Humm, I think this is my third week here I think and again, I am here with nothing to do. I can't get access to my file on the public share server probably because the other computer is not on.
Tammy and Augustine are not in yet and it's almost 11am. I am seriously considering decreasing my days to be here to like 1-2 days a week and for shooting. I need to find another place where I can learn more about filmmaking. But I think at the same time i need to be more aggressive and ask Tammy a lot of questions that I want to ask her. I think I have earned the rights to ask by volunteering for three weeks.
I was disappointed that I will not be helping for an interview, which could have happened today. But I understand how there is an event at 3pm at the Art Centre which would make it really rushed. I felt like I am not valued here.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
3rd Week at Visible Record
I think Tammy should give me food. That's a pretty reasonable request since I am working for free. Now I am working Tuesday-Friday, 10am-6pm. Pretty standard hours I would say but I am seeing if I can get 1-2 more days off because I am free and a lot of the stuff I can do at home. Actually, yet just doing stuff at home so I can be more flexible with my time here.
I was watching Secondary School again and it is a little more entertaining than the last time I saw it. Some of the teachers are kind of cute. The English reminds me of Singaporean English and that actually supports my theory that Singaporean English is basically Chinese trying to speak Chinese. Actually, that's a well known fact. Just like the Singaporeans, Hong Kongers a lot of time put "ah", "la" and other Chinese expression sound in their English.
Then I thought about a story about a young couple of teachers in different school. The young wife is super stressed with school work and also go to work on the Saturday. The husband feel weird that the school gets more of his wife than him. He has to deal with this teenage student's breakup. Well, he sees a fellow girl student crying uncontrollably and he looks around for another teacher, preferably a female teacher but no one was around so he told her to his office and gave him tissue to try to understand and comfort her. The student was ditched by her boyfriend or something like that. At the same time, the husband is meeting up with a female friend and they find themselves dealing with problems of intimacy with their spouses.
I find Tammy to be a rather extreme person with his perspective. She has a strong character and act like a teacher to everybody. She's somewhat an absolute person. She is not reserved at all except when someone ask her something personal. She asks me a lot of personal questions and I find somewhat invasive of my privacy. She wants to know about my family background, like if I am from a rich family or not. Maybe it's a bit strange for her that I am working for free and coming all the way from Fotan and she has this image of these overseas Chinese or young Chinese Hong Kong people who grew up overseas. She's not keen on rich wealthy or well-to-do people and I think she's being a bit too much judgmental. I can say that she dislikes if not hate rich brats. She probably thinks she's a crusader or something. She's pretty full or herself. A bit rude actually. I think she considers herself to be a sophsicated or civilized or well-educated person but not really. She has some prejudice and some old ancient Chinese thinking in her.
I was watching Secondary School again and it is a little more entertaining than the last time I saw it. Some of the teachers are kind of cute. The English reminds me of Singaporean English and that actually supports my theory that Singaporean English is basically Chinese trying to speak Chinese. Actually, that's a well known fact. Just like the Singaporeans, Hong Kongers a lot of time put "ah", "la" and other Chinese expression sound in their English.
Then I thought about a story about a young couple of teachers in different school. The young wife is super stressed with school work and also go to work on the Saturday. The husband feel weird that the school gets more of his wife than him. He has to deal with this teenage student's breakup. Well, he sees a fellow girl student crying uncontrollably and he looks around for another teacher, preferably a female teacher but no one was around so he told her to his office and gave him tissue to try to understand and comfort her. The student was ditched by her boyfriend or something like that. At the same time, the husband is meeting up with a female friend and they find themselves dealing with problems of intimacy with their spouses.
I find Tammy to be a rather extreme person with his perspective. She has a strong character and act like a teacher to everybody. She's somewhat an absolute person. She is not reserved at all except when someone ask her something personal. She asks me a lot of personal questions and I find somewhat invasive of my privacy. She wants to know about my family background, like if I am from a rich family or not. Maybe it's a bit strange for her that I am working for free and coming all the way from Fotan and she has this image of these overseas Chinese or young Chinese Hong Kong people who grew up overseas. She's not keen on rich wealthy or well-to-do people and I think she's being a bit too much judgmental. I can say that she dislikes if not hate rich brats. She probably thinks she's a crusader or something. She's pretty full or herself. A bit rude actually. I think she considers herself to be a sophsicated or civilized or well-educated person but not really. She has some prejudice and some old ancient Chinese thinking in her.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Beginning of Second Week
What am i doing now? I am doing quality control on DVDs at Visible Record. So basically I am watching a lot of Chinese documentary films. All of them are good, I saw "Rice Distribution" for the second time and it still awed me and I saw some familiar faces in there who I didn't know the first time I saw it including someone from Tin Chuen and the head of HK Police Department. They are both big men. They could easily put on traditional Chinese robe and be ancient Chinese generals.
