What happens to the male specimen that harass me, how the hosting parasite bit me and...oh yeah, doing what makes you happy!

Oh boy!  Oh boy!  Fake guts and body parts! Must. Du. Something. With. Them.

And "du", I did.

 Normally, I prefer to eat my intestines but no, instead, I played with my food.
 No, I didn't even do that, I made a boa out of it.

The creators of horror webisode series "Damaged Goods", Jacob Voelzke and Chris Buch, were so kind to have let me play with their buckets of...well, damaged goods. I met these guys while doing my first live-streaming gig for a show called "Kick In" where we'll be bringing in artists to talk about their projects and getting audiences to help kick-start some funding for them. 

There's only been one show.

It's ironic because I want to do a kick-in for "Kick In" since we, ourselves, could use some funding for our production, lol. Some lavalier microphones would be great because you can't hear my commentary in between the interviews while the microphone is on the interviewee and my hand gets tired from holding up the mic to the other person's mouth.  And right now, our studio lighting is a lamp and the lampshade that's on it.

BUT.  I have to say, it was a really cool experience because it was LIVE and there are no re-takes and take backs.  When I messed up (which I did a few times), I had to play it off.  Story of my life, much?

If you're curious to see how I did, come HERE afterwards.

Now, I've done SOME hosting back in Asia. I assembled a reel but I'll be honest, it's not a public link because I'm not satisfied with it.  I am my own biggest critic. I'll rewatch this footage until I'm literally sick of my own face because I will have nitpicked right down to the eyelash glue and ponder deliriously why I didn't move just 3 degrees more over so people wouldn't have to wonder why they're staring my ear and the earwax inside it the whole time rather than my face.

 It's amazing what you learn about yourself when you watch yourself on camera. It's never what you think when you're doing the actual shooting - and I mean that in both still and video shoots. I try to stay conscious of my bad habits. As they say, practice makes perfect.

 It's funny how I got my start with hosting. It's wasn't because people thought:
"Oh hey, you're a chatterbox, let's put that to some good use!" 

 No, children.  It was simply because:
"Hey, you're a decent looking gal and you speak perfect American accented English - you should host!" 

 Oh, cool.

Same, same, but different. As long as I'm getting paid to talk, I won't delve further into the real reasons as to why I was hired.

Furthermore, they just threw me into the gigs without auditions and I dove right in without any training and with little to no direction. I would have to call myself out. For example, when I hosted FashionTV Vietnam, because the crew didn't understand English, they wouldn't know when I messed up or what I said didn't make sense. They judged solely on my body language, the intonations and inflections of my voice. I could have said "McDonald's rocks my world and these are the reasons why!" with pageant poise and they would've never known.

 Damn. I should've.

For me hosting > acting.  But I'm working on both.  I prefer hosting because I get to be a sponge and soak up information.  Whether it's via research on the guests and topics of discussion the night before or  from the guests themselves during interviews.  I get to meet all kinds of characters and interact with them one-to-one.

I'm starting alllllll over - from ground zero as up as I'm trying to slowly back away from modeling.  I moved to LA impulsively about two weeks ago because I wasn't happy in Vietnam and I want to push myself further - with my personal goals, my career aspirations and simply, life.  Something I've noticed?  The responses I get in regards to my decision to move back.  I used to feed pretty concrete answers.

SCRIPT A
THEM:  Why did you decide to move to LA so suddenly?
ME:  Because I want to push myself further with hosting and acting.
THEM:  But it's easier to "make it" in Asia and it's so competitive and hard in LA.  

While they're at it, they might as well remind me that the sky is blue, 1 + 1 = 2, the bird and the bees aren't really about the birds and the bees, beef is made from cows, practically everything they're wearing right now is probably made in China and that hamsters are the cutest animals in the world.

Chances are, I know.

I get told that everyday.  And at a pretty high frequency per day too.  From family, friends, acquaintances, strangers, and oh yeah, MYSELF.

Along with other comments such as you're too short, you're too skinny, you're not skinny enough, you're prettier in person, you're prettier in pictures, you have bad skin, you're too dark, your Vietnamese is god awful, your English is too Californian, you're Asian, you're old, you're too young looking, you're too commercial, you're not commercial enough, blah blah blah blah blah.

