There are a couple of other commercials I appeared in that I haven’t been able to locate yet, but I have been informed they have been released to the viewing public. I have been paid most of the money that was owed to me for the commercial projects I was cast for in the Summer and Autumn. Over the weekend, I completed work on a production for an upcoming advertisement for Škoda Auto.

I’ve decided to take control over my acting career, namely by managing and tracking the payments for these commercial jobs myself. I’ve also started working on my own creative project, which I won’t disclose here. I haven’t talked or written about it much, even to my friends. I have my eye behind the eight-ball, and I’m not doing this project for shits and giggles (though it will have plenty, I’m sure).

There: short and sweet, with less negativity.

In August, I encountered a number of career-related obstacles that reinforced the limited and limiting nature of the film and television industry in Prague for foreign actors. Needless to write, it is a very frustrating prospect. A lot of it has to do with the level of acceptance by the movers and shakers of this town; a status quo that no one has the inclination to break. I was speaking with a friend of mine recently – he is a well-known figure in the hospitality industry in Prague -  and he said the city needs to be turned upside-down before any significant and lasting change may take place. While he was speaking from the perspective of a successful manager working at an international restaurant franchise, I found his words rang true for the local acting community that work in film and television productions shot in Prague.

So where do I begin? Ah, I know: getting paid for gigs (film, television, commercial, and theatre jobs). I’m owed a significant amount of money for four (4) commercial productions I acted in between early June and the middle of July. I’m also owed money for a number of theatre performances I did between the middle of February and the beginning of March. Due to the lack of actor unions in this country, there are no rules set down or a watchdog organizations to govern the remuneration of career actors.

The theatre I used to work for is called The Bear Educational Theatre, which travels around the Czech Republic and France, and performs educational plays to students with the aim of teaching English as a second language through drama. The company employs three full-time staff for administrative purposes, including one to control finances and accounting. I contacted the company director, David Fisher, directly on June 30, and again on August 10 when I did not receive a reply. I finally received a reply from him on August 14, informing me that he would be in the centre of town on the 18th and would pay me the outstanding amount in person. On the morning of that day, I received a text from David telling me the meeting would be postponed because he would not be in town. On August 23, I received a email from him asking for my bank account details so he could transfer the money to me, as he was in the tourist town of Český Krumlov. I replied immediately after reading the email; to this day, I have not received the money nor a reply from David. Since that date, I have attempted to initiate contact with him on three different occasions to no avail.

This incident is not the first time I have heard similar stories of late payment by The Bear Educational Theatre to its employed actors. There were two instances in the past where the actors had to chase the company for payment. One payment – a relatively small amount – was a year overdue; the second – a much large amount – was willfully withheld from the actor by David Fisher after he and the actor in question had a falling out (the actor eventually received payment for the work he did).

Even professional production companies in the Czech Republic will not hesitate to permanently withhold payment from actors. I have never been paid by the International Production Company for my work in the horror-thriller film Psych: 9; and I had to chase Starlite Productions to claim my daily fee for working on the set of  The Pagan Queen. In the latter case, I contacted production three times over the course of 365 days after the production wrapped before I got a lawyer involved. Only then did they agree to remunerate me, but outright refused to pay the interest owed due to late payment, even though it was stipulated in a clause in the contract (which was signed and stamped by company producer, Vladimír Lhoták). They knew it would cost me more in legal fees to take them to court than I would receive from the interest they owed me. Both production companies are based in Prague.

Most foreign production companies – be they from the US, the UK, Italy, France, wherever – take advantage of the lack of actor unions in the Czech Republic. It allows them to defer payment to the actor for a minimum of three months (90 days). A recent example of this happening to me is the “Campari” commercial, directed by Joel Schumacher. That particular production wrapped on June 16, 2011. I saw two cuts of the commercial in the middle of August: a long version, and a short version. As of the writing of this entry, I have not been paid for working on that set. Even more recently (and strangely) is the “Lipton” commercial – the one  starring Pierce Brosnan  – that I worked on in July. A “final cut” was made a week after the production wrapped, so my agent sent off the order for the daily fee and buyout (I was visible in the cut). A few days later, production notified her the “final cut” was going to be reedited, so payment was withheld. A week ago, I learned that one of the featured extras on the set received his daily fee. It was his first gig – he’s not an actor by trade – and the agency or company that represented him for that production solicited his payment and received it. Now I am with a long-standing agency in Prague that specializes in representing foreign talent; I’ve been with them for five years. As of the writing of this entry, I haven’t been remunerated for that gig.

