The steel magnolia

En route Shanghai, China Last night, I performed my first concert of two for this week. Regardless of where I am, what I'm playing and how many people I'm playing to, I get butterflies and jitters. Good jitters. It's that element of the unknown again, popping up. Standing backstage is nerve-racking, staring into the full length mirror with my headphones on, cranking Beyonce's Love On Top over and over. Yes it's my ritual. What better than a fiercely independent power woman singing a song with 5 key changes to gee me up?! :) The lights...

Halloween Horrors

OSAKA, JAPAN DISCLOSURE STATEMENT: This blog is NOT about Osaka. It’s about Universal Studios Japan J I only had a day and a half here and wanted to not be a typical tourist and see a temple, see a market, do some shopping, eat some Japanese food. I wanted HELLO KITTY INVASION! Hahaha! Having been to Universal Studios LA, I knew it was no Disneyland. Let’s remind ourselves though that it IS October 21st, 10 days before Halloween. This turned Universal Studios Japan into a WHOLE different theme park. When it’s theme park...

TOKYO DRIFTIN'

TOKYO, JAPAN I’ve always said that Tokyo would be the city I would move to in Asia if I had to move to a city in Asia. Well, that’s been reconfirmed. In the 4 days that I spent there, performing in Tokyo literally the moment I got off the plane to the few days in between trying to fit in as many touristy and cultural experiences as possible, I grew to love Tokyo even more. Everywhere I turn my head, I see something that spurs an inspiration. Music is played everywhere, whether it is hip-hop through to J-Pop through to classical music. Even...

The Unknown

HONG KONG, HONG KONG The last two weeks of shows, travels and chasing after flights has been exhausting. Anyone who knows me well enough knows that I am very spirited, almost always with a smile on my dial and seizing every moment as a positive rather than a negative.  Like right now! Being put in at the Regal Airport Hotel because the scheduled 1am flight out of HK to Tokyo was cancelled due to the typhoon. Positive: not being stuck in the air in a typhoon. Negative: feeling stranded and that panic-stricken moment of wondering what...

Thanksgiving

I get to celebrate my very first Thanksgiving this year as I come back to Orange County, USA.  WOOHOO!!!!!! Turkey. Me. UP!!!!! super excited :) I also get to celebrate my birthday in America which i'm super excited about so what better way than combining my birthday, Thanksgiving, music and a PARTAYYYYYY all in one?  Come join me Friday Nov 29th, 8:30pm at Lac Cam where i'll be playing a few bits and bobs, Hoai Phuong (saxophone) and Bich Van (singer) have so kindly agreed to come and be the amazing guest artists. Working...

Stranded in aiports

DUBAI, UAE So embarking on what was a 25 hour trip from Sacramento to Cochin of which was 22 hours of flying time, I knew something was going to go wrong. Traveling by myself means one large suitcase and a carry-on. I decided that because I could check both bags in, I would because Sacramento-Atlanta-Dubai-Cochin sounds exhausting as it is, let alone dragging a fairly heavy carry-on. The bags were to be checked-in direct to Cochin (woohoo!). NOT so 'woohoo' when you get to Dubai and you've missed your connecting flight. Why did i miss it? No, I was not perusing stores for souvenirs or that...

Denver Diaries

The last 48 hours was spent in Denver. Arriving to 80 degree weather, it was pleasant and as I got to downtown Denver, I soon found out it was a very arty city. I was to be playing at the Denver Performing arts Complex and littered around the city were larger-than-life sized sculptures! So cool! Dining at fabulous places like Mizuna (French-Mediterranean cuisine), The Market (breakfast, fab coffee, pastries and gluten free friendly to my excitement), and Jing (Asian-Japanese cuisine - make sure you try the Buddha bud! A sechuan flower to spruce...