Come on Irene

You have twelve hours to evacuate your home, pack a "go bag",  and seek higher ground from an impending hurricane's storm surge with anticipated floods soon to ravage your zip code. GO!

Two gallons of water, a can of Progresso Clam Chowder, Cup o' Noodles chicken soup, two bottles of red wine, one Chardonnay, Spicy Cheez Puffs, Double Stuff Oreos,  Sees' Candy Awesome Chocolate & Nougat Bars, a family size bag of Doritos Nacho Cheese flavor, a pack of Parliaments, dried cranberries and 30 vanilla scented tea light candles ~ these are to have been my sustenance away from home during the unforgettable Hurricane Irene of 2011.

As a veteran of Filipino typhoons, gusty winds and rain are all too familiar and dare I say sometimes comforting. Many were asked if they felt these evacuation measures to be exaggerated, and for once New York / New Jersey residents were in accord with a resounding "no"as they heeded the warning.  Ironically, the rain was hardly my motivation for following Jersey City's highly suggested voluntary evacuation.  The anticipated flood at next morning's high tide, compounded by high risk of being unable to descend to a potentially flooded first floor is a different story. It was at that point I welcomed a dear friend's invitation to be their hurricane refugee for the duration of this calamity.

Unlike a dramatic movie's exodus scene from catastrophic consequences (complete with cars embroiled in traffic), this was a leisurely twenty minute drive to the higher grounds of Weehawken, New Jersey.  Two miles prior to reaching my destination, turning onto JFK Boulevard East,  I was reintroduced to the a most breathtaking Manhattan skyline from Hamilton Park (pictured above). Rain clouds, mist, and increasing winds provided more than ample  foreshadowing of what was to come: a sit down dinner with good friends, an excellent dvd movie "The Conspirator", and zany photographic fun involving the cats of the household.

This afternoon's venture outside to investigate thankfully yielded bettter news. Damage, though clearly apparent in several areas, was thankfully not as severe. Now onto tomorrow's commute to work as that's surely a whole disaster of its own.

Shake Shack Was All Shook Up

"What a beautiful day" has got to be the plainest Facebook status. But it was simply that - a beautiful day. Tuesday August 23rd commenced with a pleasantly warm sunrise. It was the kind of day that anti depression drug commercial film crews wish for in order to film the after effect - that kind of "happier" day. Precipitation was nowhere in sight, humidity was on vacation, and only the sun remained with a gentle breeze - at least that's what I absorbed from my ten minute breather before heading back into my office. 


At approximately 150pm I rolled my chair back to reach for something on the floor,  and noticed a vertical bounce building from underneath. The San Franciscan in me leapt to attention and identified the movement as emanating from the earth. Emergency crisis announcements advised that we stay in our seats. However, I took the more visceral approach and darted for the closest exit with droves of similarly rattled co workers. 


This was an historic 5.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Virginia and was felt as far as Manhattan. Located about six kilometers of Mineral, Virginia the magnitude was initially 5.8 but since then has been upgraded. Suddenly, the East Coast was caught off guard by something unusually Californian. 


Suddenly I was transported back to San Francisco during the equally historic earthquake of October 17 1989. The World Series was interrupted, a portion of the Bay Bridge collapsed, and I was at King Norman's Toy Store on Clement St. where the ceiling had cracked open and I climbed out from under the rubble of board games Life and Risk. 


Thankfully, I was jolted back to the safer reality of the current temblor which reported no serious injuries. A sigh of relief followed by a string of jovial Facebook messages from San Franciscan friends gave me comfort. And why not mark this historical quaking moment with a densely packed chocolate shake from our office's neighboring gourmet burger brilliance, Shake Shack, right?!


Alas Shake Shack was all shook up! The adjacent edifice that houses this fiercely rebranded burger joint was under construction and had to undergo more extensive post tremor examination prior to allowing public access. So no chocolate shake (pout). Yet I happily return to my desk albeit sensitive to the slightest vibration. 


So where were you at 150pm yesterday Wednesday August 24th? Did you feel the earth move under your feet? 

A Favorite Facebook status ~ revived from this day last year 2010

Dalai Lama says "The purpose of our lives is to be happy." 
Dalai LIM. A says "Find your passion so you find your purpose." 


And once you find your purpose waste not a single minute. So grab that shot of cappuccino, get excited til you just can't hide it, and run the like the wind. Perhaps it's just me and my usually sleep deprived self,  harkening back to memories of my early 20s when my mom would, like clockwork at every New Year's Eve, sit at the foot of my bed and advise "When are you going to change? You waste so much time, and it's worth much more than gold. Wait til you realize this, and hope it's not too late." Love my mama for this, and I'd like to think I "got it" in time. 