To be continued…

I was very happy. I landed the lead role for that TV spot, which was filmed on one of the platforms at Prague’s Hlavní nádraží (Main Train Station). The production had access to one platform, with all other platforms still in operation. There were lots of people – locals and tourists alike – stopping and watching the action or taking photos of the set. Despite being surrounded by the bustle of a European train station, the production carried on without incident. I attributed this to excellent leadership. The director was Robert Logevall, a Swedish-born Canadian who began his career as an art director. The Director of Photography (D.O.P.) was Michael Coulter, a Scottish cinematographer that’s been working in the industry since 1980. The first Assistant Director (1st AD) was Craig Pinckes, a New Yorker based in L.A. that’s worked on many Hollywood production sets since the early 90s. The combination of an eccentric Swede, a soft-spoken Scotsman, and a brash American made for the perfect team behind the camera. They were all extremely professional, yet their individual characteristics made them a joy to work with. I would work with any of those guys again at a drop of a hat.

The producer and clients were also very personable. I don’t believe it would be a good idea to mention their individual names, because I foresee a whole lot of hassle from name-dropping them. The producer was from the aforementioned Supply & Demand Integrated and the clients were from The Gate Worldwide. They were all very friendly and treated me well. I was speaking candidly with one of them about how my next commercial gig (which happens tomorrow) apparently has Pierce Brosnan on set. He told me it was ironic, because when they were casting for this TV spot, they were looking for someone that could display a quiet sort of confidence. “Someone who looked like they could assassinate people,” he said, “but on a more emotional level. And we were all saying ‘someone like Pierce Brosnan’.” I was chuffed to learn that my main competition for the role was an actor from London (UK), but I fit the profile better. Besides, the clients in Tokyo apparently stated that I looked Japanese enough. Believe me, I’ve had Japanese people think I was Japanese! 

Right, a little segue about this commercial starring Pierce Brosnan. I received an SMS from my agent on Saturday morning – the first day of shoot – that read:

Good morning, please do not let anyone cut your hair. I know you agreed but it was never discussed about how much. Please let them discuss it with me first. Thanx.

So there was a discussion between the production assistants, the clients, and my agent about how much hair the makeup department could take off my head. Eventually my agent consented to the haircut, with the express condition that a post-haircut photograph of me be sent to her and the production assistants of my next commercial gig. All the production assistants knew that Pierce Brosnan was cast in my upcoming gig  - it’s a small industry in Prague; everybody knows everybody else. So during the day, they would ask me if I was excited to be working with him. I had NO idea he was even in the commercial. For me, it ranks up there with sitting at a table with Sean Bean and Ashley Judd, and doing a reading with them and the rest of the cast for an upcoming television mini-series. While it is cool to see A-listers, it doesn’t advance my career or pay my salaries (which is to write that it doesn’t rank very highly). For me, being able to work on another gig one day after wrapping on another commercial set is better than sharing the same oxygen space with a celebrity. Being creative, active, and paid overwhelms the smell of fame by miles.

Besides, I doubt tomorrow’s gig will be anywhere near as nice an experience as the one on the weekend. I mean, I was treated well. The production assistants would always make sure I was comfortable; asked me if I wanted to sit down or have a coffee while waiting off-set. The women from wardrobe and makeup were always fussing over my costume and hair, respectively (they were all from Unit Sofa, a Czech production company that I’ve work with in the past). The Director, D.O.P., 1st AD, and clients were always very pleasant and fun to talk with. There was also one girl from wardrobe whom I thought was gorgeous. Okay, this is the Czech Republic; there are women here that are so beautiful, it’s ridiculous; like being too sweet it’s sickly. This girl had the right balance of looks and personality. She had a great smile, and I liked her style (when she put on a leather jacket on the last day, I was sold ). Again, no name dropping; could cause future embarrassment. So basically, it was a dream set for me.

Oh yeah, I guess I should write about why the blog entry is titled the way it is. Part of my costume was a suitcase, which the cute wardrobe girl instructed me not to drop or put on the ground because it was very expensive. I had no idea just how expensive it was, until I gave it to one of the production assistants to hold on to while I went on a coffee break. I came back and he showed me the label on the suitcase: Porsche Design. Yes, as in the car company Porsche! “No wonder they’re so protective of this suitcase,” I said. “I mean, they even have a bag for the Bag!” When not in use, one of the wardrobe girls would tuck the suitcase in a protective, tear resistant bag.