I nod, smile and pretend it's the first time I've heard it all, that I've been delusional this whole entire time and that no one has had the heart to break the bad news to me and more importantly, I need a major reality check.

Listen.  I might not be the next Maggie Q.  Heck.  Things might not work out and I'll have to resort to some office job I have been purposely avoiding since college graduation.  And that's TOTALLY fine by with me.  At least I had a go for it while I was still (relatively) healthy, young and free; have a few modeling photos and footage to show my grandkids that yes, their grandmama isn't just a bag of wrinkles and crazy talk; and at least I'm doing what I want to do.  I would need a bigger reality check if I tried to do all of this when I'm 45 with 2 kids, a mortgage to pay off and a teetering divorce.

I have a set of experiences I have to give credit to for my inspirations and growth as a person.  No matter how far fetched my choices might seem or out of reach, I pursue the things that I do because they make me happy.  And I'm not even referring to just showbiz.  If you're not happy, do something about it. Rather than feeding concrete, I throw up abstract as the real root of it all.  Opting for script B instead as my explanation, people never challenge me.

SCRIPT B
THEM:  Why did you decide to move to LA so suddenly?
ME:  I just wasn't happy anymore.
THEM:  Welcome home.

That's 'cause no one could ever deny happiness.

Bisous,
Isabodyparts Du

And 29 days later, here's another vlog. But you can pretend it's a bedtime story about a likely hero named Ryan Gosling.

My impromptu "Happy New Year" e-card to you. BUT. More importantly, ROUND TABLE PIZZA IS COMING TO VIETNAM!

Salutations from the future!

If you're in the Western Hemisphere, you are probably still reveling in the New Year's festivities while I only have half an hour more till New Year's Day becomes "Day TWO" of 2012.

I only have one resolution this year, and unfortunately, I can't publicly announce it.  But it's a good one.  Ohhhh, it's a good one.  I have friends taking bets already.  So I plan on reaping a big payout at the end of 2012.  That is, if it doesn't end.  (Which, it won't.  Don't make me type Y2K.  Gah.  Too late.)

I'd like to think of my resolution as a possible memoir or a romantic comedy in the making.  The latter definitely not starring Rachel Green - oh whoops, I mean, Jennifer Aniston. Same thing.  I'd most definitely call in Zooey Deschanel for a casting.  I'll stop here, because you guys have no idea what the resolution is and I sound like I'm rambling.  Per usual.

Moving on.

This year has been AMAZING.  I have never done so much in such a short amount of time.


And! I stayed single.  Yes.  Me.  The girl who has been known to her friends to always be in a relationship.  I'm sure you have one or two of those in your group of friends.  Refer them to me, please.

The pattern has finally been broken and this is the longest I have ever been without a serious commitment.  I have gone out of my way to make this happen as I have a tendency to meet amazing people along the way, fall in love quite easily, and emotionally invest myself completely to my partner.   Thus, neglecting myself and the goals that I want to pursue.

This time around, I was able to concentrate on the relationship with myself  by emotionally investing in...well, me.  The ROI? I feel like I have grown so much more in the past year than I ever have and I'm proud of what I have been able to accomplish this past year.

Also, naturally you always have your ups and downs in life, but unlike the other years, I got over my "downs" at a faster rate and my "ups" constantly crescendoed in 2011.

As you may or may not know already, I'm usually based in Saigon, Vietnam.  But I have a weakness for traveling and living abroad, so I'm going to backtrack my travels for the year:

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (for the millionth time, yay)

An old college friend of mine, Sharlene, became a beautiful bride and had her wedding in beautiful Manila.  It was like a mini-reunion with old friends from Chapman University.

And then, I did a photo shoot while I was there - might as well!  Especially if it's with renowned photographer Enzo Mondejar!  (Styled by Eric Poliquit, MUA/Hair by Nina Dumpa) Check out his work here.

BALI, INDONESIA (for my first time)

Yes.  There should be photos where I'm frolicking on Bali's beaches and enjoying cool drinks at Ku de ta by the soothing ocean with some good friends.  Unfortunately, a make-up artist "accidently" deleted all of my photos from Bali before I could upload them.  And the only visually tangible thing I have from the trip is this helmet I ended up bringing back to Vietnam.  Guess that means I'll have to come back!  Darn!  