To Everything There is A Season, as sung by the Byrds in the 60s. May we find our moments, our pace that echoes our heartbeat, while pushing the envelope and challenging us to be the best we  were meant to be. Living this motto in the moment would mean getting out of bed now that it is three o'clock on a Sunday afternoon. Freshly French pressed coffee can only assuage one's guilt for so long, not to mention a dwindling box of French macaroons - well you can call it an empty box now.


Checking in on my passions as follows in chronological order: Performing (singing, dancing, acting), Photography, Baking, Blogging/writing. One wouldn't ask a parent of four children "Who's your favorite?" I think mine is apparent, but each of these purposes was born in its own time, with its own personality. So I will nurture them in the hopes that they, like children, become my pride and joy. That for all the world's drudgery and dismay, I have contributed towards a fruitful future. 

Staying Alive after Saturday Night's Fevered Dancing in "Awesome 80s Prom"

What is it about jazz and coffee paired on a lazy Sunday afternoon? Perhaps java is your internal alarm that wakes your senses, complimented by jazz for a gentler commute to consciousness? Certainly so for this actor in the "Awesome 80s Prom" recovering after a Saturday night of dancing and improvisational hyperactivity with a myriad of audience members from happily stunned tourists whose faith in their Times Square TKTS purchase yielded a happy return, regular Prom goers in 80s regalia armed with matching vocabulary and catch phrases, to the wistful bachelorette and her ten friends bidding adieu to single life (and sobriety for the evening).

The show is but a thirty minute PATH train commute on a Saturday from my Grove St. stop in Jersey City (the glamorous part of New Jersey).  Iced coffee in hand, I descended to the steamy platform to  await the 33rd Street train for a thankfully brief five minutes. Pavonia Newport and Hoboken are the quick Jersey stops before Christopher St, 9th Ave, then my destination 14th Street.

A familiar face is always welcomed and worth removing ones headphones especially for an old friend James Rado. Lovingly known to many as "Jim", he is a Hoboken resident, the co-creator and original cast member of the mutli-generational bastion of Broadway musicals, "Hair", and the director who gave me a chance to live two seasons of my life in a singer/actor's dream with its European Touring production.

He politely declined as I offered my seat, yet I gently insisted until he graciously acquiesced with a smile. "I always enjoy running into you on the train Jim!" I say this every time we've run into each other on the train and I mean it. I also asked what was keeping him busy, equally sharing goings on of my theatrical and creative ventures. Not only am I happy to report that Jim is doing well, keeping busy with a new workshop, but I also have to note that I subscribe to his ever creating, developing, and workshopping work ethic.  We discussed how a director gets the desired performance from an actor, which led to Jim's poignant question "Where does the freedom of the actor lie?"

I enjoy Jim's organic style of direction. My best recollection reveals somewhat of a democratic dance between leading and following, listening to the actor, guiding him/her towards a naturally successful trajectory based on a healthy brew of actor's instincts and Jim's vision. This short ride to Manhattan clearly didn't give enough time for an intelligible answer, unless Jim was about to ring a buzzer, revealing that I was the subject of his new reality show "Actors on a Train" (Hey why not if you can have "Snakes on A Plane"...). Salutatory greetings were also in order with 14th Street coming up so I offered mine ~ "Jim, this is a great question! It's great to see you man! May I respond thru my blog? " He nodded elegantly as a blessing I suppose, gave a firm handshake, and offered a similar parting cheer.

A gentle rain on Manhattan's streets welcomed me back to the "Prom" after last week's groovy San Francisco trip (see previous blogs). Webster Hall was my dry destination, and once reached, I shook my umbrella like a dog fluffs itself after a bath. What I didn't shake off was Jim's question, and it seemed fitting to source the answer as I enter the halls of Wanaget High as Feung Schwey, the Asian Exchange student of the long running Off Broadway show "Awesome 80s Prom".

Feung Schwey's name is a play on the term feng shui - the ancient Chinese system of aesthetics believed to use the laws of both Heaven (Chinese astrology - possibly mislabeled as "astronomy" on Wikipedia) and Earth to help one improve life by receiving the positive. And receive the positive I must,  given that one must never say no in improv. Take, for instance, the unsuspecting audience member, sporting an 80s headband. He is a tasty morsel for our cast's well honed improv-predatory instincts, which are constantly called upon by our supportive and fearless leader, Prom creator/director, and theatrical marketing genius Ken Davenport. Ken's observation of my lack of fear, later reiterated as an encouraging and complimentary note, was my green light. It was my license to continue the fearless involvement of surprised theatre goers who otherwise would've enjoyed a passive evening in their seats.

