Another Week... Fly By Faster!! (SPOILERS!!)

I called it, didn't I?? Team Captain America I called it and... oooooooooh!! Even without watching it, I was right!! That's right, Chris Evans, I'm on your team! HAHAHA!!

Another episode of the CoTangent is up!! Please check it out if you have the time!!



So... I'm going to put something out there that you might not care much about and you might not want to read about, but I'm still going to put it out there! Ok... deep breath!!

I am a K-Pop fan and I've always been a fan of BigBang, 2PM, 2ne1, Girl's Day, BTS, BAP, and Block B and so on. Recently, of course, iKon! Yes!! But, as much as I like these bands... their fans are quite horrible. And for me, I think of fans to be a reflection of the bands... and yet, it's BigBang fans that are the meanest people out there. I'm not sure why.

So, to share my love of kPop, I gathered some of my non-kPop fan friends to do reaction videos with me. And the first few were alright, and they started to like them. But we started doing requests and since then, everything has changed. I can't control their reactions so, when they react naturally, the RainBridge Youtube channel got a HUGE backlash. And, well, it has just kept getting worse.

So, I've spoke with various people about how to get less of the negative responses, and maybe toning down some of our natural reactions, but no one is willing to tone their reactions down. I know that the RainBridge family is busy right now, so it's okay if we don't do Reaction vids, but I wanted to do them because I wanted to share something I loved with people I loved. ... In the end, my friends are just too ignorant of the Korean culture (... it's not like they have a chance to learn about it here, anyway) and the Korean people that give us negative comments are just too ignorant of the American culture (... not sure if they have a way of learning about it more over there...). So, in the end, it's a lose/lose situation for me.

I recently sat down to chat with the head producers of the channel and they said it was fine just letting go of the project altogether for a while. I mean, it never made money... it was just to gather up, eat together, and then shoot some videos together because we all had time.

Oh, and another thing, I got SERIOUS backlash because I commented about the "Loser" by BigBang video being too plain. ... I mean... COME ON... Given the high production value of their past videos, I felt this one fell short by a long shot of the extravagance and brilliance of BigBang music videos. Where was the symbolism?! Where was that in-depth meanings and metaphors?! Anyhoo, that's not where I take issue. I'm calling BigBang out for their portrayal of what makes a loser. Okay, shooting LA... I'll ignore that implication, but to shoot TaeYang in a RV... that's implying [FOR THOSE OF US WHO DON'T UNDERSTAND KOREAN] that anyone that lives in a RV is a loser... and I'm not down with that. Also, having "American kids" beat up Daesung in a parking lot... WTF? Shoot that crap in Korea, where your fans won't make the connection of LA being such a terrible place. Not to mention... what's with all the White girls breaking their hearts?! ... I feel like Korean boybands have a serious White Girl fantasy fetish that always ends in heartbreak. Snd since they project that, their fans take it in and are affected by it. BLEH!!

Also... When was the last time BigBang did charity work? ... Know what I mean by the cause and effect now?? For example... BEYONCE. Check out the stats on the Queen Bey HERE!! She's at the top of the world because she's an amazing performer and she does SO MUCH charity work!! And MOST of her fans are very nice people who don't bark worse than their bite. I mean, given what she promotes and how she is a good example to young people everywhere, through her music, actions, and decisions in life... SHE is a good example of a GOOD artist to be a fan of. ... Maybe it's a lack of communication or information available in English... but what good things has BigBang done??

So... I'm slowly becoming NOT a fan of BigBang... It's tough and painful because they were such a big part of my life growing up in kPop music... and I helped a friend write some parts of a fanfiction called "It Was All A Dream"... Even though I went to both their LA + OC concerts (Staples Center & Honda Center)... And I bought those little crown wands... I think... I want to be a fan of someone I can look up to and not feel ashamed of due to their discrepancies and the behavior of their fans...

Know what I mean?

***

Dear BigBang... 

Your fans are getting scarier... so are your misbehaviors and style... I hope you guys grow up soon. Until then... take care and I hope you guys learn to do something good for the world!! I've been a fan for over a decade and... I guess, I'm ready to move on. 

