My Trip to Hong Kong

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Mitch
A picture of Hong Kong Harbour at night

The Famous Hong Kong Harbour

In May of 2008, I went on my first trip to Hong Kong in several years. I had just finished the national Australian tour of Cameron Mackintosh’s Miss Saigon and I wanted a little holiday. I was excited as hell as I’d been upgraded on my flight to business class. I couldn’t wait to catch up with some really good friends of mine who were local ‘Honkies’, Rick Lau and Osbert Hou. So buckled up and settled in on the top floor of a Qantas 747, I made my way to one of my favourite cities in the world.

I arrived in to Hong Kong in the evening. I was staying at my cousin’s place in the Mid-Levels. He had this beautiful 3 bedroom apartment and he was away at the time so I had the place to myself! After dumping my stuff inside I quickly made my way down to Causeway Bay to get a quick bite to eat. I didn’t really know where I was going and it was getting late but it was the start of a wonderful exploration of Hong Kong.

One of my first little adventures was meeting up with my friend Rick Lau in Central before heading out to see the Big Buddha. Rick is a good friend of mine who I met doing a show called Thoroughly Modern Millie in Melbourne with The Production Company. He played my older brother in the show and I have since affectionately referred to him as ‘Gor gor.’ We also toured in Miss Saigon together. He is a fantastic performer and wonderful friend.

The Big Buddha, known as Tian Tan Buddha is located on Lantau Island, Hong Kong and is a major centre for Buddhism. To get to the Buddha we had to get the train out to Tung Chung before getting taking a beautiful, scenic cable car ride to Ngong Ping. On the way out, Rick, generously told me a story of how someone died recently whilst riding on the cable car because it fell off. Not surprisingly, I was quite apprehensive about riding it now. Not to mention my fear of heights!

After a rocky start, where the cable car stopped at the top of one of the mountains and was just hanging there stationary for 10 minutes, the rest of the journey was quite smooth and I began to appreciate the majestic beauty of the mountains on the island.

We visited the Buddha, took in the sights and treated ourselves to a delicious vegetarian meal at the base of the Buddha. Dessert was a dish called Dofu Fa. It’s sheets of Tofu in sugar syrup and ginger served warm in a bowl. It’s amazing. The tofu was silky and the sugar syrup was sweet and ginger gave the dish some body and a little but of heat. I had never had it before where the flavour of the ginger came through so strongly and it really made the dish. The balance of the flavours was perfect.

On another day, Rick and I went to visit his good friend, Jackie Chan. No not the martial arts movie superstar but Jackie who works in an art gallery and lives in Stanley, a lovely little beach town. Stanley is directly over the other side of Hong Kong Island. We caught the double decker bus directly over the mountains. That’s another scary trip. The bus hoons and zig zags around and over the mountain on the tiny roads precariously close to the edge. It’s freakin’ scary!

We met up with Jackie, had a lovely day exploring the area, going to the markets, eating and soaking up the sun. Jackie was so friendly and welcomed me instantly. He has become another good friend who I always look forward to catching up with.

The first time I caught up with my friend Osbert Hou, ‘Oz’, was in Central. We went and got a coffee so Oz could get his fix (he’s so addicted!). We had a nice catch up there. He was a dresser on Miss Saigon. Great guy. We also got yum cha, which I’d been hanging out for the whole time I’d been in Hong Kong.

My cousin, Clinton, was also in Hong Kong for a few days while I was there. He was on his way through to Europe but wanted to stop off at Hong Kong. We did a few more touristy things. We went to Mongkok Ladies’ markets, searched for some cheap electronics, got some suits tailor made by a tailor that my family uses, went to Nathan Rd, caught a ferry across Hong Kong Harbour and ate ate ate. He is another ‘foodie’ like me and came in to Hong Kong with a list of different eateries he wanted to hit up. We had crab, lobster, shark fin soup and dumplings galore. It was great.

Rick, Oz, Clinton and I also went one morning to have breakfast at a little road side stall which apparently had really great ‘Pantyhose Tea’. It’s called as such due to the nature in which it is brewed. It is a couple of different types of tea that is mixed together inside a pair of pantyhose and brewed. Despite the way it sounds, it’s actually really really good and very sanitary (as far as I know).