MONTREAL, CANADA 

(I hadn't seen my mom for 2 years and I hadn't been back here for 5 years)

I flew just in time for Mother's Day to spend it with my mom!  And this trip was the best thing I spent my money on.  I want to make my first million for my mom and sister.

I can't remember the last time I wore so many layers!

Oh wait.  On the motorbike in Vietnam.  So I don't get completely fried in the sun.  

Allow me to rephrase this, I don't remember the last time I felt so cold!

Big one and little one reunited for what?  CHOCOLATE. DUH!

Bonjour et au revoir Montreal!

NEW YORK, NEW YORK (for The Weeknd)

Here I am with accomplished director/photographer/colleague Bao Nguyen and with my good college friend Lani Nguyen (no relation) who is an amazing advertising strategist by day, an uber talented DJ with the moniker Lani Love by night, and a fancy style blogger at all times on Sugar Rock Catwalk .

I have only been to New York once and unfortunately, it was right after 9/11.  This time, I got to experience New York with a self-proclaimed "hipster" local who knew the ins and outs and all the hole-in-the-wall joints.  

It is during this weekend, I confirm my thoughts on "hipster" types, New York veterans and newbies, and how New York can charm me any day - but I'm forever a Californian girl at heart.

SAN FRANCISCO/SAN JOSE, California (for 3 weeks)


I hadn't been back in the Bay Area, where I was born and raised, for 2 years.  I thoroughly enjoyed it actually.  I initially planned on being in Southern California for 3 weeks but the reverse happened.  I ended up staying in Northern California longer than expected.  I reunited with my close girlfriends I have known since high school and then met a few new characters to add to my life.

I went to a the Treasure Island Flea Market in Frisco with some friends and one of the Gemini halves in my life, Jenny!  We found a photo booth where there was a costume box full of gizmos and props and we had only 4 seconds to change for each photo snapped!  So that photo above is the outcome.

Turner got me a hamster PJ set.  'Nuff said!

Napa Valley wine tasting with the girls.  But in my case, I was wine sipping.

Becky and I got to visit Cathy at her workplace, the Facebook headquarters!  

In addition to spending time with good friends, I saw it as an opportunity to bring my laptop in person to fix the Facebook bugs I had been having, lol.

I spent my birthday playing Cranium and ate Fondue with all the girls.  Yummmm!

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA (for a week)

Reunited with my beauty Tamie.  We were roommates in Cebu, Philippines about two years back.  She is actually one of the many reasons I'd move back to LA. 

Reunited with my good friends and old roommates Van and Irene who I funnily enough found on craigslist when urgently trying to find a new place to move to during college.

Yes, I reunited a lot in this year, I realize.  Bare with me here.  I haven't seen these girls since graduation!  I spent the most time with them in college, especially when I took on leadership roles in the Asian Pacific Student Association club.  Yes. That would be "APSA", for short.  But "the Asian club", to get to the point.  And yes, we were awesome.

Tim Burton exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) with Turner, who is a character all of his own.

GUANGZHOU, CHINA (for one month)

Casting, casting, casting.

With my sweet booker Justin and my very sweet roommate Estera.

With Piotr, another roommate of mine, who never failed to introduce to me ear candy that my iTunes so happily consumed as part of the top 25 Most Played playlist.

Tourist time!

NINH VAN BAY, VIETNAM (for The Weeknd)

Sometimes, you have to take a vacation from a vacation.

Singapore (for a month and a half)

My first Zoukout!

Unfortunately, at this time, I'm not allowed to post certain photos from Singapore.  But I'm going to post this photo dedicated to some of the most awe-inspiring girls I got a chance to meet at the end of 2011.  You know eggxactly who you are!

Summing it all up, I got to be in 7 different countries and this turned out to be the most "personal" blog I have up to date.

With some of these friends, there are a few where I literally just met them this last year but we bonded instantly. With the others that I have known for awhile, we have gone for a few months to even a few years without speaking to one another.   And that's okay.  You pick up from where you left off.  This is something I have come to accept and continue to learn to accept.  Especially since it's not easy saying bye, time and time again, not knowing when the next time you'll see each other again.