Sincerely ~ Tea Chai

Tuesday Two's-Day! (12.15.15)

Notice the two "15" in the date today? Yeeah, you feel it too, right?

Okay, maybe not! Haha!! Well, here's episode #40 of the CoTangent! We talk weller together!

And the last video reaction we put up! Yay!!



And here's our CoTangent Episode #41! We made it!! Look for a new original video soon! I think that's the plan, right? Or was that #50?! Big decisions for the group coming ahead. But please show us lots of love as we figure things out, cut our losses, and move on with our lives as we should!!



P.S. HERE'S THE NEW INFORMATION AND TRAILER FOR STAR TREK BEYOND!!!

A Week-Full of Fun

I SAT IN DURING A LIVE PODCAST RECORDING FOR CRACKED.COM at the UCB Theater off Sunset!! It was fun, exciting, and lots of people!! It featured Jack O'Brien, Daniel O'Brien, Liana Maeby, and Alex Schmidt. I can't be sure as to whether or not Tom Reimann was there because the guy might have said a different name, but I wasn't too sure. It was a small crowd but the talkers were talky and I'm planning to go again! Yay!

On Monday I started the move for CoTangent from Libsyn.com to SoundCloud!! It was fun and entertaining. Haha! Tuesday brought me to to writing-ville and I binge watched 'The Blacklist' thanks to Netflix! Wednesday had me looking forward to the live broadcast show for Cracked.com before Thursday, a chill day and Friday let me with JJ, chatting and writing, prepping and eating at Du-Par's!

I hope this weekend becomes more!!

Here is our most recent Video for "Good Boy" for GD x TY!! Look forward to more!!

BAM! Happy Thursday!!

I think... blogging without a purpose is pointless blogging. As it so happens, I wanted to talk with someone today but I was alone, so I couldn't... So, here is me talking to someone... YOU!! Hii!!!

We put up another episode for CoTangent but all I could think about was Oliver from "How to Get Away With Murder"!! I mean, he only wanted to help Colin and he didn't know the guy could see them. How as he to know that the serial killer would follow and kidnap him, right? Poor Oliver!! He's been through so much and yet, he's suffering even more. All for the sake of love and not being alone.

So, I've found that I'm COMPLETELY incapable of handling online dating. But I still make a mean alcoholic layered gelatin!! I've come to accept that I'm SUPER ambitious and not just ambitious, like how it says on my profile. But I chose not to emphasize on it because I didn't want to scare anyone away. I'm not physically happy with myself just yet, so I guess I have to wait for me to get to where me likes, so me can get a date and, maybe even get married and the whole nine yards. But our reaction videos are awesome, CoTangent is doing fine, and we are moving soon to another platform that many more can access us from!! And since I've already paid for the services for this online degradation, I figured I'd keep checking and being rejected until my time ran out. I won't renew. I won't continue. I'll just dive into my work and be lonely... HAHA!!

Here is CoTangent Episode 36 ~ And we're moving... I think... to Soundcloud?!

Until next time!!

Another Weekend, Another Catfish, Another Reaction (11.08,15)

First, let's start things off friendly with a reaction video from my lovely friends that Rain Bridge Studios gathered to entertain us with... LOL. Some of their reactions... or lack there of, really crack me up!! These are home-grown, fully-fresh, Americans and they are reacting to K-Pop music videos. ... Can anything be more odd?

Alright, so onto sadder and weirder news, along with good food, friends, and the like! 

Friday set me in a writer's meeting with JJ, who I'm writing something for. As usual, we got off topic and started chatting about our normal lives. I mean, we're two girls with the gift for gab, we can't help it. Anyhoo, as usual, she was concerned about my dating life... or the lack of existence of one... and was extremely suspicious when I told her about M-Guy. (Protecting the name for privacy reasons.) I mean, I've tried Tinder, OkCupid, Coffee Meets Bagel, Match, Chemisty, Christian Mingle, eHarmony, Thirty Flirty, and... I think Plenty Of Fish will be my last one. I'm tired of trusting and being lied to, catfished, and judged. It's painful for me, someone who is a clean slate, and I'm so annoyed with all this stuff. Anyhoo, she looked over his profile, all of our conversations, and concluded that the guy wasn't to be trusted. 

