The HanSarang Game Plan

"matter of fact: breaths, steps - take them, and make them meaningful. make a choice, and stand by it. then run with it. what choices are you going to make today to be the person you want to be? when everything seems to be falling apart, the unpredictable power of one choice can remind us of our ability to control our lives. i was inspired this morning by things i couldn't imagine. and it all started with one choice."

Mo T, my spiritual twin brother, your words speak the truth.

The purpose of this entry is to firmly put down in coherent words what I plan to do for the rest of my life, or at least, what I think I know I'll be doing for the rest of my life. I will look back at this entry and never forget the path I want to take.

If anything, I know for damn sure who I am and what I am most passionate about. I know I want to never forget to love myself and to love others, and to encourage others to do the same. I want to fight for what is right and always remember to be humble, to be thankful, and to always keep an open mind and open heart.

But I need to get down to the specifics before I get distracted.

WHO AND WHAT AM I?

I am a Korean American man who above else, is passionate about movies, theatre, and ethnic studies, especially those of Asian Pacific American matters. Also, I am a man who feels intensely and wants to make something useful out of all these emotions!

AM I A SPIRITUAL MAN?

I see the truth and beauty in Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and all religions that teaches one to lead a selfless, righteous life. For those who properly follow it with complete open-minded understanding and respect, we will all meet each other in the most ballin' afterparty the universe will ever see.

WHO ARE MY ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN HEROES AND HEROINES?

Ronald Takaki, Edward Said, Chris Iijima, Sessue Hayakawa, Bruce Lee, Anthony Taguba, Dan Choi, the 442nd Infantry Regiment, Beau Sia, Michelle Myers, Catzie Villayphonh, Alvin Lau, Tak Toyoshima, Ang Lee, John Cho, Bobby Lee, Justin Lin, Mira Nair, Michael Kang, Sung Kang, Kal Penn, Jay Sean, Adriel Luis, Ruby Veridiano, Randall Park, Phil Yu, Ken Jeong, James Kyson Lee, Margaret Cho, Yul Kwon, Daniel Dae Kim, Grace Park, Bao Phi, Ken Leung, Karmen Van Kerckhove, Jeremy Lin, Wong Fu Productions, Far East Movement, Blue Scholars, David Choi, Kina Grannis, Christine Gambito, Kevin Wu, Francis Tanglao-Aguas, Adam Wong, Vicky Yue, Anthony Elopre, Charlina Ahn, Adeline Lai, Maera Iris Busa, Irene Park, Cosmo Fujiyama, Stacey Eunnae, Amanda Andrei, Tong-June Moon, Shayma Jannat, Mohammad Torabinejad, Hanif Yazdi

WHAT IS THE GOAL?

* To spread the golden value of tolerating, understanding, and appreciating all our unique differences and also acknowledging our common ties as human beings. (But I must always remember that I have always room for improvement and therefore I am not a superior or more enlightened human being to others in any way). --The Ideological--
* To strive for a more just, realistic, and humane representation of people, especially those of people of color, in the media. For better or worse, the media greatly influences how we live our lives. Because of that, media representation shall always be one of my top priorities. (But also remember that while the media has significant power, it isn't everything.) --The Practical--

WHAT IS MY MAIN CURRENT METHOD TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL?

Though I've had a rocky relationship with acting for the past eight years, a few bouts with the Bitter Acting Syndrome and all that negative jazz, I sincerely enjoy acting and I get a sheer adrenaline thrill every time I go on stage or when the camera is rolling. I got some awesome headshots taken, I know the tools of the trade, and I have invested many hours in the craft. It will only be a waste if I at least didn't give it a try in the professional world.

So...acting, it is.

But I must know the boundary of what roles I find acceptable and unacceptable. I must avoid taking roles that are devoid of any realistic human elements and are nothing but shallow caricatures and stereotypes that is reflected by my skin color. If I do find a role that has somewhat stereotypical elements but has room for it to create my own interpretation and make that character a genuine human being, this is an opportunity I probably should take. However, it is better to be poor and maintain my dignity than to be a sell out.

WILL ACTING BE THE ONLY METHOD TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL?

No. While I will give everything to train my voice & body to be at the top of my game, I will look at the possible success of acting as a half-full glass. Acting may or may not be the thing for me, and if it was meant to be that acting was not meant for me, achieving the Goal will always be my passion.

There are many other ways to accomplish the Goal.

I can be a high school teacher, theatre professor, producer, director, writer, agent, civil rights activist, program coordinator...the choices are endless.

But at the heart of it all, I can accomplish the ideological aspect of the Goal every single day by being a good friend, lover, co-worker, and colleague. When the day comes, I can make my impact in my own personal way as a husband and as a father.

DO I HAVE A MORE CREATIVE NAME FOR THE GOAL?

Let's call it the HanSarang Game Plan.