A HUGE thank you to Robert, Mick, Craig, all the clients from The Gate Worldwide, the producer from Supply & Demand (remember, I’m not name dropping), Martin the production manager, the production assistants (Ruben, Shakir, Filip, Jan), the wardrobe & makeup girls (no name dropping here either), the transport girl Martina, my drivers, Dušan the photographer, and all the crew from Unit Sofa for making my weekend a memorable one!

A good friend of mine in Toronto asked me recently how much I charge for a custom WordPress theme. This includes coding, designing, implementing, and validating the theme. I told him I charge $800 per custom theme (for the sticklers out there, the American and Canadian dollar are just about on par at the moment). I’m confident in my web designing and programming skills to charge that amount. It is not uncommon to find senior web designers charging between $1000 and $2000 for a custom WordPress theme. If the theme is truly monumental with a lot of bells-and-whistles, then web designers are well within their rights to charge more; I certainly do.

A custom theme is different from a premium theme in that it is unique. It is coded and designed for one particular customer or organization, with their input used as a guideline to create the look and feel of the theme. Due to this constraint, a custom theme is a one-shot deal (another individual or business would be absurd to use a theme with someone else’s logo on it). Using WordPress software as the backbone for a website allows a layperson to manage their own content. So long as they know how to use a word processor, they’re golden. This adds to the “one-shot deal” idea. I like to refer to WordPress themes as “fire-and-forget” projects, because once they’re completed, they’re out of my hands. The days of requiring a dedicated web designer to maintain a website are largely over.

I have worked on the barter system in the past, though I am reconsidering this policy simply because I find that it’s often a one-sided affair (100% effort coming from my side). I decided to use the barter system on a case-by-case basis because I knew there were a lot of small businesses and artistic individuals that could not afford an upfront fee in excess of $800. An agreement between myself and a customer was simple enough: I created a website for services rendered and/or goods with an equivalent value of the cost of the project. I began to find that a few of the projects suffered from “student film syndrome”. Typically, student films are unpaid and a good number of them are never finished. Financially supporting a project gives it a sense of urgency. In layman’s terms, if you pay for it, there’s a higher chance you’re  going to eat it. In the aforementioned projects, I found that while I was accomplishing my end of the bargain, the other parties were not. There would be long delays in responses concerning the project, which invariably led to no responses at all. It’s a typical apathy that sets in when one feels like they are getting something for nothing (the operative word in that sentence is “feels”, because according to the agreement, my services aren’t free).

One-hundred percent of the time, I discovered a nifty trick or something new while coding up a new project. In a previous, unfinished project, I designed a beautiful site with multiple layout options. So what happens if an unfinished project doesn’t get used? Simple: I offer it to someone else. There’s no sense in wasting a perfectly great design, and I’m not going to stop development on an idea because someone else wasted their opportunity with it.

And as a “by-the-way”, let me finish by writing that I won’t barter my services for sexual favours. You can pay a hooker for that sort of thing, which means you can pay me too for creating a website for you.

I lived in Ottawa between 1995 and 2000, and returned to the city in 2004 for a short visit. I have not lived as a resident of Canada for the past 11 years. I’ve lived as an expatriate in three different countries during that time. By definition, the word “expatriate” has a negative connotation. It implies banishment or exile from one’s country of origin, whether willful or not. It also implies a lack of love or distaste for one’s home country. For me, this is a misnomer. I love Canada, and I miss it on a daily basis. I’ll always remember the words used by Canadian illustrator, John Howe, to end his presentation at IdeaCity 2006 in Toronto:

I haven’t been back to Canada very often, so Canada is in a way my imagined country. It’s the country I dream of. It’s the passport to which I cling resolutely, like a lost sailor in a stormy sea.

(Click here to view the entire presentation; highly recommended).

For the uneducated, John Howe is best known for his works based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s worlds. He was one of the lead concept artists (along with English illustrator, Alan Lee) for Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies and the upcoming prequel movies based on The Hobbit. Born on August 21, 1957 (making him a Leo) in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, John Howe studied at Ecole des Arts Décoratifs in Strasbourg, France, after graduating from high school (Strasbourg is a beautiful city, by the way). He currently lives in Switzerland with his wife and son. John Howe is also an expert swordsman. There are tales and videos on the Internet and on the Lord of the Rings Extended Edition DVDs that depict him wearing armour and sparring with other employees of Peter Jackson’s project using steel blades. While I know plenty of Canadians living abroad that do not possess the skill of wielding blades (or any weapons for that matter), medieval swordsmanship is a curious connection that John Howe and I share.

