|
A Weekend to Remember
By Nancy Bui
If I died tomorrow, I'd die a very
happy person. Last weekend, Asian Connections agreed to my request to join two AC Team reporters Nicole Wong and Jeannie Cuan, who were covering the Golden Ring Awards. My assignment as a volunteer observer was to
accompany the team and write about my experiences at the show. Wow, this assignment also changed my life! Thanks, AsianConnections! The evening started with attendees of the
show and the honored guest arrivals. I shot a few photos of the celebrities, and then mingled around a bit. I was able to capture photos of Lou Diamond Phillips and Rick Yune, of the upcoming movie "Snow
Falling on Cedars" with Ethan Hawke. As the evening progressed, I began to circulate the room, and introduced myself to Lou Diamond and Rick Yune's publicist, Irene Cho. Irene happily introduced me to Rick, and we
took some pictures and had a nice conversation. That alone, would have made my week, ever since I saw Rick on the cover of A. Magazine, I was in love! So, to be in his presence, all I could do was shake, which,
much to my disappointment, he noticed! But that was only the beginning of the wonderful night I was about to have. The show was absolutely wonderful. Not only did I get to see some of the most
famous Asian Americans in media, but wonderfully talented musicians. Even though I had a great time watching the wonderful display of talent, after the show is when all the fun began for me.
After the show, I met Robin Shou, the star of Mortal Combat 1 and 2 and Beverly Hills Ninja. At the time, I honestly didn't know who he was, but since people were clambering around him, I figured I should find out who
this attractive person was. I began to talk to him, and realized that this guy was extremely intelligent and very nice. He was remarkably down to earth and had a good perspective on his career and life. I
was planning to go to the official after-party that was being hosted by Synergy Productions at Club NV. Synergy Productions is one of the bay area's best part promotions groups, so I knew the party was going to be a
blast, but little did I know, I was in for the time of my life! I was off to go to the after party, somehow I got lost from the two AC Team reporters and Robin didn't know where it was,
so I suggested that we go together to try to find where it is. I ended up driving Robin to the party following the Mountain Brothers in their limo, since I have absolutely no sense of direction.
At the party, we found Lou Diamond Phillips, Geddy Wantanbe (ER and Revenge of the Nerds), Ming Na Wen and her husband Eric Zee, Dante Brosco (Fakin' the Funk with Tatyana Ali), Phillip Rhee
(Best of the Best), Amy Hill (All American Girl), and others. I spent the night socializing and chatting with them and just plain having fun! It was such an awesome experience being able to talk to all of them in a
relaxed, fun atmosphere. Throughout the night, I kept thinking to myself "I can't believe I'm talking to these people, these people have been my idols since I was in grade school!"
After the party, I took Robin, Irene Cho (Rick Yune's PR assistant), and Steve from the Mountain Brothers to a friend's restaurant to go eat Pho! We ended up staying at the restaurant until 4am.
The next morning, Irene, Robin, Rick and his friends from school went out to eat dim sum. It was fabulous! Robin had planned on meeting Ming Na Wen and their mutual friends for a BBQ, and
invited me to come along, since I had served as a personal chauffeur for the weekend. I ended up playing cards and eating lunch with Ming Na and her husband Eric, for the rest of the afternoon.. Ming, as her
friends affectionately call her, was just too cute playing cards! I soon learned that she is an avid card player, and loves playing any card game. Her sweet competitiveness was fun to watch! We laughed, ate
great food, and chatted until about 6 p.m. The time came to go and I took Ming Na and her husband back to her hotel to catch their flight back to LA. It was a fabulous weekend that changed my
life. I was able to meet the people that I have admired and looked up to all my life, but that's not what effected me the most. Throughout the many conversations with various stars, they gave me the hope and
the boost that I needed to pursue all my dreams and aspirations. They encouraged me to reach for the stars and to not stop until I achieved what I had set out to do. I must give many thanks to Irene Cho, she was
full of love and hope for me, that because of her kind words of support, I will strive to accomplish my dreams of acting and modeling. |
|