And then I told her that I had agreed to a date with the guy on Saturday, the next day, in the evening. She was livid and demanded that I not go, or go with back up. We talked back and forth, she commented on my improvement as a female flirty texter... I was HORRIBLE before... and she complimented me here and there. But, in the end, we decided it may be a good idea to share such knowledge with girls and guys out there that need it. And so, look forward to a video about that. Better made, of course, better quality of picture and sound, both shot on Canon 7Ds and sound recorded on a boom mic into an H4N Zoom recorder. Hey, hey, hey! And then, at midnight, she wanted to go shoe shopping and the Ross next to The Grove is open until 1 am, so we went. And as she shopped for shoes, I couldn't help but feel worse and worse about the supposed date. And it came to the point, I realized it wasn't going to happen. And... I WAS CRUSHED. (Oh... so innocent am I, right?)

JJ told me not to worry but I did. She told me not to over-think, and I did. And the next morning, I woke to a text message asking to reschedule the date. And... I was so sad. And yet, I still hadn't picked up on the clues that I was (possibly) being catfished! 

I know you'd probably kick me when you met me, but I was just so hopeful about it!! And I wanted that first date... You might wonder if I'm really this gullible and trusting and the truth is, YES, I AM. And I spent the day doing nothing, having cancelled my plans so that I could get ready to meet this guy, and ended up having a girl's night out with JJ, Sno, and Moon at the YellowHouse Cafe, in K-Town. It was fun, sweet, and comforting to have my girls around me... until the other two were briefed on my cancelled date that night and... they were NOT happy. Well, they were happy at first that I managed to get a date (I'm a REALLY busy bee!) but when JJ exposed everything in our conversation, passing my phone around to compare profile pictures and conversation texts, both disapproved immediately. ... For shame, Tea, for shame...

But I got home and went to sleep well. Moon said being Catfished is very widely popular and that, since I excelled at meeting people in person, I should go with that and find someone special. Sno had mentioned her deep concerns in my trustingness and said that going to a bar, with the girls, on a girl's night, to hunt for me was a better option. (She didn't use "hunt", I did.) And JJ just wanted me to find someone real... which is, surprisingly enough, the tagline for my POF profile. "Looking for someone real." Seriously... And that morning, I had spent the morning looking through male profiles, suggesting things that can get them more noticed by women, and the like, and even helping a man who had friend-zoned me improve his profile. So, I basically was stabbed near my heart and then I helped the person twist the knife and break the hilt, so that I couldn't get that damned blade out. 

Oh, woe is me. ... But I'm getting over it.

Sunday morning brought me to upload the video above and then the early afternoon led me to DimSum with JJ, Sno, and Tall-V (I know too many females with such a name and she's the tallest of them all) in Temple City, where my family loves it and, well, I've come to enjoy it, too! JJ and Tall-V both know good DimSum when they eat it. And they've had terrible ones out here. Along with Sno, who had horrible stuff in Chinatown... so I've decided to take them out of the fakeness and into the real good stuff, the yumminess of the yummiest!! We went to the Full House Seafood Restaurant in TC/Arcadia. That's right, peoples, we had food and it was good, authentic, Chinese food! 

Unfortunately, most of the Dim Sum was gone by the time we got there and we ate as much as we could, got drinks, and then we headed home. The good part was, I had enough time to finish and upload another video shot on Halloween! Enjoy!!



And here was episode 25, for those of you who missed CoTangent!!

BigBang: Made World Tour (2015) LA & Anaheim (FAN) Review

*Disclaimer:  I AM A FAN OF BIG BANG!! I’ve been following the success that is Big Bang and all of their members since their debut in 2005, when news of K-Pop groups were even HARDER to find in America. But, having been into H.O.T. waaaaay back in the day, the moment I heard Big Bang’s sound, I knew I’d love their stuff, and I have, for the past decade! So, seeing them in concert for the first time EVER was simply amazing!! And then, seeing them BOTH NIGHTS, in LA (10.03.15 -- Staples Center: #BigBangMadeInLA) and Anaheim (10.04.15 -- Honda Center: #BigBangMadeInAnaheim), was even MORESO MINDBLOWING!!! But, as most older fans are, I was turned off by their exteme style after their ‘Alive’ album. ‘Made’ was just strange.