I got a little sidetracked there. To continue, I often felt like a lost sailor in a stormy sea during my time outside of Canada. Being away from my home country has given me a better appreciation for it. When I lived in Canada, I used to say, “I’m Chinese-Canadian.” Now when people ask me about my citizenship, I just say, “I’m Canadian”. Growing up and being educated in Canada had the greatest impact on the person I am today: my open-mindedness; my expansive imagination; my respect for the natural world; hell, even my unnatural (I’m Asian, remember) tolerance to alcohol. My greatest and longest friendships originated in Canada and continue to exist to this day.

I’ve often said and written that I left Canada because the country wasn’t ready for me yet. I’ve sometimes wondered if the reverse were actually true: that I wasn’t ready for Canada. The paradoxical truth of it is that it’s likely a combination of the two ideas. I left Canada to see the world; to see and experience new things. I’ve learned a great deal about myself, about this spaceship we call Earth, and the people that inhabit it. I’ve been allowed the freedom to learn many new skills that I may have overlooked while living in a comfortable environment. I’m certainly not the same boy when I left Canada, both psychologically and physiologically. In many ways, I have become “ready” to return to Canada, but I wouldn’t have become ready unless I left the country. Paradox.

This is not to write that I will return to Canada any time soon. Believe me, I would love to return to my family home in Toronto, take care of my parents, landscape the garden, finish the basement, dance the night away at Nocturne, live in a multi-cultural city, and shoot the shit with my close friends. One of the things I miss about Canada is LARPing. Yes, that stands for Live Action Role Playing. I’m not going to get into detail about it, because there’s plenty of lore and information via Google. If you live in Toronto and would like to try LARP, visit Underworld. If I could live in Toronto and work in film and television projects abroad, it would be a dream come true. Financially, it would be the best possible scenario for me. While they don’t admit it, I believe my parents would like me to return to Toronto. Of course, they’d prefer if I worked in an office and stayed away from acting. No one in my family line has ever become a full-time actor; I’m the first one. I can understand their apprehension to the idea; there’s no precedent set. It makes them afraid. Hell, it makes ME afraid too.

I was born under the sign of Sagittarius. I can’t think of another family member that was born under that sign; certainly none of my immediate family. I’m the middle child in a family of Fixed signs (Scorpio and Taurus – Fixed Water and Fixed Earth, respectively). Sagittarius: the great adventurer; the world traveler; the most mutable of the Fire signs. Of course, what happens when you imprison fire? It dies. So the question on my mind now is: will returning to Canada allow me to thrive and burn creatively? Or will circumstances trap me – surround me – and eventually snuff me out?

The decision is looming.

Libochovice Chateau is  something out of a fairy tale. Its early Baroque condition dates back to the 17th century and has been preserved to this day. The architectural styles of the interior range from Baroque to 19th century, decorated with a collection of tapestries, paintings, glass, and china. The impressive Saturn’s Hall, with its high ceiling, large fireplace, and artistic sculptures (of Saturn and his children is my assumption) is where most of the shooting took place. The twelve signs of the zodiac are sculpted into the perimeter of the ceiling (much to my surprise and delight). The exterior of the chateau is breathtaking. The gardens boast a number of species of trees, flower beds, two fountains, and a large man-made pond. A peacock and peafowl call the area home, and their raucous calls could be heard throughout the shoot.

On the third day of shooting, I was gifted with a sight. I had been hearing the high-pitched calls of raptors for two days while on set; sounds that I learned to recognize while training at B & S Hawk. The general hustle and bustle that surrounded me for those few days made it difficult for me to find the origins of the sounds. On the morning of the third day, I was speaking with Štěpán Sedlák, casting director of J.A.M. Casting when I suddenly heard a flock of pigeons take emergency flight from the rooftop they were all resting on. I looked up to locate the reason for their agitation, and sure enough, I saw two longwings gracefully glide into the sheltered rooftop window where they nested. I couldn’t identify them at the time, but my guess at the moment is that they’re a pair of Common Kestrels. I related to Štěpán about how I can handle trained falcons and hawks, and he gave me a surprised look before saying, “Micheal, you have to say that in your introduction at the next casting!” He was right, of course.

