Probably One of the Strangest Things I've Ever Had to Do for Work

Yesterday morning, I walked into the office to the news that we needed an emergency recording of someone saying the word "toy" in Mandarin (玩具). The vocabulary word was added at the last minute (after the recording of the English-Mandarin pronunciation guide was already done), so we had to scramble and come up with a creative patch job to add the word. Anyway, I was the only Mandarin-speaking person on site that day, so I gamely undertook the task. Oh, and I was supposed to sound like a 6-year-old Chinese boy.

It may seem like a simple enough task, but our office building is not an ideal environment for audio recording. Drooper found out from Facilities that there was a so-called Privacy Room on the third floor, so we headed there with his microphone and digital recorder. The Privacy Room turned out to be a small, dark closet equipped with a chair, a desk, and a phone. I imagine its main purpose was for personal phone calls (since most of us are in cubes). So, we set up and did a couple of takes, but the ambient noise was actually quite loud. See, the Privacy Room was right next to the elevators and a stairwell. As a result, we frequently heard sounds of gears turning, echoing footsteps ("Damn high heels!" Drooper exclaimed), or voices and laughter. Unfortunately, these background sounds got picked up by the mic.

Drooper came up with a way to combat the ambient noise. He said that if I didn't mind, it would help if I threw a jacket over my head & did the recording under the jacket. This project was just getting odder and odder, but hey, it had to be done. So Drooper ran downstairs to get his jacket, and a short while later, I was huddled under a large leather jacket in the weird Privacy Room, saying "玩具" multiple times into a handheld mic. Truly, this had to be one of the most bizarre things I've ever had to do for a job! But, the task was accomplished, so all's well that ends well!

Eventful Week

Last Saturday, I used my Silver Pass for the first time to go to Disneyland and California Adventure. (I'd never been to the latter park before.) Cousins J, C, and I got to the parks a bit after 11 and didn't depart till 12 hours later. Suffice it to say, we had a lot of fun but were also exhausted by the time we got home! Here's a run-down of what we accomplished during our sojourn at "the Happiest Place on Earth":

• Hit Adventureland first to grab Fast Passes for the Indiana Jones ride.
• Visited the Haunted Mansion (only a 5-minute wait!), which was back to its usual campy spookiness.
• Went on Pirates of the Caribbean (spotted the one instance of Johnny Depp I missed last time).
• Lunched at the Carnation Cafe on Main Street USA.
  
• Went on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (so much fun!) and then shared a churro.
• Returned to Indiana Jones, but the ride was broken, so headed over to Tomorrow Land. Got FPs for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster.
• Went on Star Tours (surprisingly, only a 15-minute line). Upon exiting, heard a young girl say, "That was tight!"
• Still had time to kill before FP window for Buzz Lightyear, so we went to Fantasy Land & got in line for It's a Small World. While waiting, saw the parade of world dolls to mark the quarter hour. Spent the entire ride spotting the newly integrated dolls from Disney films: Peter Pan & Tinker Bell, Aladdin & Jasmine, Cinderella & mice, Alice in Wonderland, Ariel & Flounder, Mulan & Mushu, Simba & Pumba, Lilo & Stitch (only saw the back of these last two, but they were on a surfboard & seemed cute).
• Went back to Buzz Lightyear. Doubled my score from last time, but still suck at it! It was J's first time on the ride & she got over 200,000. I earned an embarrassing score in the 8000s!
• Checked on Indiana Jones & the ride was operational. FPs are a wonderful invention. Instead of waiting 85 minutes, we got on the ride after only 20 minutes. (I later read the in-depth ride description on wikipedia, and even though I've gone on the ride several times, I think I always miss more than half the details described!)
• Went over to California Adventure. While wandering, kept running into the parade path of Toy Story characters!
• Tried to get on the Toy Story Mania ride, but it too broke down. Shared a ginormous turkey leg for a snack. It was pretty good, but made me feel rather barbaric.
• Went to Soarin' Over California (learned about it on a Samantha Brown special on the Travel Channel). Very long line, so we tried the single riders line. It was like having an FP! Very cool ride (and, as luck would have it, I got to sit in the front row).
• Returned to Disneyland for dinner at the French Market. While eating, could hear (and catch little glimpses of) the Fantasmic show on the Rivers of America. Really must catch the show next time. I remember loving it when I saw it years ago. Hearing the sounds made me very nostalgic.
• A fireworks show followed shortly after. It was a bit of a trial trying to make our way through the crush to Tomorrow Land. (Should've tried going the other way, into Critter Country!)
• Went on Autopia. Very bumpy, and not as fun as I remembered. 'Course, the ride is more fun if you can't drive a real car...
  
• Went back to Fantasy Land, looking for rides with short lines: Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Snow White's Scary Adventure, and Pinocchio's Daring Journey. It was kind of anticlimactic, but hey, the wait was 5 minutes or less! (Unlike Peter Pan, which still had a 40 minute wait when we left!)