My Seat @ Staples Center

My Seat @ Honda Center

Although the Anaheim concert started later due to ‘traffic’ and had more encores, the boys of Big Bang had more energy for the larger audience at the LA concert. It’s tough to judge on which concert was better, but if I had to really pull in all the factors, I’d say that the Anaheim concert was just a bit better because they performed “Lies” as an encore song, which brought me back to my collegiate days… which also brought tears to my eyes. Proving once again, the power of music.

To make this as painless as possible, I wanted to do reviews on each member instead of on a song-to-song basis. Mainly because their music set for each night was different. So bear with me and I’ll do my best to bare my thoughts about them in an equally unbiased tone… if possible.

The leader of the pack, G-Dragon looked tired. From the beginning of the LA concert, he seemed quieter than the rest and that was a bit disappointing. But understandable because he did his best not to out-shine the other members of the band. And it did help give DaeSung and SeungRi more of a voice, but I’ll get to them later. And, unfortunately, the superstar looked even more under the weather during the Anaheim concert. And though the others seemed to try to pick up the slack, I guess it takes one to know one… Howeover, rumor has it, his father was in the audience? Not the only parent to be there, might I add. Still, a great performance, as usual, from G-Dragon; the ultimate love-sick boybander ever.

The 2^nd most screamed for of the night, T.O.P. set a different precident for me. Having always viewed him as the cold, quiet, and mysterious character of the bunch, he was open, visibly happy, and quite enjoyable to watch. Although it was obvious he was uncomfortable dancing with the other guys, being so much stiffer and still, his solo performance with his singing and rapping blew me away. The man doesn’t need to dance. His rap-ability is that which is coveted by most of the new boybanders today. The king of Rap and bad-buttedness, for shizzle.

The English connoisseur of them all, TaeYang was brilliant with his fluid dance moves and English speak-ability. I didn’t agree with his choice of solo performance song, having so many great hits in his pocket, he chose the one that has been overplayed on countless occasions. I guess it’s easier for them to perform their biggest hits, but… that’s not always the one the audience wants to hear. I feel he could have performed something more ‘Usher’-like and the response could have been phenomenal, as opposed to the “WOW” it was. Still, that’s his decision and I guess, that’s just his love song to the fans who love him! He’s, for rillz, the smoothest of them all… and the sweatiest I think…

NOTHING beats the cuteness and fun-lovingness of DaeSung bringing and pointing out his mother at the Anaheim concert! NOT ONLY THAT!! While I stood in with with some others, someone who looked a lot like DaeSung ran from the Honda Center and hurried into the parking lot. The kids behind me screamed after he passed and it wasn’t until later that I realized that the familiar face beloned to DaeSung!! How wonderful it was to see him in person and not recognize him until hours later!! I wish I did notice the moment he appeared, but he was in such a rush, he was gone in seconds! But his performance was sweetened all the more knowing that his Mom was there in the crowds, cheering him on. He’s, defintely, the most loveable of all the members!!

And then, there’s SeungRi, the youngest and the one with the WEIRDEST English of them all. I tried to be supportive and tolerant but when someone works so hard to butcher your mother language, you can only take so much before you stop thinking it’s by accident. And what made me hack him in last in my review was the fact that at the LA show, either his mic went out or he didn’t sing mostof his ‘Storng Baby’ song, which I found to be just poor performance ettiquette. I’m sorry if it’s his mic that went out, but it was fine during the parts when he actually did sing. But since he, also, looked tired, I guess I shouldn’t blame him for their tour not scheduling in time to help them handle the time difference. (mild sarcasm) Just gotta take it as it comes, eh? But, here’s hoping he improves his English so he doesn’t sound like he’s mocking the lingo. He’s, in my opinion, the most awkward of the guys. Haha!

It's their Official Sign!!