However, I'm going to go ahead and say that I have relatively good judgement when it comes to my friends.  They're good people and I am thankful that I even crossed paths with them.  I will now dub my 2011 as the year of reunions.

Again, hope you all had an amazing year, but an even better one that's about to happen.  Especially in March when Round Table Pizza is opening 20 locations in Vietnam.  YAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Bisous,
Isablog Du

Filling out the clipboard during the audition should be enough to land me the receptionist role!

That outbreak of directors and producers, chaperoning their laptops and 10 cafe sữa đá amongst local coffee shops can only mean one thing: CASTING season is upon us.

Sure. Castings happen all the time. But the real meat of it happens between September to end of November here in Vietnam. (In case any of you beautiful-faces-and-unsound-minds decide, HEY, I should drop everything, move out of the country and model/act/host/lookcute in Vietnam - I wonder when I should I do it!)

An old friend I had worked with on the set of "Nữ Vệ Sĩ" had me come up to a casting for another soap opera. They made sure not to mention what kind of soap opera this was as well as what characters they were looking for. So I was left wondering, whatever shall I wear?

You'd think it wouldn't matter as much as say, the talent themselves but let me explain to you guys a simple formula when it comes to showbiz in Asia:


PRESENTATION > TALENT

In the States, unless you've been requested to wear certain things, they'd rather see you in minimal make-up and simple clothing for castings and head shots. Avoid loud colors, distracting logos, heavy eye make-up, blah, blah blah. They constantly remind talent that they want to see "YOU".

But say, if you were in Thailand, a casting is a job in itself! You get to the location, they have a make-up artist and a hair stylist work on you, put you in full-on wardrobe and then you have to shoot exactly as the concept layout they have for the actual shoot. You're there for about an hour or so, that is, if you were early. If you weren't early, be prepared to miss the rest of your castings as you wait behind all the other folks in line waiting to be "casted".

It's mind-warping how production would put in so much time and effort into casting just as much as they would for an actual shoot. But their purpose is to get the talent to look as exactly as they possibly can to their ideals.

Recently, I made the mistake of wearing a long resort-y type of dress to an action film casting last time.  So this time, I was left wondering, what outfit could I compromise for roles that range from:

Femme fatale to girl-next-door, and
Naive university student to single, young, mother of two

For a show that's possibly:

Action packed, drama filled, or comedy based.

And this, dear friends, is the best I could do:

Low-cut cleavage bearing red tank underneath,
Church-approved beige button-down cardigan on top,
Skinny blue jeans, and
Khaki wedges.

I arrive to a rather intimate audition room where a bunch of other local talents are seated.  I smile at everyone.  It's easy to spot who's there to audition and who's there making the decision.  The latter has a relaxed dominance within their postures.  Despite being the last to arrive, they took snaps of me first.  And then the man with the most relaxed dominance within his posture asks me what I used to (and maybe still) consider a dreaded question: "Can you speak Vietnamese?"

Here's where I've realized that neither presentation and talent apply.

My mind raced unnecessarily defensively.  Of course I can speak it.  Let alone karaoking it, reading it, writing it and typing with accents on a computer!  But how can I can convince anyone of these things with my blasted American accent!  And yet, they did voiceovers anyways for even the local actors, whether you had a Southern, Central or even the proper Northern accent.

"Tất nhiên em phải biết chứ!  Of course I have to know how to!" I added with a sweet, sweet smile to cancel out what could've been taken as a smart-donkey comment.

"Tên em là gì vậy?  What's your name?"


"Isabelle Du."  I made sure to pronounce it slowly and enunciate clearly.

The man wrinkled his brow.  Clearly, my name didn't make it through the velvet rope.

"Tên Việt?"  He asked for my Vietnamese name.

"Anh cứ gọi em bằng 'Du" hoặc là 'Beo' cũng được."  I told him that he could just call me by my last name or "Beo".  "Beo" means wildcat in Vietnamese but the nickname was originally derived from the local's pronunciation of "Belle".

He didn't seem so amused and just had me fill out a form while I could feel onlookers' eyes were upon my writing.

Name.  Alias, if any.  Height.  Address.  Cell phone number.  Acting Experience.  And, done.