With all the late hours I'd been working, it took me longer to recover from the Disneyland outing than I expected. Then, on Wednesday, I went to see the Pairs Long Program at the World Figure Skating Championships. Luckily, I worked from home that day, but it was still quite a scramble to get all my work done and get to my friend Ebs's house to carpool to Staples Center. We got there toward the end of the first group's skate. Our seats, purchased through Goldstar, were pretty good: Loge, above the Media Tables. I'm sure I've never been to this level at Staples Center!

It's been ages since I'd seen figure skating live. The triple twists, throw jumps, and lifts are definitely more breathtaking when seen live. It's amazing what these athletes are able to accomplish... the truly brilliant skaters seem to defy physics with artistry and elegance. I'm glad I went, but I had hoped for more clean performances. Even the champions, Aliona Savchenko & Robin Szolkowy, had a minor hiccup (a freak fall on a non-element) in an otherwise beautiful skate. Still, they were so good that there was no doubt in anyone's mind that they deserved to win. And the judges concurred; Savchenko & Szolkowy beat the silver medalists (Zhang & Zhang) by almost 17 points! The scariest fall was taken by Yuko Kawaguchi on an attempted throw quad. She hit the ice so hard, she actually bounced. I thought she deserved a medal just for getting up and skating the rest of the program. Kawaguchi and Smirnov ended up with the bronze.

Even though it was after 11, we stayed for the medal ceremony. I mean, how often does one get to go to a World Championship, right? Because of the location of our seats, we were facing the back of the makeshift medal podium. Thank goodness for Jumbotrons! The funniest part of the night was when the medalists were receiving their awards, and the media photographers half crouched, half slinked across the black carpet to take their pictures. It was really a bizarre sight, and I wish I had used my camera to take a video!

Kimonos and Robots

In the past several weeks, I finally got around to watching a couple of DVDs that I’d been meaning to for quite some time. The first was Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of As You Like It. Given that this is one of my favorite Shakespearean comedies, I was really excited about the film version. And Branagh has done such wonders with film adaptations of Shakespeare plays, the best being (in my humble opinion) Much Ado About Nothing. Branagh set his interpretation of As You Like It in nineteenth century Japan, which I found very intriguing. And it certainly was visually stunning. The costumes, in particular, were gorgeous—a fusion of Victorian and Japanese garb. Bryce Dallas Howard was a vibrant Rosalind, and Romola Garai nearly outshone her as Celia. (I didn't even recognize her as the same actress who portrayed the 18-year-old Briony Tallis in Atonement!) For all its good points, however, the film never grabbed me the way I expected it to. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something seemed lacking. I came away with the vague feeling that perhaps As You Like It simply works better as a play. When I read it a few years ago, I remember loving the language and thinking, "Wow, I think this may have just become my favorite Shakespearean comedy." Then, I saw Sir Peter Hall's RSC production at the Ahmanson Theatre. With a 1930s, depression-era backdrop, it was both nuanced and memorable. Branagh's version is beautiful to look at, and all the actors were extremely competent. But, the spark that truly brings a film to life and creates a deep connection between the audience and the characters on screen remained elusive.

One last note: Brian Blessed had the difficult task of portraying both Duke Senior and his power-hungry brother Duke Frederick. Blessed was excellent in both roles, but images from his stint as Old Deuteronomy in Cats kept leaping unbidden to my mind! Okay, so this picture here isn't of Brian Blessed, but my searches came up empty. This was the best I could do, but I think it gives a good idea of why the image interfered with my ability to focus on and truly enjoy Blessed's efforts in the film!

If you haven't yet guessed, the second DVD I watched was Wall-E. Yes, I know, I work at Disney. How could I have waited till now to watch this film? What can I say? 2008 was an insanely busy year! Anyway, Pixar did its usual amazing job with this film. I appreciated its lofty goals and its artistic achievement. How it gave essentially non-speaking robots such personality and soul really was brilliant. And, of course, its environmental message certainly is timely and relevant. But, just like Branagh's film, Wall-E left me not entirely satisfied. The obese humans' return to a still-toxic Earth seemed unrealistic, and I didn't understand why some live acting was injected into an otherwise all-CGI film. Because I couldn't see the purpose for doing this, it actually distracted me during the movie. Also, the messages, while extremely important, seemed a bit overhanded. Overall, I liked the film, respected what it set out to do, and marveled at what it accomplished artistically and technically. But, I didn't love the film. Perhaps I can best convey my feelings with a comparison to its Pixar predecessor: Wall-E is a more important film than Ratatouille, but I liked Ratatouille more.

Sniffles

Another holiday season, another cold. Alas, toward the end of my visit with Sis, I caught a cold (probably from my dad). Now I am blowing my nose every few minutes and plying myself with hot water and throat lozenges. (No, I will not be venturing out for matzo ball soup.) Thank goodness I get to work from home this week. Though there are deadlines to meet, at least I get to stay in my pajamas and work in the relative comfort of my home. Telecommuting is a wonderful invention.

