End Game

I found myself nearly in tears. The stress was through the roof. The frustration escalated. After that semester, never would I ever have thought I would take another Moose class again.

Yet, amidst all the madness, there was the work of a crazy genius. I found myself wandering back into the Moosevilleu Wonderland, and I have no regrets. Every project held a new experience for me. I learnt a lesson is a lesson, no matter how small.

Doodle Assignment

My greatest problem in the creative process is settling on one idea. I constantly push myself to crank out ideas and struggle to figure out, “which is the best, which is me, which will the audience like?” My doodle came to me amidst a round of Overwatch while I was procrastinating the assignment.

I found the key in a simple quote and a favorite character of mine:

“Embrace, Tranquility” - Zenyatta

Letter Art

People value friendship, family, community. Despite being a communications major and a campus leader, I am not a people person. I strove to select a word that was not stereotypical or overdone. Nothing cheesy like “perspective” would do, nothing super deep like “tranquility” either. My answer arrived as I dove into my turkey burger one sunny Sunday brunch, ready to eat my stress away and chat up a conversation with Mindy. A sweet, savory, sour, bitter, and umami packed word that I found perfect for me:

Food.

Business Thank You Letter / Home-made Envelope

A project gone wrong is not time wasted. The first draft of my envelope was fully functional and could have easily been turned in. But the edges were wrinkled, the material was flimsy, and I just wanted to do better. This draft served as a great blueprint and model for my step-by-step blog post later on. In addition, the practice aided in making the second envelope more quickly.

The letter writing was perhaps my favorite part. Of course, it had to be professional and full of praise and proper grammar with formalities. That did not stop me from throwing a little satire and tongue-in-cheek exaggerations here and there. I had to find a way to spice up the project somehow.

T-Shirt Design

2019 is a year of political change. Everywhere there are conversations of social justice issues, politics, and scientific discoveries blooming on the streets. I wanted to be part of the change and took feminism as my inspirational cause. Women in Asian cultures are often depicted to be demure and bubbly. I decided to show the world that sure, we can still be bubbly, but put my own “pop” on it.

The project sees deceptively easy; that is where the trouble happens. rything about me is serious though. The iconic greeting “Salutations Friends” began during my time as a New Broncho Orientation Leader this past summer. I wanted to be welcoming to the new incoming students, someone they would love to follow for a full 48 hours and a greeting to bring up the spirit. Little did I know “salutations friends” would spread to the entirety of the orientation program like wildfire, then onto the Asian American Student Association, and even the various organizations of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Wherever I go, I hope to show my bubbly and poppy personality. Whether it be in my mindset, my greeting, or my fashionable attire.

Sing a Song

I sound like a dying whale when I sing. That is a fact.

I enjoy rewriting lyrics to foreign songs and rapping. Surprise facts.

Deciding to write a rap was easy; I’ve been writing raps since I was in high school. I was cranking out chants, songs and raps in under 15 minutes at least twice a week in the summer as an Orientation Leader. The creative process was no problem for me.

The performance process was.

The beat was perfect.

The rhymes were lit.

I trembled in fear, in front of the class where I sit.

I practiced and practiced.

Rewrote my set list.

They watched and listened, no one looking board.

Their mouths hung open, hanging to every word.

The compliments came.

Like the spring shower rain.

My rapping career bloomed.

The applause filling the room.

Mixed CD

This is perhaps everyone’s favorite assignment of the year. I know it was by far the most fun for me.

I wanted to have an overall theme or story to my songs. Even with the guidelines and categories provided in the assignment, I wanted to make it even more difficult for myself. I toyed around with multiple themes/stories; different colors, different times of day, etc.

My mixtape eventually settled on the four seasons. Each song builds on the story of an individual’s journey through a relationship. The beginning three songs represent summer and the feeling of a love that can last forever. The transition into winter marks the demise and longing for a relationship that has fallen. Fall marks a time of serenity and shedding away the negative emotions tied to once loving memories. Finally, spring marks a time of rebirth, and the beauty of an individual who no longer relies on the past relationship to define their life.

The artwork reflects the same theme as the music. The varying bars form a heart, and each bar represents the color of a season. Overall, the album holds warm colors that tie to spring and the final approach to a personal rebirth.

I was incredibly proud of the project. Each song, with its English translations, perfectly ties into the narrative and each season it represents. In fact, I loved the project so much that I submitted it to Rice University as one of my supplementary works that represented me.

There are a few interesting fun facts to this project. The first is that the seasons are in reverse order. This is done intentionally to show the cyclical nature of the relationships many individuals find themselves in. Secondly, some of the songs hold meanings contradictory to their initial sound. For example, Crystal Snow reflects a somber message despite its happy tone. This displays how some stages of our lives are convoluted. We may not realize the true message of the event until after we reflect deeper upon its “lyrics.”

Lastly, all the songs are in Korean. While Korean pop is my favorite genre of music, a full non-English mixtape was done intentionally. It was done to show that messages are able to transcend across languages, but the true meaning requires time and understanding (or searching up English translations).

I know for years to come, I will be keeping my mixtape proudly on my shelf. Watch out for a Hing Thing studio comeback, 2021.

Video Production Game

The project seems deceptively easy; that is where the trouble happens.

I tend to get too excited and have incredibly grand ideas, and given the easier nature of the project, there was little restraint on my imagination. The problem lies in how realistic these ideas can be.

Writing the script and formulating a story around our story cubes came quickly. Scheduling shooting dates across a large group of people, video editing, and coming up with solution for unforeseen problems was much more difficult.

The video did not have to be this hard. It was my ambition that made it all the more difficult.

Did I regret it? Perhaps a little.

Was I tired? Absolutely.

Did some hilarious memories and a great bonding experience come out of it? Without a doubt.