So maybe writers, producers and mainstream networks out there will finally realise that their target market of 45 year old white females is changing. Maybe when they try and chase their audience to the online market, they will realise the tastes of their audience has fundamentally changed. They want diverse stories, they want to see their ethnicity reflected back to them on screen, and they have attention to give. Give them a good show, and the audience will come.

Recently I was cast as Candy Law on the 6 part miniseries TV adaptation of The Family Law written by Benjamin Law. Kudos to Matchbox Pictures, SBS, Screen QLD, Screen Australia and Matchbox’s parent company, NBC Universal for making this show inspired by a Chinese-Australian family and showcasing the diversity in our community. Matchbox Pictures, also responsible for Nowhere Boys and Maximum Choppage, is the front runner in making shows that reflect a multicultural Australia and featuring Asian-Australians in lead roles. Together we are changing the face of Australian TV and allowing our unique stories to be told as well. The great thing is, The Family Law is not just your typical Chinese-Australian family and I believe every Australian will be able to relate to the characters and situations being portrayed. It should definitely bring out a laugh or two – we definitely had fun shooting the show!

We are on our last week of filming now, and how the time has passed! The whole cast and crew have grown very close just like a real family. The Law clan just grew by about 90 members over the last 6 weeks, an outcome I don’t think even Benjamin Law himself saw coming. Being a comedy, there are some seriously funny and quotable lines in this show that didn’t help when we were trying to keep a straight face. These lines have now become the inside jokes of the set and provide quite a lot of amusement for all. So as not to spoil it for you, you’ll have to watch the show in 2016 to find out what I’m talking about!

As far as first time series regular roles go, I think I’ve landed the cream of the crop. I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive and professional cast and crew to work with. We’ve also received quite a lot of interest from the media as this is quite a unique show that I hope all of Australia will get behind. To read about the show, feel free to check out some of links below! Even better, you should buy the book for a laugh out loud experience.

Sydney Morning Herald

News.com.au

The Courier Mail

1. I cry. As soon as I see people hugging at the departure gate, I tear up. The emotions at high and there are so many reasons people have to travel overseas and sometimes that means leaving their loved ones behind. The knee-jerk thought of every imaginable story touches me and I get inescapably emotionally involved.
2. People are nice to each other. This is especially noticeable if you’ve spent most of your time in a not so friendly country. Suddenly, it’s okay to smile at one another and willingly allow others to step in front of you in the line. I even felt compelled to pay for a Canadian girls coffee when she didn’t have the right currency. It’s as if this transit zone gives people a connection akin to being on the same sports team.
3. Impulsive last minute shopping. Suddenly you have spare currency you know you will lose out on when you get home and convert this money into your home currency. Or you have just remembered someone important you didn’t buy a gift for. Or all these compact brand name stores give you itchy fingers. Either way, there is rarely a soul that doesn’t fall victim to the duty free airport commercial hub.

And the most obvious thing we all have to endure at an airport is wait, unless you’re a celebrity or politician. Waiting gives me time to think of lists like these.

Happy travels everyone, let’s see what else you can add to my inevitable-airport-moments list.

Walking through the airport today after 8 years, I have come to notice some subtle changes. I think they call this growing up. I travel much lighter now. I take the bare necessities with the content knowledge that I can always purchase what I forgot. With time being more and more priceless as one ages, this method also saves threefold the amount of time to pack. And instead of listening to the newest Taylor Swift album, I prefer to listen to the surrounding sounds around me. Whether it be the noise of the coffee machine from the nearby cafe or the quiet chatter of a couple talking, I just prefer to embrace the sound of the world I live in knowing I will never experience the same moment again. I have found as one grows older, one grows less self absorbed. We are more interested in other people as opposed to wanting others to know about us.