2008 probably wasn't a great year for most people, but I really can't complain. After all, I finally escaped Ye Olde Textbooke Factorie, and though the road has been a bit on the bumpy side, I truly enjoy my new job. My team is awesome, and the work is engaging and creative. Here's hoping everyone's 2009 is filled with health, happiness, and fulfillment. Happy New Year!

Holiday Travels

I spent most of Christmas day in a car, going from LA to the Bay Area. The varied weather conditions that met us on this trip made it a somewhat surreal experience. The beginning of the drive was marked by heavy rain that significantly reduced visibility. It was a bit like driving through white mist, except the pelting rain persistently reminded you of its physicality. Then we hit the higher elevations, where patches of snow decorated the mountain peaks and valleys. After we got through the Tejon Pass, the weather cleared up, and blue skies greeted us. High winds, however, made this stretch of the drive challenging in more ways than one. Not only did the wind affect steering, but it hurtled tumbleweeds across our path! I'm not exaggerating when I say that some of these tumbleweeds were as big as hay bales. And they were often not easy to dodge. I saw a car going in the opposite direction whose entire front bumper was obscured behind a fat, thorny tumbleweed. We emerged from the bombarding tumbleweed episode relatively unscathed, having only been hit by a few smaller and mid-sized ones.

As we entered another gray sky area, we saw a very pretty rainbow brightening the clouds. Unfortunately, I did not get my camera out quickly enough to take a picture. A little past the halfway point, we stopped for lunch at a Carl's Jr. I don't think I've ever seen a fast-food restaurant so crowded and chaotic before! Who knew so many people would be traveling along the I-5 on Christmas day. The rest of the road trip was relatively uneventful. It was lovely to finally arrive at our destination (my sister's new home), and enjoy the rest of the day with conversation, food, presents, TV, video games, and general merriment. Happy holidays, everyone! :)

Immersion

After nearly 10 months of freelancing for the Mouse, I was finally brought on as permanent staff last week. Becoming "official" meant I had to participate in a day and a half of orientation (or, as some have dubbed it, "indoctrination"). I actually found the experience very interesting, and it was quite a nice morale booster. The highlight of the orientation was a tour of the studio lot, during which we got to walk into the sound stage for Eli Stone. Though I don't follow the show (and it is yet another ABC show slated for cancellation), it was still pretty cool. And I loved that the statue of Dopey (part of the facade of the executives' building) was adorned with a large Santa's hat in celebration of the holiday season.

We also visited the Archive Library, where we marveled over historical Disney artifacts. Did you know that decades ago, Donald Duck lime cola and Donald Duck frozen flounder fillets could be found in stores? Of course, the Archive Library also displayed props from recent films; these included Prince Edward's sword from Enchanted, the cursed medallion from Pirates of the Caribbean, and Julie Andrews' Genovian driver's license from The Princess Diaries. The best part was when the librarian brought out an Academy Award, and we actually got to hold it. The Oscar felt very heavy and substantial. No wonder so many winners remark on its heftiness!

To cap off the day of immersion, we were given tickets to attend the company holiday party at Disneyland that night. (We were brought on just in time for it!) The park was open only to employees and family members from 8 to midnight. It's been years since I've been to Disneyland, so I had a blast (despite the long day). We hit the Indiana Jones ride, Pirates of the Caribbean (the repeated references to the film trilogy felt a bit forced), the Haunted Mansion (brilliantly redone in a Nightmare Before Christmas theme, just for the holidays), Star Tours (probably my favorite ride), Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters (no line, but I apparently suck at it!), and Space Mountain. It felt very much like grad night. ;) Even though I didn't get home till around 2 AM (and I still had another half day of orientation the next morning), I am so glad I went. To top it off, the holiday decorations were absolutely beautiful.
It certainly puts one in a festive mood. Only 9 more days till Christmas! Yay!

Sniff, Sniff

It figures that a few days after my last entry, the announcement came that ABC is canceling Pushing Daisies. The show will air through episode 13; that means there are only 4 episodes left! Of course, episode 13 will be a cliffhanger, so there will be no closure. I hate unresolved, or at least unintended, cliffhangers! The only glimmer of hope is that Executive Producer Brian Fuller is exploring avenues for bringing some kind of conclusion to PD fans: "We are talking to DC Comics about doing comic books that will wrap up our story lines, and I already have a pitch for a [big-screen] movie ready to go." I guess all we can do is keep our fingers crossed that Fuller's efforts come to fruition. That, and savor the few remaining episodes. How sad that such an imaginative and visually stunning show is getting the ax. Granted, this season hasn't quite captured my attention in the same way the premier season did, but Pushing Daisies is still the most refreshing show on television. The fantasy it wraps us in is such a lovely antidote to the slew of self-multiplying reality shows dominating the airwaves. Sigh.