I hand him over the clipboard to which he tells me that he'll call if anything comes up.

Er...that's it?  No video casting?  No sides to read?  No crying-on-cue-requests for the melodramatic hospital scenes?  The whole room stares at me as I smiled, thanked and said my goodbyes to everyone.

Apparently, no one was interested in my acting abilities and I just wasn't what they were looking for.  I don't mind these things.  Especially if I got to try out on camera and didn't get the role.  But I can't help but wonder "why" when I didn't get to try out at all.

Is my look not convincing enough as a Vietnamese person?
(I hear it just as much as people misspelling my name.)

Or was my Vietnamese not convincing enough for them to hear a full-on script reading?
What could I have done to better my chances or did I not stand a chance to begin with?

Was the interaction the "try out" itself?  Or is that too meta?   And what shall I have for lunch?

Well kids, all I can come up with is that a yes is a yes, a no is a no and that you can never go wrong with phở for lunch.  Yum!

Till next time,
IsaBEO Du Meow!

Me and the McDonald's Diet.

I ate McDonald's almost every day during my last week of China.

And maybe some of you realize this and maybe not, but McDonald's delivers in every country EXCEPT for its native motherland.  The good 'ol US of A.  But hey, we got to give Americans at least one good reason to unglue their eyes from their monitors, their bums from their couches to step outside of their houses, right?  I know I'd be done for.

One of the good/bad things about living in Vietnam is that there are NO McDonald's.

KFC.  Yes.  Subway.  Check.  Popeye's.  Yup.  Pizza Hut.  I'm VIP there.

But nope - no McDonald's.

So even if I really wanted to munch on my two apple pies for a dollar or stuff my face with Big Mac and fries, I can't.  And I really shouldn't, because we all know there are healthier options.  As much as I love, love, LOVE McDonald's.



So when Model Measurement Monday came to weigh me in, I was surprised to find that I was 46.5 kg (103 lbs).

This means, I lost 2.5 kg from my usual 49 kg (108 lbs).

Here's where I have to write about the badly dramatized Supersize Me documentary.  Yes, you bet I've seen it.  And guess what.  I got hungry and ate a Big Mac right after I saw it.

Homeboy was trying too hard to prove that McDonald's is "bad" for you.  Of course you're going to gain weight if you supersize all of your meals for 30 days straight.

However, in a PR class I had taken in college, my professor mentioned an interesting rebuttal story.  A McDonald's lovin' woman ate McDonald's for 90 days straight and LOST 37 pounds (17 kg).  She made certain meal selections and exercised during those 90 days.  Hence as to why McDonald's adds the tagline on their products' boxes and wrappers, "It's what you eat and what you do".

You guys can read the article here.

After I got off the scale, my booker gave me a big grin and an enthusiastic thumbs up as I contemplated how to gain my weight back.

I left the agency, bought myself an Oreo McFlurry and walked a 5 level shopping mall in my black heels.

Catalog: BoAime

BoAime is designer Mimi Ledo's love child.

Here are some shots from this year's BoAime Fall/Resort 2011 catalog:





Creative Director: Nathan Lee
Make-Up/Hair: Vinh Thuy

And here are some shots from the last time I modeled for her Boaime's Resort/Spring 2010 catalog:











Creative Director:  Henri Hubert
Make-up/Hair:  Andy Phan

Mimi's a good friend of mine and she's got this amazing attractive independent spirit about her.

You can just see it from her pieces.  They're romantic but whimsical, coquettish yet uninhibited.  And actually, she's one of the very few people I really admire.  She's Vietnamese by heritage and came to Canada by herself when she was just a kid by boat. She knows what she wants; has a good heart, a sharp tongue that tells it like how it is, self-starter motivation like no other; and travels whenever she pleases but spends half of her time in Montreal, Canada and Saigon, Vietnam.

Someone should write an article on this woman.  Really.





Check out BoAime's facebook

Bisous,
Isaboaime Du

Casting Reality: You are but a pretty girl amongst other pretty girls.

Every morning, we'd stuff ourselves in the van and then, it's:

Casting.  Casting.  Casting.

Take off your clothes.

Put on our clothes.

Smile.  Smile.  Smile.

Pose.  Pose.  Pose.