With this, I hope my little solo trip can bring me some new friends and memorable encounters.

today is Easter Monday (Happy Easter btw) and i had the day off and i just had two of my wisdom teeth taken out last thursday so i didn’t want to do any travelling or usual holiday stuff – so i decided to update my headshot collection. and by accident one of them turned out like it belonged in a TAG HEUER advertisement. so i had to make a ad out of it. i can’t stop laughing every time i look at it. it only took 100,000 shots to get to this one – anyone know the feeling? on a side note – really sick of eating nothing but soup. it’s been 4 days, i really thought 4 days would have been enough for a full recovery. delusional and impatient as usual.

i still remember it like it was yesterday. i was 19 and it was my first overseas trip alone. i had decided to study abroad in Toronto, Canada a place where i had no friends or family. i didn’t even know the elderly couple that had agreed to pick me up from the airport as my dad had by chance met them not long ago at a conference in Hong Kong. so as you would expect, an emotional me starts BALLING my eyes out as soon as my parents are out of sight leading me as a complete mess during take off. a very kind boy who sat beside me provided me with an endless supply of tissue paper and our friendship started from there. flying Southern China (first and last time), we had a one night stay in Taiwan so my new friend and i hired a car that took us around Taipei for the night. We saw the 101 tower and the night markets – we had the best time. And the next day when we landed in Vancouver, he lent me 20 CAD to call the elderly couple whom were picking me up from the AP because i was going to miss the connecting flight. turns out i was on the wrong visa … actually didn’t have a visa at all because the lady at the canadian consulate in sydney gave me false information that led me to be stranded at immigration in vancouver for 3 hours. oh the lessons we learn in life. so painful. so #neverdoingthatagain.

if that friend of mine did not have such a hard name to remember, i would be able to find him on facebook and contact him again. actually i probably have his details written down in my travel diary, because we used diaries to record people’s details in the days before facebook.

Although, sometimes it’s important to get these reality checks because you know what? We don’t live forever. We need to embrace life with open arms and really fight for every dream and every second we have on this beautiful earth.

Looking around at the simple decor of the dorm like feel of the room, I noticed the difference in how the generation above us lived. No fancy electronic devices. Just a tv and CD player adorned the corner. Not even a digital radio clock. It doesn’t surprise me that the baby boomers are much better at maintaining longer in depth conversations than our generation full of iPhones and electronic distractions. I see this in my grandparents who just want to have a nice conversation whenever I visit. It makes me wonder what the aged care residences will look like when Generation Y hits retirement. I would love to be the one to pioneer that facility one day. What would you like to see in your retirement home one day?

write a list. look through emails, texts and FB messages to find out exactly what was asked of me.

fight sister for the shower so i can have clean, fresh smelling hair for first day on set

put on relaxing music

dig through wardrobe, sprawl items on bed, think think think about which options would look best on, discard all stripes and labels

make up. everything in a bag.

suitcase or suit bag? suit bag. harder to carry but less fussing on set.

omg i have to do my nails.

shoes. two pairs. same style but different colours.

oh last thing. a book to read. unfortunately there is ALWAYS down time on set. whether is a light that needs replacing or a camera that malfunctioned. there is always opportunity to stare blankly at a wall.

i thought this way about loneliness. not saying that i’m not grateful to have amazing family and friends around to keep me company, but it’s been a while since i have felt real loneliness. i believe it’s important for an actress to have access to a range of emotions at all times. so today i went on a mission to find loneliness. the first time i ever felt alone was in 10th grade in hospital when i had to spend the night alone in a hospital room with nothing but the TV (which mum wouldn’t allow me to watch anyway) and the silence of the night to keep me company.  so where better to find loneliness but in hospital again.

don’t worry, i wasn’t wasting tax payers money for no reason; i had a legit but not life threatening reason to be there. to ensure my mission wasn’t going to be compromised, i told my family i was working and told my friends i was busy. the first hour wasn’t too bad as i was in a new environment and had lots of little things to look at and explore. then the second hour was frightening lonely and my internal racket got very loud. by the third hour i was so delusional i started listening to other peoples conversations and imagining their daily lives to keep myself sane. that’s when i knew i succeeded.

i like being alone to watch others and their mannerisms – one can learn so much about human behaviour that way. i like seeing patients accompanied by family and friends – it means they have someone in their lives that care for them unconditionally. the doctors talk with such calm and collect, and their ability to explain situations is admirable – i wonder how they got trained to do that. and the nurses are so reassuring, they can make something very scary seem nonchalant. hospitals are a very well oiled machine.

i can definitely see myself coming back to lonely bed number 6 in my mind next time i need to feel some solitude. everyone should try some alone time sometime.