So not much to do today and I am actually wondering if I could work fewer days? Last week, Tammy gave me some of her time and e chatted a bit and basically heshe just quized me on Chinese history and literature. She asked me what is my life's purpose? and what do I want to do? She told me to read more Chinese while I am in Hong KOng and be fluent in it. I actually knew this ever since I came to Hong Kong and for a long time wanted to learn more CHinese.
I actually suppoes to get Monday off but Tammy said there's some rushes so I came today. But it turns out that there's nothing to do and she's not here today.
So not much to do today and I am actually wondering if I could work fewer days? Last week, Tammy gave me some of her time and e chatted a bit and basically heshe just quized me on Chinese history and literature. She asked me what is my life's purpose? and what do I want to do? She told me to read more Chinese while I am in Hong KOng and be fluent in it. I actually knew this ever since I came to Hong Kong and for a long time wanted to learn more CHinese.
I actually suppoes to get Monday off but Tammy said there's some rushes so I came today. But it turns out that there's nothing to do and she's not here today.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
beginning of summer
I am, as of right now, at VisibleRecord, a documentary film promoter and distributor founded by Tammy Cheung, a respected Hong Kong documentary filmmaker.
Today is my second day hereand I came at 10am as told and only Pat was here to open the door for me. I wonder if I should not come as on time so that I won't have to wait at the door. Gigi, the secretary came a little after I did. I found out it's not that bad to tke the MTR to Wanchai. It actually took only 35 min or so. Way better than my commute to SKW.
So right now I am watching a Chinese documentary. I think I watched 8 so far, including this one. MOst of them are pretty good. Actually, all of them has a good story, it's just the audio and the picture might look amateurish at times, but the technical faults can be easily forgiven because of the strong narrative of these documentaries. Hopefully my Chinese, especially , Mandarin will improve. I am, again, a bit of a handicap because I can't type Chinese and speak fluent Mandarin.That's the way , if you want to work in China. You need to be able to type and read Chinese and speak Mandarin.
I am seeng if I can get a standard hours here and work for 4 days. Nothing is set and I want to set some boundary, some schedule so I can schedule my time better. And also give myself some free time to do my stuff and maybe tutor some kids.
Tammy seems to be a a pretty gentle person and she talks to her staff as if talking to school children. But I know shes tough as well. You have to be tough to be a director. The people are alright. But then, I am a volunteer.
Today is my second day hereand I came at 10am as told and only Pat was here to open the door for me. I wonder if I should not come as on time so that I won't have to wait at the door. Gigi, the secretary came a little after I did. I found out it's not that bad to tke the MTR to Wanchai. It actually took only 35 min or so. Way better than my commute to SKW.
So right now I am watching a Chinese documentary. I think I watched 8 so far, including this one. MOst of them are pretty good. Actually, all of them has a good story, it's just the audio and the picture might look amateurish at times, but the technical faults can be easily forgiven because of the strong narrative of these documentaries. Hopefully my Chinese, especially , Mandarin will improve. I am, again, a bit of a handicap because I can't type Chinese and speak fluent Mandarin.That's the way , if you want to work in China. You need to be able to type and read Chinese and speak Mandarin.
I am seeng if I can get a standard hours here and work for 4 days. Nothing is set and I want to set some boundary, some schedule so I can schedule my time better. And also give myself some free time to do my stuff and maybe tutor some kids.
Tammy seems to be a a pretty gentle person and she talks to her staff as if talking to school children. But I know shes tough as well. You have to be tough to be a director. The people are alright. But then, I am a volunteer.
End of 1st Semester
I finished my first semester at UTS as a grad dip MAP student about 2 weeks ago. It was the Spring '90 semester.
I don't know what grade I got except for FV1, Credit. I also got a credit for my last major assignment for FV1. I am a little disappointed in the sense that one lesser bolex film got the same grade as I do.
I am hopeing I get credit for Issues in Documentary and Film and Video Drama. I hope Tracy would be lenient on us postgrad students coz our skill level is not up there with the undergrad at this point. We have a lot of catching up to do.
I don't know what grade I got except for FV1, Credit. I also got a credit for my last major assignment for FV1. I am a little disappointed in the sense that one lesser bolex film got the same grade as I do.
I am hopeing I get credit for Issues in Documentary and Film and Video Drama. I hope Tracy would be lenient on us postgrad students coz our skill level is not up there with the undergrad at this point. We have a lot of catching up to do.
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