By day 3, Štěpán calling me Micheal was a bit of a joke. I had been going to castings at J.A.M. for over 5 years, and up until last week, Štěpán knew me as “Micheal”, even though I always introduced myself as “Kendrick” during the audition introduction. I finally corrected him during the shoot, and he explained to me that some years ago – before I arrived in Prague – there was an Asian gentleman named Micheal that attended castings on a regular basis. Due to the cultural association, Štěpán kept calling me Micheal for 5 years even though he knew it wasn’t my name. It was fun to get to know Štěpán, whom I believe is the most personable casting director in Prague. Often times, when explaining the action for the casting, he’s much better than the actors that show up!

This is the part of the blog entry where I write about the creative side of the project (or what I liked about it). Working with Joel Schumacher was a blast. He always arrived on set smiling, and greeted everyone that he passed. He knew me by name from the first day of shooting, which – to be honest – wasn’t difficult because I was the only Asian on set (a typical occurrence in this part of the world). The best part of working on this project was the opportunity to wear a fabulous costume. Joel Schumacher began his filmmaking career as a costume designer in LA, so there was a real emphasis on the look of each of the actors (I swear costume, makeup, and hair design must have taken at least 3 hours a day to complete). I was dressed in a 17th century Baroque outfit in cream and gold, with hard leather boots that reached my knees. The frock coat was by far the most extravagant piece I was wearing during the shoot. My hair was mostly tied back with a hair extension and ribbon added to simulate a Baroque-style ponytail. The hair designers straightened lengths of my hair on the left side and hit it with hairspray to produce an asymmetrical style akin to an anime character. I do confidently admit that I looked super dashing in that outfit. It was probably the best costume I’ve worn to date for a production. Upon arriving to set every morning, I looked forward to getting dressed up. All I needed was a rapier and a falcon or hawk on my glove to complete the look. If you look good, you feel good, so you do good. I felt great! Unfortunately, I don’t own a digital camera or a smart phone, so I was unable to take any photographs of my outfit. Some people did take photos though, so I’m certain they’ll turn up on Facebook some time in the near future.

I couldn’t complain about the amount of eye candy, either. The women outnumbered the men, and with all the actors in Baroque-style costumes, it was a veritable feast for the eyes. Some actors from Milan (the clients were from Italy) were hired for the shoot. I write actors, but they were really models. There was this one Italian model where I thought, “Oh my goddess” when I saw her. She was an absolute stunner. Whomever her parents are, they must be very proud their genetics did an excellent job. It didn’t look like she was used to washing dishes, or cooking, or wielding a sword, but if anyone could fit the archetype of “princess”, it was her. It wasn’t ironic, then, that her costume was a pink, flowing dress.

So I’ve written about the good, and there was clearly nothing ugly about the project; now for the bad. It’s typical on a film and commercial production to segregate the actors (or “talent”): extras, featured extras, principals, mains; kind of like a menu in a restaurant. For this project, it was just extras, featured extras, and one main actor. I was cast for a featured extra role, which was fine. The problem arose when the segregation became more like Prague actors, then everyone else. The actors hired from Italy were doing the same things we were (meaning they were just featured extras), except they were put up in the nice hotel and they were permitted to take food and beverages from craft services. I suspected their paycheques were significantly higher than ours as well. The actors hired in Prague were stuffed into a tent and given canister coffee, bread, and water. Lunch was whatever they wanted to serve us, and it was often not hot (just lukewarm). If you were vegetarian, you were out of luck. At one point, Štěpán asked me if the food was always this bad on commercial shoots (he hadn’t been on a commercial shoot for the past 3 years).

I mentioned I was the only Asian on the set. By day 3, I began to suspect the clients weren’t keen on using me in any of the shots. Apparently Joel Schumacher was; he put me into a fantastic costume for the contrast it provided. Still, it was always in the back of my mind that I was a Chinese guy on a commercial to be broadcast in Italy; my position on the hierarchical grease-pole of this project  was very low indeed. On the final day of shooting, I was called to set 3 times, and all 3 times I was never used. I was on standby for 3 hours at one point, after which I was told I was in the next shot. I walked onto set and waited for my instructions, only to be told that I wouldn’t be in the shot but to stick around just in case. I was never used on set for the rest of the day. Okay, so they hired an Asian actor and stuck him in a 17th century, Baroque costume. They gave him a slick Japanimation hair style. He stuck out like a sore thumb, but he looked absolutely fabulous. Then they don’t use him in any of the shots. What was the point of that? Was I not hired to provide some wacky contrast to the commercial? Now that was bad. I learned later that there were nine clients, and they all had different views on the creative aspect of the commercial. I also learned that by day 3, Joel Schumacher was just about ready to blow a gasket. He was used to getting a shot in 2 or 3 takes, but the clients all wanted something different.

