2020 is a Mood – The Halftime Report

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted… honestly, there was so much going on in the world at large I needed a moment to process it all. It’s halfway through the year, aka Halftime, and I wanted to check in.

First things first, I hope this finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy. As I write this, it’s been 123 days since I started sheltering in place. That’s  a long time of enforced introversion for this ambivert.

And now that we are just about halfway through the year, there’s a lot to reflect on and share.

Black Lives Matter + #Representation Matters. Watching and witnessing history keep repeating itself, over and over again, especially during a time when we should be taking extra care of our fellow humans, has deeply hurt me to my soul. George Floyd, Breonna Taylor,  Ahmaud Arbery… the list is too long and the reasons why too tragic. Some of you have known me since my university days, when my friends and I successfully lobbied for things like a campus Multicultural Student Center and organizations that recognized students of mixed heritage. As an Asian American, I stand with all my BIPOC brothers and sisters to continue fighting for diversity and inclusion.

Growing up, Asians in pop culture were fetishized or treated as caricatures speaking broken English, and sometimes portrayed by people who… weren’t even Asian. It has a way of making you feel like you don’t exist, or that the rest of  the world only sees you a certain way.  I’ve struggled with these stereotypes in my corporate life and in my acting life. There is something so potent about seeing yourself represented (accurately) – not just on stage and screen, but behind the scenes… from middle management, to C-suite to the board of directors.

I’m heartened to see that since all these senseless killings, and the resulting protests, leaders in all industries seem to be paying more than lip service to the practice of inclusion. It’s not just about telling stories about our cultures, it’s about our being able to tell stories of all kinds, regardless of our race or heritage.

Reflections on Pressing Pause. Covid-19 has forced a lot of us to press pause on our hectic, fast-forward, overscheduled lifestyles. In a way, I am grateful for this time for deep thought, deep cleaning and deep introspection. I’ve pared down my own ambitious list of goals and ideals down to a few core principles. And I’m using those principles to help filter the decisions I make about my life, my craft and my business.

Things I’d like to share. Amidst the chaos, may I share a few things I’m proud of?

  • Coming SoonFanCentral VO Panel sponsored by the Dallas Public Library this Saturday, July 18th at 2 p.m. Central / 12 noon Pacific. Register to attend (free) here.
  • #DreamComeTrue: This past May, I had the honor of voicing promos for Nickelodeon, celebrating Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month! You can hear the spots here and here.
  • Gamer Girl: You can hear me as Ra-Ra and Kiyomi in the Fallout 76 Wastelanders DLC and  as Claws of the Dragon and Imperial Demolitionist in the mobile card game Legends of Runeterra. Both games are out now.
  • Come to Brunch: throughout this quarantine, I’ve been co-producing Brunch with the Bard, a weekly live stream sharing Shakespeare and other classics. We broadcast Sundays at 2 p.m. Pacific.

As we head into the second half of 2020, the biggest lesson I’m learning is that kindness and care go a long way, and that we have to work extra hard to stay open and flexible to manage whatever the world throws our way.

What has your biggest 2020 Halftime lesson been? Hit reply and let me know. I read every message.

Be well,

R

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