Snap.  Click.  Flash.

Next girl, next casting,

and,

repeat.

-

So mindless, these things.

And yet.  It gave me a lot to mind and mull over.

One can only show so much of their persona to stand out.

I hadn't been booking - but at the same time, I wasn't the only one either from my agency.  Including a few that have been here longer than me.  It happens.  And maybe for a multitude of reasons. And I can accept that.   Maybe it wasn't the right agency, or season, or maybe China wasn't my market,  er, specifically, Guangzhou.  I should have looked more into it actually prior to coming here.  But foolish me, I may have been much too distracted by the idea of staying somewhere new.  Oh well!

I may have mentioned in a previous entry how I was aware it was mostly catalogue but I didn't realize it would be ALL catalogue.  There weren't any TVC (TV commercial) castings or editorials here since they're all in Beijing and Shanghai.  One of the bookers disclosed to me that it was their first time bringing over a model with a Pan-Asian look and it was a bit of a trial basis to see what the clients' feedback would be.  Come to think of it, I hadn't seen a lot of Pan-Asian looking girls at castings.  They were either Eastern Europeans or Brazilians.

For me, rejections are hackneyed.  But I have to say, not booking made me antsy and model castings have made me realized that...I'm tired.  Just so damn tired of it.

It's time for something new, baby.

Bisous

Nip Slip. Pun involuntarily intended.

Nude underwear is practical and a model's necessity.
But let's face it. A strapless bra is just as cozy as a thong.

So there are days where I'll wear silicone nipple covers instead.
I forget that that they're there and they do what they have to do for my girls.

During a recent casting, the client had requested for just me out of all the other girls in my agency to try on their clothes for their catalogue.  Yes, I thought.

"Please change."

And changed I did - into their baggy-styled sporty clothing.

"Pose, please."

And pose I did.  Cool poses, that is.  As cool as cool can be.  Heck.  I felt super cool.

They smiled.  I smiled.

And just as I thought I would make a graceful exit and an unfaltering impression, I slip backwards a little as I tried to walk towards the changing room.  I looked down at my feet for the culprit. There it was, my left silicone nipple cover, surprisingly still in tact despite my heel's attempt to puncture it.

The clients' smiles had now turned into stifled chuckles.  I may have let out a sheepish laugh.  I can't remember really.  But I quickly grabbed the cover and said "Thank you" to everyone in the room.

The "Thank you" was for having me try out for them.  I realize now that it may have sounded as the kind of "Thank you" one gives to an audience after having performed in front of them.

I'm going to blame Guangzhou's humidity on this one.

What's "pose training" exactly?

According to the girls in my agency, it's watching reruns of America's Next Top Model episodes.
And not just any rereuns.  But cycles 1 and 2.  The show is currently working on cycle 17.

Afterwards, they're filmed doing 20 poses, without repeating one, in 30 seconds.

Upon reading completion of this blog entry, you are now certified to instruct a posing class.

Should you desire to further your credentials, you can join me in my photo booth rampage.

Tearsheets: Belladonna The Wedding Magazine (Indonesia)

Photography: Robin Alfian
Location: New World Hotel
Thiet Ke: Andreas Odang & Widhi Budimulia
Trang Diem: Yulia Ratna Sari
Stylist: Deodius Kunta Adjie

How to fix your leaking air conditioner! Don't try this at home kids! Oh wait. Maybe you already have. I know I did.

The air conditioner in our apartment has been leaking water.
My solution was to put a bucket directly below where the water has been leaking.
And then I called our agency about it, and in turn, they called the repairman to stop by.

Homeboy couldn't fix it (out of laziness or lack of competence, I'm not quite sure)...
Therefore, his solution was a much more complicated variant of ours.
Allow me to show you.

Yes.  Your eyes do not deceive you.  

Though I wish they did with mine.

That would indeed be a tube rerouting the leaking water into the bucket 

now placed only a few inches away from the original spot I had placed the bucket.  

And not just any kind of tube, dear friends - 

a tube wrapped with faux autumn foliage.  

Therein lies the true magic of camouflage.

And yes,

the water will overflow, overnight.  Time to put that water gun laying around in our kitchen to use!

Bisous,
Isabucket Du