All-in-all, it was a great experience for me. I got to meet and work with Joel Schumacher, wear a fancy costume, walk around an early Baroque chateau, meet new people (a shout out to Mattias, Štěpán, and Charlotte of Ω² ohm square), and see wild raptors. This is on top of getting paid for being hired for the project. They’re opportunities that I don’t come around everyday for me, so I am truly grateful for them all.

Right, let’s get this out of the way first: one of my interests is astrology. According to Dictionary.com, astrology is defined as the study that assumes and attempts to interpret the influence of the heavenly bodies on human affairs. This is not to be mistaken with astronomy, which may be defined as the science that deals with the material universe beyond the earth’s atmosphere. While I don’t feel I have any need to defend my perspectives on the subject, I will point out that just because something cannot be seen, it doesn’t mean that it does not exist. In 1847, Hungarian doctor Ignaz Semmelweis postulated that medical students were carrying “cadaverous particles” on their hands from the autopsy rooms and were transmitting them to the patients they examined. His theory of infection was ridiculed and opposed by the medical community, and never accepted during his lifetime. It turned out Dr. Semmelweis was right, and he is now considered an early pioneer in antiseptic procedures.

I read an interesting article recently written by Peter Stockinger entitled “E.coli Outbreak and Total Lunar Eclipse on June 15th 2011“. I never once thought that a lunar eclipse in Sagittarius could bring about plagues and great evils. If anything, my research indicated that the lunar eclipse would bring out the spontaneity in people. Being a Sagittarian, I’ve been greatly interested in knowing how the eclipse could affect me. I write ‘could’, because astrology isn’t about presenting preset conditions. It’s about presenting choices and opportunities. A person could decide not to eat the Oreo cookie and instead go for Häagen-Dazs Chocolate Cookie Dough ice cream. A lot of people also don’t realize that Sun Sign astrology is just the beginning. There are 10 planets (the Sun and the Moon are considered planets in astrology) and 12 zodiac signs. Then there’s the Ascendant (or Rising Sign), which is how other people tend to see a specific person. For example, my Sun is in Sagittarius, my Moon is in Gemini, and my Ascendant is Gemini. Yeah, I could write a significant amount about my Sagittarian and Gemini ways (but I won’t). In short, Sagittarius and Gemini are opposite each other on the zodiac. It’s a very spectacular relationship: the possibility of the greatest attraction coupled with the possibility of the greatest repulsion. Having Gemini in two significant areas of my astrological chart also means I have two evil twins, and two not-so-evil twins. 

According to my research, those born around December 16 (I was born on December 17)will face issues of a personal nature where a decision has to be made. There’s also the opportunity to shift attitudes that don’t work anymore. It’s easier to change oneself than it is to change another person. Of course, there’s the usual advice to have faith in one’s hopes and dreams as life is dictated by what we believe we can and can not accomplish. I also found a very specific note from one astrologer’s interpretation indicated that someone at work has a crush on me. Due to the freelance nature of my occupation as an actor, I sincerely doubt this one has any credibility; unless it’s one of the women in the wardrobe and makeup departments, Valentino (the hairdresser), or Joel Schumacher (who is directing the commercial project I am involved in over the next 3 days).

I will be out of Prague for three days and two nights. I wasn’t informed how many days I would be on set until this afternoon; turns out I’ll be shooting for all three days (which, of course, means I will receive more money).  The commercial is for Campari, and it will indeed be directed by Joel Schumacher. Yeah, I was wondering what he was doing shooting a commercial, but it seems he delves in other forms of media other than blockbuster movies (he directed the music video for Smashing Pumpkins’ The End is the Beginning is the End, for example). I had a chance to speak with him during the costume fitting. He’s very personable; knows a lot of historical trivia. This really helped out the creative process involved in choosing costumes, as the theme for the commercial is neo-Baroque. My costume is a French-style, period outfit from the 17th century. It reminded me of the time I rented a pirate costume (frock coat and all!) from Angels in London, UK. I definitely rock the frock!  It was the most relaxed and fun costume fitting I’ve ever attended.

