and J and Benny when watching it rooted for him too =P

Usually after a drama series, or a book, I get reflective. Will I be able to achieve my dreams? No less than America's #1 (in Wushu) and a great movie-maker (whether it be director, cinematographer, etc.). Sometimes it seems nearly unreachable, and indeed years ago I would have only thought of it as a passing fancy. But as the years go along, events and people come by that just helps me move along the path. Sort of like Shota and the teachers and friends he meets in the drama. Everytime I've needed to reach a higher level, somehow an opportunity has presented itself to me. For wushu, in Nepal I was able to train at the national stadium with a team of dedicated athletes who pushed each other to excel beyond what they were capable of before. As soon as I came back to America, I met two of the greatest wushu coaches who can and has improved my techniques ten-fold.. also my teammates at San Leandro are really great, they also push to become something greater. One of the school's motto is "never say can't," and it definitely shows in the way we train. I guess spending the past 5 days nonstop almost with them has shown me just how good they are for me in wushu. Also they're really nice people so that helps a lot =p For movies, I started in high school drama class, and things just started picking up as I found out more about it. At UCD, it sort of really started when Paul asked me to help him do the editing for his honors program project. Since then I gained more confidence in my ability and started making films whenever the opportunity presented itself in class or outside. The best part of it is, I know through this medium, I can affect people's lives. Sure, I might not necessarily make a dramatic impact, but they'll be happier from a good film I made. I still remember one comment about one of my music videos done to the animation "Ah My Goddess Movie," the guy was quite thrilled because he was into animation and his girlfriend wasn't until she saw that video. So somehow that gave them more common ground, and sharing hobbies is quite important in a relationship. Also when people mention they're moved to tears, and they watch it over and over again, it feels quite nice knowing that I've helped create some emotional outlet. This might sound kind of prideful, but what else is there to life except to live it so other people can enjoy their lives? For me that would be using whatever talent I've been given or developed.. whether it's performing in a wushu demo to awe the crowd, playing the piano for some friends, or having films shown to people over and over. I hope that it might cause at least a little shimmer in someone's life and allow them to enjoy their day more because of it. What I do, without skills, hardly a ripple will be caused, in fact, it would be wasted effort if I was satisfied with keeping at a low level. It may sound somewhat cheesy, and those of you who know me know that I can be quite cheesy and simple, but that's what I live for, that's why I'm continuing so I can be the best.

posted by Dan @ 7/20/2003 06:03:00 AM