Overall, the most emotional song I heard on the night of the LA concert for the first time was “If You”. It brought tears to my eyes, and not because of the lighting, but the raw emotion on the stage moved me without understanding the words. The feelings and connection that suddenly hit me was enough to render me speechless. The most touching moment came from

The MVP of the night, hands down, based on how out-shined he is in music videos, variety shows, and etc., is T.O.P. He came out of his shell the most, showed his showmanship and impressed the poop out of me. I’ve seen several performers, concerts, bands, groups, and so on… but believe me when I say it… T.O.P. really stole the show.

Personally, I didn’t enjoy the videos shown, meant as ‘creative’ storytelling and buffering for the next acts. But, if it’s for the purpose of ‘humanizing’ the members of the boyband, then they went off the mark by quite a bit. I wondered why they couldn’t go with something a bit more normal instead of everything leading to some way/shape/form or suicide. There’s nothing more disturbing than having a group of handsome and talented, well-liked and well-rounded young men share their darkest parts of themsleves with an audience that comes hoping to see them in hopes of brightening their own lives. But I get where they’re coming from, which made me also look within myself because of such videos.

Also, unfortunately, I like reading subtexts and taking a deeper look into things, overthinking is the term most often used, and the way I see it, I don’t think Big Bang really put in much thought about the overseas fans. Let me explain. Anyone can go on Youtube and search for their performances in the Asian countries like South Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan, and immediately, these boys are infinitely more spirited. And then you can search for videos in the states and they look tired, sad, and pooped out. They fly over and perform right away, disregarding the jetlag and forget that they are also hacking away at the quality of their performance. But maybe it’ll get better in three years, when they have another concert here? After some of the guys have gone to the army and come back with a new sense of reality and humanity.

Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to what they’re doing today. Whether it be Disneyland or Universal Studios, Six Flags or Knott’s… I hope they have fun with their dancers and band! OMG!! It’s not my first time seeing their band, but seeing their band live was truly amazing. Every great artist can only go as far as their band can take them and, it’s NO WONDER Big Bang has made it so far!! Madd PROPS to their band, for REALZ.

The price for attending 2 concerts consecutively is that, your ears will be ringing a bit more than usual… You lose a lot of sleep and the hours spent getting to the event and returning home add up to stolen time you’ll never get back for other things in your life, so be prepared to sacrifice! Oh, and if you’re older than 25, you will FEEL your age by the end of the night because you won’t be screaming your head off, dancing like a weirdo, and won’t be so star stuck, you can barely walk straight without dissolving into a gigling mass. I did enjoy the parking, though. For sure, because their fans are quite young, many can’t drive and are dropped off by their parents. Score one for the oldies!

Anyhoo, OVERALL, combining the score of their concerts [LA= 8 :: Ana=8.5] divided by 2 and you get my total score of 8.25 out of a total possible 10. So generous… [I’ve never rated so generously to a group I didn’t completely enjoy before. Haha. And, for those of you who need refereneces, I’ve scored a 10 for Deliriou5, and a 9 for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Alicia Keys. That’s my scale. So… my score is darn GENEROUS!!]

Mooooooving on… Check back with me for my response to Season 5 Episode 2 of Once Upon A Time and Season 1 Episode 2 of Quantico! And I’ll post our next podcast for CoTangent by Thursday, I think?

"The Intern" @ "Hotel Transylvania 2" ??

I SAW TWO AWESOME MOVIES!!! I saw two awesome movies!!

The first movie I saw with my buddy MoonLiteWolf!! We watched "Hotel Transylvania 2" at the Burbank AMC together! It was funny and more adult than I had expected it to be. She enjoyed it and I liked it a lot! We had fun watching it and then we STREAMED on Twitch.tv for the first time ever! It was fun, it was cool, I was excited, and Moon played very well!! Check it out!!

The second movie I saw with my other buddies (who don't float around on Social Media as much) was "The Intern", which I absolutely adored because of Robert DeNiro, Nancy Meyers, and Christina Scherer! OMG!! I LOVED THIS MOVIE!! I enjoyed the beginning, middle, and though I was a bit unsatisfied with the ending, I still liked it!!