In between thinking about finishing this entry and actually finishing it, I’m filing my nails. I received a funny call from the casting studio that held the auditions for the aforementioned commercial project. They asked me if I could go out and get a manicure. Yeah, my reaction was to pause for a brief moment before asking, “What?” Apparently the makeup department doesn’t have the time to clean all the actors’ nails, and the director and clients want our hands to be well-groomed. I was given the option of going out and paying for a manicure or cleaning my nails myself. I told the girl on the other line that I have beautiful nails (thanks Mom and Dad), and I could clean them myself (I have a nail file in my makeup kit – I’m an actor AND an ex-LARPer; get over it!). One of the women I dated in Canada in the late 90s once commented on how my hands looked like they never saw hard labour. I took that as an insult, and proceeded to rough up my hands and knuckles by striking sandbags and canvas punching bags (without hand wraps) during my martial arts training (which was Wing Chun at the time). Well, I do have callouses now from training with kettlebells, but I still have fingers made for playing piano (again, thanks Mom and Dad).

After following HBO’s new series, Game of Thrones, I found myself compelled to revisit two things from my past: 1) Reread G.R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire trilogy (which the series is based on), and 2) Start using “bashy” swords again. I trained in stage combat for some years while living in London, and was one of four people (I think it was four; anyway, the number was low) to be awarded a BADC Advanced Certification, Gold with Recommendation that year. Long swords and broad swords were part of our training. I classify “bashy” swords as any sword of medieval Europe (approximately 500 AD to 1500 AD). The combination of a lean build and natural dexterity made me excellently suited to use a rapier (and any of its accompanying weapons: 2nd rapier, dagger, cloak, beer stein). I could safely “muscle” the sword a bit without fear of damaging it (as would occur if I did the same thing with a small sword, aka a court sword). One of my dream roles is to play one of the Musketeers in The Three Musketeers, modern remake or not (which is going to take a very imaginative or progressive director). The sword of choice in the Game of Thrones television series is the hand-and-a-half sword; pure “bashiness”. I’ve put on a fair amount of muscle over the years since I left London, and I think it’s time I threw heavier swords back into my skillset.

Oh yeah, some people find it strange that I learned how to use European melee weapons instead of Asian ones seeing as my ancestry is Chinese. My retort is this: have you watch the movie Highlander? It’s about an immortal Scottish swordsman named Connor MacLeod. He used a Japanese katana. In 1992, a television series also called Highlander followed the story of Duncan MacLeod, Connor’s clansman. He also used a Japanese katana. Somewhere along the way, it became culturally acceptable for every Scottish Highlander and his third cousin, twice-removed, to use a katana. “Fuck it,” I thought. “I’m going to learn how to use European swords.”

And that’s what I did. I’ll be back in a few days.

I went to the grocery store yesterday morning; on my iPod was Metallica‘s “All Nightmare Long”. Then I switched over to Industrial Strength Radio (podcast), and was introduced to German electro-industrial band yelworC (and yes, it’s a reference to Aleister Crowley). If I could coin a term for the situation, I’d call it an “aggressive milk run”. Eating properly has become a secondary objective these past three weeks, but I managed to keep my refrigerator stocked with milk. Yes, I realize there are health warnings and disagreements with consuming cow milk; it’s made for calves, not humans, etc. etc. A large percentage of my daily protein intake comes from milk, and until a better alternative is invented, cow milk is perfectly healthy for me. Besides, I don’t eat tuna anymore due to my belief that tuna stocks are suffering from rampant overfishing.

A website that I’ve frequented recently is oneword. The idea is to write about the word of the day in sixty seconds. The word is only revealed when the user clicks ‘go’, facilitating a fast-paced writing session. I’ve found the endeavour both creative and therapeutic. I’m guilty of bottling up my thoughts and emotions, which as an actor is detrimental. Using the exercise presented on this website has been a good way to remove creative blocks, as well as give me a fairly clear idea of the important thoughts that are crying for my attention. I once wrote a beautiful, poetic piece using the word ‘torch’, and it was clearly evident that I was writing about my hidden affections for a particular girl.

Tonight is our last performance of Alchemysta at the Prague Fringe Festival. In fact, we go on in one hour and fifteen minutes. Luckily, the theatre is close to my flat, so I can finish up this entry before departing. We spent 17 days rehearsing the play, following by another nine nights of performances. We’ve pretty much been ‘on’ for 26 days. I’m looking forward to getting a bit of distance from the play. Without getting into too much detail, it’s been very demanding for me personally. There’s also the sense that we’ve been playing with fire a little bit with the content. We’ve received mixed reviews from audience members. The two critic reviews we received may be found in the Prague Post and Prague.tv.