Other highlights along the way included Tortoise Shell Jelly, which is a warm, black coloured jelly substance. It is quite a strong and ‘hard to describe’ flavour. But Oz said it was really good quality. He knows it’s good when he feels it give a burning sensation in his chest. We also had Yin Yang Tea, called so because it’s a mixture of half tea and half coffee with milk. It’s an interesting flavour but I really enjoyed it.

On another occasion Rick, Jackie and I had a lovely ‘all you can eat’ yum cha at a club called Dragon i. It’s a hot nightclub just above Lan Kwai Fong. Many beautiful people frequent it due to the fact that models can enter for free and on certain nights, get free food and drinks. Not bad!

All in all, it was a fantastic 10 days in Hong Kong. I didn’t want to leave. Hong Kong is such a vibrant, exciting city. I’ve been dying to return there ever since and been planning a trip back to look for work. Fingers crossed!!!

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Asian Goodies – A Journey Through Chinatown, Sydney

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Mitch

The place where my Asian side really comes to the fore is in Chinatown. When I’m there, I’m surrounded by so many different ‘goodies’ which all put me in a euphoric state.

It all starts with Easy Way where I can get my fix of bubble tea (珍珠奶茶). Delicious tea based drinks with milk served in plastic sealed cups that you pierce with a large straw on steroids. The great thing about these drinks is that you have so many options in terms of customizing them to your liking and there is a method with how you order your drink.

Firstly you choose the tea base you want…. Black tea or Jasmine Green tea. The original tea was black but for a more fragrant and floral option, Green tea is delicious.

Next you choose what flavouring you want in it. From chocolate to taro to strawberry to green apple to caramel to honey to kiwi, the flavours are endless.

Finally, you choose what toppings you want in the drink. The standard topping is tapioca pearls. Beautiful round balls of chewy, jelly goodness. But as with the flavours, there are a myriad of toppings. Lychee jelly, grass jelly, mango jelly, strawberry jelly, agar, coconut jelly. The list goes on.

My personal favourite is still the original pearl milk tea, which is black milk tea with pearls. Delicious!

Next stop on the trip we head over to Bread Top, a Chinese bakery. Here you can wonder around and choose from a fine assortment of delicious, baked goodies. Pork floss buns, sausage buns, cheese and chive buns, taro buns, red bean paste buns, green tea buns and my favourite, pineapple cake.

Passionflower is also a must for any Asian dessert lover. Here you can get a range of different ice creams including red bean, lychee and rose, black sesame, durian, taro and green tea. They also have special desserts with a mixture of different ice creams and similar toppings to what you might find in a bubble tea. I always get this dessert which is black sesame glutinous rice balls, covered with black sesame ice cream, grass jelly and drizzled with condensed milk. Mmmmmmm yum!

On the way home, I love to stop by the Asian grocer to pick up a few goodies for the road. Preserved prunes are sooooo good. Salty, sweet and sour little treats. Dried mango is also a winner. Sen Bei biscuits are nice savoury biscuits which once opened are all consumed in one sitting. Jelly cups are just that.. cups of jelly. Aren’t they are gooood!

Notable omissions from the journey include avocado milkshakes. Easy to get from Vietnamese restaurants. Sounds a little bizarre but I assure you they are so yum. Thai Iced Teas with milk are also really nice. A black/orange refreshing milk drink. Ice Kacang is a yummy dessert from Malaysia and Singapore which is basically shaved ice with red bean, grass jelly, sweet corn, agar, cendol and drizzled with condensed milk or coconut milk. And finally, yin yang drink. It’s half tea half coffee. I love it iced.

So there you have it, a trip around China town with me.

For me nothing beats Asian sweets!!

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Dustin Hoffman Inside The Actor’s Studio

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Mitch
A picture of Dustin Hoffman

Dustin Hoffman

The other day I watched for the first time Dustin Hoffman’s Inside The Actor’s Studio. What an amazing human being! So dedicated to the craft of acting. And such an incredible and diverse body of work. He was so open and generous and at many times vulnerable throughout the program. His stories about his life and his journey as an actor were quite something.

