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A Golden Weekend to Remember If I died tomorrow, I'd die a very happy person. I can say this because I got to take photos with Lou Diamond Phillips and Ming Na Wen, eat dim sum and Pho with Robin Shou and Rick Yune, and mingle with a string of other Asian American celebrities--that's just a little taste of it!
I pitched this assignment to AsianConnections and got permission to tag along with two other AsianConnections team reporters, Jeannie Cuan and Nicole Wong, who were assigned to cover the event. I was very excited about this opportunity because after entering several Asian pageants, I was trying to break into the world of modeling and acting. My "assignment" was to write about my experiences attending the Awards, and boy do I have a lot to write! The evening started with the arrival of attendees and the honored guests. I shot a few photos of the celebrities, and then mingled around a bit. I was excited to be around all these famous actors and actresses, who I looked up to, but it was very surreal. I was looking at them, and realizing who they were, but it didn't quite register that I was in their presence. Looking back, I should have been freaking out that I was around all these people, but I looked at it and thought that I should compose myself, to at least not embarrass my team mates. I had the pleasure of taking a photo with Ming-Na Wen, and with Lou Diamond Phillips. Then they announced that Rick Yune, of the upcoming movie Snow Falling on Cedars with Ethan Hawke, was expected to walk down the red carpet! I though I was going to pass out. I was so excited to finally be able to see Rick Yune in the flesh and blood. Ever since I saw Rick on the cover of A. Magazine, I was in love! When I saw Rick, I soon realized that he was even more gorgeous in person.
When she picked up the excitement in my voice, and my plain adoration of him, she pulled me over and introduced me to Rick. I gathered up the little courage that I had, and asked him for a picture with him. I figured, when in my life would I be able to be next to this man? Why not make a fool of myself this one time and ask him? ! Before I could even ask, Irene offered to take the picture. We took a normal, standard pose picture, but before I could walk away, he said , "Wait," he walked straight behind me, and then Irene took the picture. I was so ecstatic to be in his presence that all I could do was shake, which, much to my disappointment, he noticed! He whispered to me, "You're shaking." I didn't know what to say. What could I say, "Oh, yes, gee, I'm about to pass out, thank you." The awards show itself was a great experience. Not only did I get to see some of the most famous Asian American faces in the entertainment industry, like Lou Diamond Phillips, Ming-Na Wen, Geddy Wantanabe, and Phillip Rhee, but I also got to see the Asian American faces that are behind scenes, such as top music producer, Ann Carli. I had never seen a show like Golden Ring, where it showcased a wide range of Asian American talent. I was fortunate to see the Mountain Brothers, a group of Asian rappers/hip hop artists from Philadelphia. I wouldn't call myself a rap lover, but I saw myself really getting into their music and enjoying the beat. I had met the members before the show, and asked them a few questions about their group, they seemed so non-chalant about their talent. I discovered that they all graduated from Penn State, and had taken a year off from school and the 'real world' to pursue careers in music. I discovered later that one of the members, Steve a.k.a. "Styles" is a Medical student and a member of Lambda Phi Epsilon, a National Asian Interest Fraternity, which I am proud to say, that I'm a Little Sister of at my school. Even though I had a great time watching the wonderful display of talent, after the show is when all the fun began for me. click here for more of Nancy's adventure
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