As it turns out, HERE IS #30 of the CoTangent Podcast!!



Give it a listen and I'll catch up to #31 soon!!

A Walk Of Mind ... Time Out In The Woods... ?!

I am an animated and enthusiastic person and I pride myself in that ability. I can talk to ANY stranger and make friends easily, even if we don't speak the same language, which would be rare because I am fluent in English and Mandarin, and quite competent in Spanish, ASL, Japanese and Korean. I just don't admit to it because I like to eavesdrop and observe as I see fit. ... You know how it is...

So, a friend of mine asked why I don't go for advertising and acting and stuff... Why I stay behind the camera is because I like it there, but here's another reason why I am NOT in front of the camera!

Haha! So, yes... I'm trying to overcome it but... Baby steps, eh? Also, I'm conscious about my left eye being bigger than my right eye. It's uncomfortable knowing one of my greatest flaws is on my face... Ya know?

Anyways, I managed to watch 2 movies today! At the DGA, not to mention!! What a wonderful easy-going day it was!! First, to brunch over a bowl of Jja Jjiang Myun at the Pho Shop in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, but I have to wait for my palette to return to normal before I could fully enjoy and appreciate it.

First on my docket, "A Walk In The Woods" (2015) featuring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte. I LIKED THIS MOVIE. It's a cross between "Into The Wild" (2007) meets every buddy film ever made featuring old friend who lose touch and come back together for a great adventure. I recommend watching it with people who enjoy nature films and curious minds. There is a lot to be learned about rocks and trees and the nature of humans. I hope I've not given away too many spoilers, only what can be seen from the trailers! I rate it a satisfying 2 of 4 stars!!

Secondly, I must apologize to Richard Gere, but I did NOT enjoy "Time Out Of Mind" (2015). Save your money, save your time, and save your respect for the Gere-maestro himself because, after watching this film, one must wonder 'what in the world was he thinking', taking part in such a poorly developed, written, and shot film?! I heard someone say it was in an effort to relaunch his career but the dude took a wrong turn when he agreed to this dull and noisy film. I actually admitted to feeling bad for disliking it and those around me agreed that they did NOT like it as well, and these are seasoned members of the DGA! So, my rating would be 1 of 4 stars ~ mainly because I didn't HATE it enough to rob it of stars completely.

I am STOKED about the upcoming BIGBANG concert!!! The first one is Oct. 2nd and the second one is Oct. 3rd!! I'm attending the one in LA with a dear friend and also BigBang lover!! The one in the O.C. is with my older sister, who is lovely and awesome, and also loves BigBang!! If only it were iKon on the second night or something!! Waaaah!!

Oh, and here it is! The other contestants and me in JiNan, ShanDong, China!!

(L->R) Ethan, Sean, Me, Mr. Jin

My China-Vid editing is coming along. It's hard because... I'm not an editor. It's scary, trying to edit something into something EVERYONE or SOMEONE would like to watch or me inspired/motivated by. I do wonder if I can do it, but I also wonder how others would react to the finished product.

Personally, this trip was very revealing to me. It showed me that I could NOT be a permanent residence of China, regardless of where I would occupy. It's not only a physical difference but also an emotional and cultural difference that would destroy who I am. Culturally, I'm an American born Chinese, but I was raised in America, thus the American-ness of me. Emotionally, I'm strong-willed, ambitious, and very NOT docile, despite my facade. I like the weaker and gentler side of me that others feel like they can overpower, but that's just one side of me, eh?

Although the heat and humidity would manage to help me shed my extra weight, I would be estranged and treated differently the moment I opened my mouth. I learned that, not only do I have an American accent to my Mandarin, but also a Taiwan accent. I'm quite tall in China, and therefore stick out, but I like my height and wouldn't regret it. My main concern was my diet. OMG!! Being allergic to shellfish complicated my mission, but fearing the water and odors of the squatties kept me in check. Also, walking EVERYWHERE was a definite experience. It made my appreciate Toby (my car) all the more! Not to mention, I would miss my friends and family in LA.

So, I guess I'm staying over here, but... China remains ever the temptress... whispering and calling out to me... When will my next adventure be?