Dustin Hoffman grew up in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from Los Angeles High School he went on to study medicine at Santa Monica College but dropped out after a year to study acting at the Pasadena Playhouse (fellow classmates included Gene Hackman). After 2 years there Hoffman headed for New York. He worked in a series of odd jobs before finally being accepted in to the famed Actor’s Studio after a number of attempts. He appeared in a number of smaller television and movie roles before his big break came with “The Graduate” directed by Mike Nichols. For the role of Benjamin Braddock he got his first Academy Award nomination. Other incredible films he appeared in are “Midnight Cowboy”, “All The President’s Men”, “Marathon Man”, “Kramer vs. Kramer”, “Tootsie”, “Rainman”, “Hook”, “Meet The Fockers” and “Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium.”

Dustin Hoffman has won 2 Academy Awards, 5 Golden Globes, 3 BAFTAs, an Emmy Award and the AFI Life Achievement Award.

I was particularly inspired by his passion. He speaks an actor’s language. He is one of us. Understands our joys and our fears and our struggles. Encourages taking chances, to fail, to be bold, to risk. One thing I particularly loved that he said was “Give me something that’s ‘ooooh’, that’s in the ‘ooooh’…. Put me in that place and that’s worth everything.” I think this is so important. To make choices that give you that ‘ooooh’. To work on things that give you that ‘ooooh’. To go to those places that make you ‘hot’. Because that is what makes scenes and relationships and life come alive.

He makes the point that ‘failing is not the worst’. He says that ‘committing a sin is worse… putting something out there that is safe, that’s worked before. It’s kind of a sin because you’re denying yourself your gift.” What wonderful words. Celebrate all that we are and make the most of our gifts. Nelson Mandela said, “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be?”

Another interesting point Hoffman made was that “It doesn’t take much of a tilt to alter you…” This is so true. The slightest adjustment physically or emotionally can certainly change the way you feel. It’s a good tip to remember with trying to learn or play with elements of character and in exploring how difficult elements can affect and change you.

All in all, Dustin Hoffman Inside The Actor’s Studio covers the story of a man who, although considered ‘unconventional’ in terms of looks, was passionate and courageous enough to go for what he wanted. He’s not afraid to risk and to fail. His curiosity and willingness to explore and celebrate the flaws in all of us have seen him achieve great success. He is widely recognised as one of the greatest actors of the last 50 years. I’d encourage all if they get the chance to watch it and get inspired by this wonderful actor and human being.

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Growing Up Eurasian In Australia

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Mitch

I was born in Sydney, Australia. The product of an Australian born Chinese father and a mother of Irish and Norwegian decent. My father was a restaurateur. He ran a restaurant called Chopsticks that was initially started by my grandfather when he came to Australia from China. My mother is a primary school teacher.

Growing up, I was spoiled with food. Every time we had a special occasion in the family, whether it be a birthday, a wedding, an anniversary, we always had a huge banquet at the restaurant. It was amazing. The whole restaurant would be closed to cater for our extended family and friends. We would have course after course. Crab, fish, lobster, prawns, chicken, beef, oysters, and my favourite… shark fin soup! They were always great fun and we all miss those days.

As I went through primary school and into high school I felt just like a regular kid. I had good friends, played sport, learnt piano. It wasn’t until I got half way through high school that I was made aware of my ‘Asian-ness’. I was teased by another boy about my Asian name. It was hurtful. The way I dealt with it ironically was to put the boy into a Hapkido Karate submission move.

I also started to get a little self conscious about it in a class I was in. I was the top of the year in Mandarin Chinese and I felt like people thought I had an advantage because of my father. I don’t think they realised that my father spoke Cantonese and couldn’t read or write and that Mandarin was completely foreign to him. I felt like I wasn’t getting credit for my hard work.

The real moment when I felt like I was labelled as Eurasian was when I finished school and started out pursuing my career as an actor. Whilst attending drama school, I gained the nickname, with another Eurasian student, ‘Team Asia.’ I never took it to heart or too seriously. I’m quite happy to have a joke at my own expense and I try not to take myself too seriously.

Venturing out into the professional world I encountered an industry that was all about ‘types’. Not just character types but ethnic types. Being Eurasian, I was interested to see how I’d ‘fit in’ to the industry. Was I a white actor, an Asian actor or a Eurasian actor? I preferred to think of myself as just an actor.

So far I’ve gained roles as both an Asian and a white person. I’m still not too sure how I’m seen in the industry but all I know is that being Eurasian has been in some ways a gift and in some ways a curse.