So with a full tank of improvisational petrol,  Feung Schwey arrives at the prom literally coming around the block with schoolmates Louis Fensterspock on his bike (played to nebbish heights by Daryl Embry) and spasmodic Kerrie Kowalski (introspectively waxed last evening by Ashley Campana, and on a regular basis by the engaging Melissa Diaz). All would catapult onto the scene nearby our headband wearing audience member as Feung would pounce on this theatrical prey and be transfixed on the gentleman's similar accessory. All this while visually demonstrating how their common headband garment theatrically transforms an otherwise powerless exchange student into the Karate Kid, Olivia Newton-John amidst a "Physical" workout, Jennifer Beals mid-pirouette and "flashdancing", or not - when said garment is devilishly re-purposed as a mere blindfold by the abrasive bad boy rebel Fender (lovingly played by Brandon Marotta). Suddenly, Feung's less compromising, nerdier position becomes a golden opportunity seized by Principal Snelgrove (handsomely played by Dr. Thomas Poarch) as if stealing a base with more focused determination than the recently traded Astros-to-Braves Michael Bourn. Our innocent bystander is surely not to be spared from the principal's spray of insults, soon to silence our guest's nerdalicious laughter. Insult is added to injury as nubile cheerleaders parade by like the Supremes led by Whitley Whitaker (expertly played last evening by the visually arresting Kate Riley, and on a regular basis by the equally appetizing Jessica West Regan) towing along her Greek chorus of identically named Heathers (intelligently played by the blonde beauties Jennifer Peters and Megan Gerlach). These sirens appropriately sneer at the now tentative participant while en route to their perch of popularity from the dance floor, to the stage, and then to the occupied couch where they shriek away beer filled audience members. Their male counterparts, the Football Jock & Player, are the Laurel & Hardy-esque duo (played by Chris Cafero & Michael Barra) offering a similarly guttural response to the unfortunate audience member's plight.

Should the unnamed audience member find himself tapping into scars of adolescence, the more sympathetic characters of Wanaget High are sure to detect this improvisational opportunity just as dogs smell fear and provide some relief. Salvation could be an embrace from the heavenly milkmaid in blue named Inga Swanson, the Swedish exchange student (effortlessly exuded by the perennially radiant Lindsay Ryan). Inga's enthusiasm compliments her accidentally sensual vocabulary, being the busty Bonnie to Feung's Clyde and together they machine gun the audience with an ammunition of mismatched vocabulary.

There's nothing mismatched about a chic 80s ensemble showcased by Dickie Harrington (played by the enigmatic Wade Dooley) as the vocaliste /drama queen of Wanaget High. Once our embarrassed patron moves past Dickie's narcissistic hunger for fame, he's sure to be offered a welcoming embrace, or a martini if successfully undetected by Principal Snelgrove or his female counterpart, the drama educator Mrs. Loscalzo (expertly played by Andrea Briggs). Mrs. L takes her job seriously, patrolling the dance floor armed with a stiff wooden ruler to illustrate at least ten inches of distance required between those dancing closely as they come of age. Soon to orbit our unsuspecting 80s dude are are the freshmen brother and sister duo of Lloyd and Molly (dynamically portrayed last evening by Zach Sciranka and Pamela Macy). On the other end of the spectrum are the politically mature & aristocratic pair Michael Jay (diplomatically played by Alex Fast last evening, and on a regular basis by the equally dignified and deliciously industrious Craig Jorczak) & Missy Martin (honorably established by the gracious Lauren Schafler). Both are sure to advise our Prom goer to cross his T's, dot his I's, and much to their Republican chagrin, democratically cast his vote for Prom King & Queen. Let's not forget these moments are puppeteered by our ring leader, Wanaget High's alum and resident "Barnum" known as DJ Johnny Hughes (orchestrated by Craig Jorczak last eve, and on a regular basis by poetical Dillon Porter whose wit unfailingly receives a speeding ticket).

As Feung Schwey, I ironically found my freedom within the confines of my character's seemingly stereotypical facade unmasked by music, and within the willingness of cast mates and participatory audience members to play in this field of improvisational dreams. Pinball wizard or not, audience and actor alike will hopefully feel like a steel ball plunged into a gigantic pinball machine, kinetically bounced between a host of stimulating personalities, suggestive lighting and memory evoking music of the 80s.

Pardon as I digress with a full dissertation of the "Prom", though it seems befitting that the answer to Jim's question be vetted against a large part of my theatrical life. Within previous roles listed in the resume tab of www.andersonlim.com,  my freedom as an actor truly had lain within the structure of each character. Each provided a unique mold, an unusual canvas, onto which I painted my blood, sweat, and tears. Furthermore, the length of a show's run has played an integral part in allowing me the comfort and eventual freedom to grow each character on a nightly, weekly, or even yearly basis. Time, after all, doesn't just heal all wounds, but is a gift worth heavier than gold.

As one who looks fondly on memories from the 80s while accurately replicating the running man, Roger Rabbit, and the Reebok to the surprise and cheering delight of my weekly audience - staying alive after Saturday night's fevered dancing in the Awesome 80s Prom is definitely not for the faint hearted. It's for all of us who wish to revisit a carefree and colorful era, for those who actively participate in our sense of humor, and for those of us willing to jump into the unknown to find creative freedom.