I’d like to thank Mel, Jeff, Bethany, Kyle, Christopher, Polina, Marc, Kearstin, Emilia (for one night only!), Ian, and Tomáš for a memorable trip down the rabbit hole.

The show must go on.

Being somewhat tired of receiving hits from unrelated referrals, I have gone geek and implemented a redirect command that will enable all the fine and horny users from Peachy Forum to see their Iveta B. in action, instead of in still photographs or in their imaginations. Her first appearance is 11 seconds into the commercial. The commercial has been on my YouTube channel for years now, but users still arrive at my site to look for their beloved Iveta.

And guys – because invariably they are guys – your IP addresses and location information are safe with me. 

This leads me to UFC 129, an event which broke attendance and live gate sales for the company and North American MMA. The event drew 55,724 fans for a live gate of $12.075 million. Of course, the main event between French Canadian Georges St. Pierre (GSP) and American Jake Shields was not without fan criticism after the bout was finished. Like his last three fights, Georges dominated his opponent to another unanimous decision. He received more flack for his apparent inability to finish fights (via KO or submission). I believe his greatest critics need to view his last 5 fights, starting with Jon Fitch and skipping B.J. Penn (whom St. Pierre did finish). GSP fought five fighters that are difficult to KO and hard to submit. In the bouts against Thiago Alves and Jakes Shields, he was fighting with a significant injury (torn groin muscle and hyphema, respectively). In all of previous six fights, his opponents had no idea how to effectively counter Georges game plan. After round 1 and 2 of his latest bout, Jake Shields actually looked bewildered between rounds. None of GSP’s last six opponents put him in any danger. MMA fans need to take into consideration not only the champ’s performance, but also his opponents’. There’s also in-ring technique to be considered. Fans may take it for granted, but effectively timing all those superman punches, spinning back kicks, and counters is high level stuff. Now try doing all that with one eye closed. Personally, I believe GSP’s fights are exciting, but my perspective comes from understanding the sport beyond the limitations of a mere spectator.

Okay, on to something artsy.

I’m involved with Akanda for their upcoming production of Alchymista at the Prague Fringe Festival. More details about the show will appear somewhere at sometime, I’m sure. It will mark the first time I’ve work with the theatre company. So far, rehearsals have been fun, and fun is the reason why I decided to get involved in the production in the first place. No, it will not make me infinitely wealthier, or grant me universal praise and/or understanding. In this town, it will likely draw more criticism than anything else. In cases like those, I like to draw upon Genghis Khan’s response to his mother when she told him it was morally wrong to go to war: “I don’t care.” Okay, I don’t think he ever said that to his mother, but my response is still the same. Being bold and creative is the order of the month, and I aim to fulfill both criteria, regardless of who and/or what gets in my way. Belligerent, you say? Well, that entirely depends on whom decides to get in my way. 

I decided to start a music project. I won’t write about it much for now, since it’s still in the conception stage. I also have Venus in Scorpio, which tends to make me conceal my artistic endeavours when I first begin them. Yes, I realize this astrological alignment is notorious for sex obsession (and LOT of it), but I believe it’s safe to write that most people – including myself – know that I am a far cry from being a nymphomaniac. It’s a good thing I exercise a lot.  Anyhow, back to the music project: it’s dark; that’s all I’ll write about it for now.

This is a good place to give shout out to two websites that I’ve come across in the past month: Magneto Guitars and Inn at the Crossroads.

My style of guitar playing is heavy metal, specifically thrash. I love high output, flay-the-skin-off-your-face shredding. After listening to some reviews of the guitars from Magneto, I now have a soft spot in my heart for articulate blues. I definitely want a guitar for blues and rock, and I always thought I was limited to Fender Stratocasters; not any more. I have my eye on the Sonnet Custom Studio, Tiger Brown version. Magneto Guitars founder and designer, Christian Hatstatt, is an incredibly nice guy to boot.

Inn at the Crossroads is a cooking site run by two fans of George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series. They create and test recipes of foods described in the novels. I am also a fan of George R.R. Martin’s work, as well as being a fantastic cook. I enjoy trying different recipes when I make myself dinner, and this website has been a godsend for new ideas. Coming from Canada, I particularly like the recipes from “The North”.

Stay tuned for more creativity and belligerence in the coming days!! 8)