In my life, being Eurasian is something I’m so proud of. I embrace my background. I feel blessed to have grown up getting the best of both worlds. I enjoy playing up my ‘Asian-ness’. I love what I’ve been exposed to… bubble tea, dried mango, red bean soup, black sesame balls, preserved prunes, yum cha. I love the cultural traditions and customs, the strong sense of family. To have all this and grow up in a country like this is something for which I’ll always be grateful.

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Auditioning for Disney’s The Lion King

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Mitch
A picture of the Lion King the Musical Logo

Broadway Smash-Hit Musical The Lion King

I was 17 years old. My first year out of school. I was training at NIDA(National Institute of Dramatic Art) in the Singer Dancer Actor course. My experience to this point had been limited. Mainly just high school productions and some productions and classes with A.T.Y.P(Australian Theatre for Young People). It was in May that year that the huge Disney classic turned Broadway musical success, The Lion King, began they’re auditions for the Australian production.

I, with a naïve, cocky, young, optimistic outlook, went in on a Saturday afternoon to do the gruelling and dreaded ‘cattle call’. It was my first audition ever for a professional production. I was fairly prepared. I was confident and ready to blow them away with my rendition of the Savage Garden hit “I Knew I Loved You”. We were told to prepare 16 bars but I thought wanted to do the whole song. So I started from the beginning.

I was the last person of the day. I put on my brave audition face and walked in. After the initial greetings, I went to the piano and gave the Musical Director my music. I sang my song and…… it went fantastic! The response was so positive. They seemed really interested but in that ‘playing it cool’ way. The Casting Director then said he would like me to have a look at some material from the show. It was for Simba. I was stoked. We worked through “Endless Night”, Simba’s big number from the second act. After some work on that they gave me some scenes to look at. I began working on them with a reader there. We worked on them for a while before going back in and working them with the Casting Director. It all went really well. 1.5 hours or so after I first went in, I left the audition…. High as a kite!

The Monday after that audition I got a call from the Casting Director saying he noticed I didn’t have representation so he said he’d placed a call with Barbara Leane and Associates, a top agent in Australia who represents some of the countries finest talent. I couldn’t believe it. I dreamed about huge success and the places I wanted to go and it seemed like the journey was about to start. I was a little overwhelmed by it all. I felt a great pressure to perform and impress them. I would have 2 weeks to continue to work on the material before I would have my first call back.

The 2 weeks passed and I went in for the second audition. More people on the panel. More pressure. I was really nervous. The song “Endless Night” was high for me. I’m not sure if I really believed I could pull it off. I felt they thought I was really good and I wasn’t sure if I could live up to they’re expectations. I was doubting myself. The audition came and went so quickly. It was bad. I sucked. It all got the better of me and I felt like I’d blown it. I was pretty down. I felt like I choked.

I didn’t really expect to hear from them again. To my surprise I got a call from the Casting Director the following week. I was shocked. He confirmed for me that I didn’t really do a very good audition. However it wasn’t a call from him to say ‘No’. He was so nice about it. He asked me about what happened and then proceeded to ask how we could make it so that I felt more comfortable and could audition better next time. I was getting another chance.

Mentally I wasn’t in the best shape though. I felt like I choked in the last audition. I felt expectation. I felt huge pressure from myself. I felt like I couldn’t handle myself under pressure.

I went in for the next audition and it was not much better than the second. I was called back about 6 or 7 times. The final audition was with a panel of about 8 people. I did the best I could. But I had lost the belief in myself. I felt like my audition was absolutely terrible. It was another blow to my already rock bottom confidence.

I didn’t get the job. I wasn’t surprised. I felt I lost myself the job because I started to doubt myself. Not because I couldn’t do it. I felt like confidence wise I started out on the top of a mountain and then audition by audition slid down, down, down. Confidence wise I was the lowest I’d been. I obviously wasn’t ready.

In hindsight I see it as a blessing. Instead of getting in to a professional musical and going on tour, I ended up going to WAAPA (Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts) where I honed and developed a lot more skills. It was a place where I could work hard to become an even better and more skilled actor. It’s led me on a certain path and I’m happy for the opportunities and blessings it’s given me.

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Hello world!

Posted on August 21, 2010 by Mitch

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

Posted in Random | 2 Comments